Castles, choirs, Loch Ness & prison pours: RIT brings Ireland & the U.K. to Toronto

From private cathedral tours and stately homes to Highland hotels and whiskey tastings inside a former prison, RIT Vacations brought a taste of Ireland and the UK to Toronto on Monday (Nov. 9), as the Canadian tour operator reported its strongest year yet.

The company welcomed travel trade partners and media to Convivium for a supplier lunch featuring 17 partners from Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland, along with a performance by members of the choir of Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.

The setting offered a little Toronto history, too. Convivium, at 83 Yonge St., occupies an 1857 heritage building where the first edition of the Evening Star, the predecessor of the Toronto Star, was printed in 1892—a fitting backdrop for an afternoon of storytelling and connections across the Atlantic.

The gathering was part of a four-city roadshow expected to reach more than 300 travel advisors throughout the week, Jonathan Sargeant, RIT's director of sales, told attendees.

For Ian Duffy, president and owner of Royal Irish Tours, which operates as RIT Vacations, the event was an opportunity to thank the trade after a successful anniversary year.

“2026 was a brilliant year and numbers, volume, sales, everything was our best year ever,” Duffy said.

Early business for 2027 is also looking encouraging, he added, with approximately 230 scheduled departures to fill.

“It's complicated times and difficult times with everything that's going on in the world,” Duffy said. “But we're glad to say that Ireland and the UK seem to be ticking along nicely.”

Music, television and women-only travel

Alongside its established touring program, RIT is developing more departures built around particular interests and personalities.

Following this year's UK Legends of Rock tour with Canadian broadcaster and music commentator Alan Cross, the company is discussing further collaborations, including possible Irish or Scottish versions.

Another partnership, Journey to Wales with Jules Hudson of Escape to the Country, demonstrated the appeal of travelling with a familiar personality.

“That tour was launched, I'm going to say it was launched on a Wednesday evening and it sold out on a Thursday,” Duffy said.

For 2027, the company is also introducing a women-only Scottish Spirit departure in September and a Celtic Halloween Experience exploring Ireland's connections to the celebration.

Duffy reminded advisors that RIT's portfolio extends beyond coach tours to self-drive holidays, chauffeur-drive trips and rail journeys.

The company’s Canadian identity remains central to its business, he said, noting that approximately 95 per cent of its travellers are Canadian.

“As we enter our 26th year, our business to the UK and Ireland continues to grow, as well as our team,” Sargeant said.

Behind the cathedral doors

For advisors looking to add distinctive experiences to a Dublin itinerary, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral offers opportunities to explore beyond its public spaces.

Speaking with PAX, Gavan Woods, the cathedral’s administrator and CEO, described private tours led by vergers, whose responsibilities encompass the building and its worship.

“They’ll bring you through the places the public don’t go. They’ll tell you the stories the public don’t hear,” Woods said.

The advance-bookable experiences take visitors into the cathedral’s historic structure and up its tower for views of Dublin.

“They’re not primarily tour guides, which is possibly the strength of the visit,” he said. “You’re getting something very authentic.”

The cathedral’s literary connections are another draw. This year marks the 300th anniversary of Gulliver’s Travels, written by Jonathan Swift, who served as its dean.

“Every corner you turn, there’s something that tells a story,” Ed Coleman, the cathedral’s marketing manager, told PAX.

Beyond architecture and history, Coleman highlighted seasonal programming, including the Jonathan Swift Festival and December lunchtime carols.

The cathedral’s music travelled to Toronto for the occasion, with Stuart Nicholson, its Master of the Music, bringing a small group of singers to perform Irish songs for guests.

Addressing the room, Woods emphasized that tourism also supports the cathedral’s wider work.

“It’s important that you know that we are a place of worship, but we are funded almost entirely by the receipts from visitors that come in,” he said. “And that funds our community work, our education work, our choral worship.”

A family home with screen appeal

In North Yorkshire, Castle Howard combines familiar filming locations with opportunities to explore a house that remains a family residence.

“We’re a stately home. We’re 300 years old, but we’re a family home,” Ammie Jones, head of sales and partnerships, told PAX. “So the Howard family still live in the house.”

Located approximately 15 miles outside York, the attraction is known for its appearances in Brideshead Revisited and the first season of Bridgerton.

Visitors can tour the house and explore gardens, lakes and woodland, while tailored experiences offer more personal access.

“You can spend time with our head curator who’ll give you a really in-depth view and a private view of the house,” Jones said.

Those visits can take place before public opening or after closing. Other options include time with the head gardener and tractor-trailer tours exploring the wider estate and its rewilding projects.

Jones recommends allowing at least three hours, with many travellers visiting during a stay in York.

A Highland base

In Inverness, Tracey Milton, sales manager representing Kingsmills Hotel and Ness Walk, highlighted two different accommodation options for exploring the Scottish Highlands.

Kingsmills offers 147 bedrooms and a larger, resort-like setting, while five-star Ness Walk provides a 47-room boutique alternative.

Milton said demand from North American travellers helped identify an opportunity for the smaller luxury property.

Beyond the hotels, she pointed to Loch Ness cruises, castles, distilleries and golf as reasons to make Inverness part of a wider Scottish itinerary.

The destination's appeal also lies in its hospitality, she said.

“We want to share our stories, our history,” Milton said. “We're all about telling the stories and the spirit of the Highlands.”

Belfast's past and future

For Patrice Lavery, business development manager with Hastings Hotels, the group's properties offer different perspectives on Belfast and Northern Ireland.

Its six-hotel collection includes the historic Europa Hotel and luxury Grand Central Hotel in Belfast, alongside properties such as Ballygally Castle on the Antrim coast and the Everglades Hotel in Derry.

“So we really do showcase our future and our past,” Lavery said.

Another Belfast supplier offered an unusual example of a historic building finding a new purpose.

McConnell's Irish Whiskey operates its distillery inside a former Victorian prison wing, David Brady, leisure and corporate sales development manager, told PAX.

The setting is part of the visitor experience, alongside the story of a whiskey brand whose roots date to 1776.

Advisors can arrange visits through RIT, Brady said, with options extending beyond a standard distillery tour.

“We offer different types of experiences from tours, cocktail experiences, connoisseur tours, private tastings with our master distiller,” he said.

The distillery also offers space for gala dinners and banquets.

For Woods, the connections forged through these experiences extend beyond individual attractions.

“I think one thing tourism can do is it can strengthen bonds,” he told the Toronto gathering. “We have historical, economic and cultural links and tourism speaks to that.”

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