U.S. May Require Social Media Profiles for Visa Waivers and 10 Other Tourism Trends This Week

Social Media Requirement for Visa Waivers May have Chilling Effect on U.S. Tourism: International arrivals to the U.S. are slowing down, so the industry is right to worry that requiring travelers to disclose social media profiles as part of the online application for the visa waiver program could be viewed as unwelcoming.

Australia’s China Travel Slump: A Blip or Something Bigger? After years of phenomenal growth, Chinese inbound tourism has hit the wall in Australia. It’s a pivotal moment for an industry that has enjoyed a golden run over the past decade. The question now is what does the future hold for Australia’s international tourism industry? For now, the answer is far from clear.

Is India the New China for Tourist-Hungry Destinations? India is becoming the boat that lifts Asia-Pacific destinations that have become too dependent on China outbound travel, which is sputtering. Australia is a good example of this.

How Carnival Grapples With Cruise Overtourism and Sustainability: A little bit of cognitive dissonance going on here​?​ ​Carnival CEO Arnold Donald ​talked up the cruise line’s obligation to its customers while explaining away a $20 million penalty it paid with the U.S. government for secret illegal pollution.

State of the U.S. Economy Isn’t a Worry So Far for Hilton CEO: Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta has always been an optimistic person, but financial markets aren’t always so positive thinking.

Costa Rica Matures From Ecotourism Pioneer to Industry Leader: Costa Rica was calling things green and eco way before it was cool. Now it’s going beyond ecotourism to embrace holistic sustainable tourism. Smart move, especially when arrivals keep growing.

Scotland’s Tourism Efforts Highlight a Post-Brexit UK Worry Outside London: European visitors make up a small part of Scotland’s tourism pie — but they are still an important part. Like other big geopolitical changes, Brexit offers up plenty of uncertainty, which often isn’t great for tourism.

Accor Launches New Exonomy Brand Greet: Greet’s nonstandardized approach will help it separate itself from other hotels in the economy segment, but individuality comes at a cost and may mean the rollout takes a little longer than equivalent cookie-cutter brands.

Embracing the Role of Romance in Luxury Marketing: Romantic love and a night at the opera might seem the stuff of chick flicks and cheap paperbacks sporting Fabio’s bare chest. But one expert says luxury marketers should pay heed to both subjects if they want to build deep and lasting relationships with their clients.

Luxury Travel Agencies Claim Bragging Rights in VIP Business Travel: Some luxury-focused leisure travel agencies are finding success in handling their clients’ business travel needs. The bleisure trend, as well as the desire for CEOs to keep their lavish travel a secret from employees, is creating opportunities for these agencies.

Saga Plays Long Game in Search for Cruise Nirvana: Saga is making a big bet on cruising with its new ships and will be hoping that Brexit doesn’t scupper its plans.