Skift Take

This week's tourism news revolved around destination marketing. Visit Oslo and U.S. national parks are thinking about overtourism, and Brand USA feels confident about its funding.

Throughout the week we post dozens of original stories, connecting the dots across the travel industry, and every weekend we sum it all up. This weekend roundup examines tourism.

For all of our weekend roundups, go here.

>>Hurricanes Irma, Jose and Harvey are taking a great human toll throughout the Caribbean and the United States, as has the earthquake in Mexico. Here’s how the travel industry is responding: Hurricane Irma: Travel Industry Live Updates

>>Disney often sticks to its happiest-place-on-earth script, so it’s refreshing to hear the CEO talk somewhat frankly about the forces disrupting all parts of his business — and how the company is responding: Disney CEO Is Taking Business Disruption Seriously

>>Somewhat shockingly, the U.S. National Park Service is just now getting familiarized with the travel industry even though it oversees some of the oldest and most popular attractions in the country. More parks are beginning to work with local tourism officials, and their budding symbiotic relationships are critical to the park service’s future: U.S. National Park Service Still Figuring Out the Travel Industry and Overtourism

>>While demand for flights from China to the U.S. is down, it is rising to Canada, which is enjoying new peaks in Chinese arrivals. No Trump Slump in Canada, which is visa-friendly, welcoming and appealing to free-spirited millennials: Chinese Tourism Surges to Canada While U.S. Visits Decline

>>High-end travelers are much more likely to embark on a very long-haul flight to a new destination than are budget tourists, so it is wise for the boards to focus on big spenders for any partnership: Tourism Boards Team Up to Attract High-Yield International Visitors

>>Given their relative wealth and amount of free time, mid-lifers — otherwise known as the youngest baby boomers and the oldest Gen Xers — don’t seem to be getting the proper respect and attention from travel marketers. A new report suggests that luxury marketers that ignore this group do so at their own peril: The Demographic That Luxury Travel Marketers Forgot About

>>Skift Global Forum is four years old, and now it’s a non-negotiable calendar appointment for serious travel companies: The Speakers at Skift Global Forum Are Just Amazing This Year

>>Brand USA is optimistic about its future and is ending its budget year by meeting its partner contributions’ goal. But with international visitation in the U.S. continuing to decline, it hopes to get smarter and more strategic with how it spends its marketing dollars in the coming year: Brand USA Says It Is Confident It Will Still Be Here in 2018

>>Visit Oslo doesn’t want to become a shell of itself, lose its Nordic cool character, and attract too many tourists. But it definitely wants a larger slice of international market share, and it is combing through social media for its new campaign to help make that happen: Visit Oslo Campaign Rescues Travelers From People-Polluted European Cities

>>Amtrak’s new videos speak the truth about the easy comfort of train travel, while flying basic economy is rife with pain points. But how many flyers will become rail-converts for the comfort? Amtrak Ads Call Out Air Travel While Execs Mull Basic Economy

>>The UNWTO has been touting impressive growth in global tourism for years but, has only recently started to get more serious about the reality of overtourism. Travel brands will be watching how Pololikashvili responds to the problem, and whether he can get through to destinations that are struggling: UNWTO Appoints Secretary-General Who Wants to Win Over Holdout Countries

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Tags: tourism, Travel Trends, trends roundups

Photo credit: National parks like Yosemite suffer from overtourism. In this October 20, 2008, photo, tourists get out of a bus in a newly enlarged parking lot next to a viewing area at Yosemite National Park, California. Paul Sakuma / Associated Press

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