Hong Kong’s Worst-Case Scenario and 10 Other Tourism Trends This Week

What If Hong Kong Falls? The Worst-Case Scenario for Travel: As weeks of protests escalate in Hong Kong and Beijing weighs its options, it’s not hard to imagine Hong Kong’s successful tourism industry becoming a shell of its former self. Though the conventional wisdom from region insiders is that Hong Kong will prevail, the form that it will take is anyone’s guess.

Travel Winners and Losers in Northeast Asia’s Conflicts: Current conflicts in Northeast Asia do not stop people from traveling to and from the region, but they do redirect tourism flows, benefiting some destinations and hurting others.

Tourism Gets Caught in the Crossfire of Northeast Asia Politics: Chinese tourists are the world’s biggest spenders. That arms Beijing with a geopolitical tool. The not-so-secret weapon shows no signs of diminishing in its effectiveness to redirect tourism flows.

TUI Profit Takes a Hit From Max Grounding: The Max grounding overshadowed a decent set of results. TUI will be hoping the safety issues are ironed out well in advance of next summer, the period when profits can be the most robust.

Kenya Tourism Shows Its Resilience After January’s Nairobi Attack: Kenya has felt little long-term impact from the terrorist attacks that shook the city’s dusitD2 Nairobi hotel in January. That’s good news for the city’s hoteliers and the country’s all-important tourism industry. Are travelers simply becoming immune to the threat of terror?

What This Tanzanian Preserve Can Teach Africa About True Conservation: Conservation is too soft a word to describe the measures being taken to address the crisis facing land and wildlife in Africa. But the Grumeti Fund is an example of best-in-class anti-poaching. This, coupled with large-scale systemic change, education, and community empowerment, is the one-two punch that can counter the imminent dangers facing wildlife and ecology in Africa.

Travel Advisors See Little Backlash From Carnival’s Pollution Fine: There hasn’t been much backlash after Carnival Corp. copped a guilty plea and a $20 million fine for polluting the ocean, but some smaller cruise operators are pushing their green credentials in the hope of differentiating themselves.

Travel Advisors Say Price — Not Pollution — Still Top Concern for Most Cruisers: While the cruise industry’s dismal record on sustainability hasn’t yet sparked concern among most cruise passengers or inspired major changes, small cruise operators are stepping up their game on green practices.

Amsterdam Turns to Luxury to Allay Overtourism Concerns: When your destination is considered the ultimate hotbed of overtourism, what do you do to reduce crowding? For Amsterdam, the answer lies in luxury.

Can High-End Travelers Save Amsterdam From Overtourism? One way to beat overtourism is to target higher-spending visitors. Cities can get away with fewer tourists as long as they spend more. But will that really help solve the issue?

Skift Global Forum Preview: Avis Tackles Digital Innovation Through Partnerships: Doing just traditional car rental isn’t going to cut it anymore, and Avis is rapidly expanding its alternative services.