Eastern Europe Tackles Overtourism and 9 Other Tourism Trends This Week

Eastern Europe’s Tricky Balance on Avoiding Overtourism: The days of seeing overtourism as “a nice problem to have” are over. While they are still intent on building thriving tourism economies, some Eastern Europe tourism officials are also learning from the mistakes of their western neighbors.

Los Cabos Opens First International Office After Mexico Pulls Plug on Tourism Marketing: After the shocking closing of Mexico’s federal tourism board, it’s good news to see an international office opening — this time funded by the private sector rather than with government money.

Campaign to Lure Indonesians to Macau Launches Despite Hong Kong Protests: Macau wants to diversify its China-heavy arrivals. Indonesia is a good bet, as many Indonesians already visit Hong Kong. But the timing of the campaign isn’t good.

Indonesia’s Komodo Island Beset by Confusion, Not Overtourism: A final, clear decision on whether Komodo Island or Komodo National Park will be closed must be made, and ample time given to businesses should it be a go. What a mess.

How Not to Close an Island: Tourism Lessons From Indonesia: Closing islands for a rehab seems fashionable in Southeast Asia. It shouldn’t be. Authorities must first assess options carefully, and by no means should premature announcements be made. Just look at the Komodo Island example and the wrong messages Indonesia has sent about one of its most unique tourism assets.

Prince Harry Launches Sustainable Travel Initiative With TripAdvisor, Booking.com: Prince Harry is now applying his environmental activism to the industry of travel. While the efficacy of this initiative won’t be determined for a long time yet, he’s certainly succeeded in getting some big names on board.

Skift Global Forum Preview: How Costa Rica Is Staying Ahead of the Pack on Sustainability: Costa Rica has long been associated with ecotourism. But now that the rest of the world is catching up, it is still intent on meeting the challenge of sustainability in newly innovative and ambitious ways.

Themed Cruises Are a Double-Edged Sword for Travel Advisors: Travel advisors who understand their clients’ interests and hobbies will likely find a themed cruise that meets their needs. But it may not be plain sailing since some operators seem to prefer to sell direct — and have the marketing reach to do so.

Themed Cruises Present New Opportunities for Travel Advisors: Themed cruises are a fast-growing segment of the cruise industry with broad appeal. Although many are sold directly to consumers, travel advisors should get in on the action.

Audi’s Silvercar Launches New Car Rental Loyalty Program: Silvercar’s new loyalty program is a good incentive for both current and prospective customers to try out the service. It also may be a shot in the arm to a plateauing company.