Skift Take
This week in tourism, there was a lot of finger pointing between two former Thomas Cook CEOs during an inquiry into the company's collapse. Meanwhile, Japan will be the first Asian nation to host a Rugby World Cup tournament.
Tourism News Weekly Roundup
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 trends.
For all of our weekend roundups, go here.
Former Thomas Cook CEOs Take Low Road Blaming Each Other for Past Mistakes: It was the appearance everyone was waiting for. The two former Thomas Cook CEOs had very, very different ideas about how to run a travel company. The problem is that the business is no longer around, meaning they are both somewhat tarnished by failure.
Rugby World Cup Serves as Tourism Warm-Up for Japan’s 2020 Olympics Push: There are no shortage of reasons for tourists to want to visit Japan. But using international sports events as a way to signal that Japan is growing more accessible will certainly help broaden its appeal to those less adventurous travelers.
Watch Out, Japan! Switzerland Luring More Asians for Winter Holidays: Asia’s snow holiday market keeps growing, and Switzerland, a first mover in this opportunity, is benefiting. Japan, however, remains the most popular winter holiday destination for Asians by far.
Travel Advisors Need to Educate Themselves About Risks for Transgender Clients:
Traveling is tough when you’re transgender, but it can also be very risky for travel advisors who could unwittingly send their clients into some hostile environments if they don’t know what they’re doing.
Travel Advisors Need Knowledge to Assist Transgender Clients: From airport screening to hostile destinations, travel poses particular difficulties and humiliations for transgender people. Travel advisors need to be aware of the potential pitfalls when serving transgender clients.
Financial Help for Hong Kong Travel Advisors Comes With a Sigh of Relief: Hong Kong’s travel sector needs all the help it can get at the moment, and a new government scheme will be met with gratitude by travel advisors in particular.
Luxury Brand Value Surges — But Lags in Hospitality Sector: Within the travel industry, brands like Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons loom large. But according to a just-released study of brand valuation, in the real world, hospitality brand names don’t carry as much weight as their high-end counterparts in other industry sectors.
Why Luxury Travel Brands Don’t Make the A-List: When it comes to keeping up with the Joneses, luxury travel brands are falling behind. The value of brands from fashion, automotive, and financial services sectors is far stronger than those from hospitality and travel.
Google Is Phasing Out Its Buzzy Touring Bird Tours and Activities Search Feature: Touring Bird gained no traction in the real world outside Area 120, and for all the inroads metasearch has made in hotels, flights, and cars, it has really struggled in emerging categories where the products aren’t cookie-cutter such as in vacation rentals, and tours and activities.
Why Working Remotely Is Becoming Mainstream: Convincing companies to let their employees travel the world has been tough but Remote Year CEO Greg Caplan says it’s getting easier as corporate travel becomes more about flexibility.
Remote Year Founder Talks About Taking Corp Travel to a Whole New Level: Remote Year flips the average business trip on its head, making it more about the destination rather than the nature of the work itself. As flexibility becomes more important for business travelers, the company sees increasing interest from employees and managers alike.
Big Food Is Testing the Wellness Waters: Giant companies see the benefits of investing in wellness — and have enough money to take chances. But the wellness landscape, as we all know, is littered with fads gone bust.
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Tags: tourism, Travel Trends, trends roundups
Photo credit: Pictured is a sale in a Thomas Cook shop. Two former CEOs went before UK Parliament to explain the reasons behind the company's collapse. Greg Ritchie / Bloomberg