Thailand's Visitor Decline and 12 Other Top Tourism Stories This Week

Popular Thai Beaches Pricier Than European Resorts: It’s Not Just About the Higher Baht: It’s easy to blame the baht as the butt of the problem for a decline in European arrivals to Thailand. The issues, however, are wider and deeper than just currency appreciation.

A Drop in European Visitors to Thailand Is a Wake-Up Call: While it focuses on arresting a drop in Chinese arrivals, Thailand should spend equal or more time assessing why European arrivals are declining. It's the higher spending market. The reasons are different, and it's time for Thailand to look internally rather than blame external factors like Brexit, baht, and a trade war for Europe's shrinkage.

Carnival Adds to Its Compliance Team as Scrutiny Builds: It's good to see Carnival building out its ethics and compliance team. Given the cruise company's recent history, these new hires certainly have their work cut out for them.

In-Flight Events Are Starting to Slowly Lift Off: So far, these flying meetings are mostly exclusive, invite-only affairs, where sought-after execs network with one another while trapped on a plane.

More Companies Are Putting Their Events on Planes: The trend is starting to gain traction, albeit very slowly. Attendees seem to like it because it shakes things up and makes the travel itself less tedious.

Brazil Wants to Double Its Visitors by 2022 But at What Cost? Brazil is aiming to double its visitors by 2022 and change its image to shift the focus onto its natural resources. There are concerns, however, about whether the plan is sustainable.

Germany and the UK Are Trouble Spots in Europe’s Tourism Outlook: European tourism may, broadly speaking, be in growth mode. But there is still plenty of cause for guarded optimism, particularly when it comes to Germany and the UK.

What Happens to Washington D.C. Tourism During an Election Year? All eyes will be on the American presidential campaign come 2020, but despite all the attention on the nation's capital, the effect that an election year has on tourism in Washington D.C. isn't so straightforward.

Stress-Related Mental Health Risks Are Rising for Business Travelers: Risks involving anxiety and depression are making up a larger and larger chunk of first calls to risk management companies. This trend likely won't slow until companies make fundamental shifts to their corporate culture.

Biz Travelers Face Mounting Anxiety and Depression Risks: The link between business travel and burnout is clear, with more frequent travelers experiencing higher levels of stress than infrequent travelers. Risk management companies are getting a view of this problem firsthand.

The Often Overlooked Role Travel Advisors Play in the Path to Responsible Tourism: While it's more obvious that hotels, airlines, and cruise lines have a big impact on sustainable tourism, travel advisors wield influence too. How they guide clients in the choices they make has ramifications for the health of the travel industry, as well as for the planet.

Can Travel Advisors Be a Secret Weapon in Quest for Sustainable Tourism? By guiding clients toward responsible choices in how and where they travel, travel advisors can play a key part in promoting sustainable tourism. Not only do local communities benefit, but visitors come away with more meaningful experiences.

Trip.com Group’s Softer Growth Shows Extent of China Outbound Slowdown: Single-digit growth is something China’s largest online travel company isn’t used to, but that may just happen in the fourth quarter. Growth has already softened in the third.