Skift Take

This week in tourism news, the U.S. Travel Association released a 10-year agenda as it faces a strong dollar, a slowing global economy, and geopolitical events that dissuade tourism as it tries to maintain America’s share of the global overseas travel market. Plus, destinations are realizing that being competitive isn't always about attracting the most visitors.

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.

U.S. Travel Association Unveils 10-Year Agenda at a Turbulent Time for Travel: The trade group U.S. Travel is entering a new decade, and the trade group seems to be aware that maintaining growth for the next 10 years will require that it asserts itself politically more than ever before.

Travel Megatrends 2020: Tourism’s New Competitive Advantage Is Protecting Destinations: Responding to the burden that tourism can bring requires more than tacking on the idea of management to tourism boards’ activities; it requires a paradigm shift in how destinations operate. That shift is under way.

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Thomas Cook’s Collapse and the Strange Hope It’s Giving Tour Operators: The absence of Thomas Cook has left a big gap to fill in a number of European markets. The early signs in the key January booking period point to a pretty good year for tour operators. Although as we know from experience, that can quickly change.

Major Travel Agencies Are on a Consolidation and Expansion Fast Track: Travel agencies are poised for expansion, but the major challenge is finding travel advisors to fill new positions. Acquiring agencies and enticing newcomers to join the industry are ways around it.

Royal Caribbean Plays It Extra Safe With Coronavirus Contingency Plan: At this stage it’s difficult to tell how long the coronavirus outbreak will last and how far it will spread. For now Royal Caribbean is acting with extreme caution in China.

The Future of Elephant Tourism Will Be Showcased in This Nepalese Village: It seems far-fetched that a tiny village in Nepal that depends on elephant-back safaris could one day be a million-dollar profit attraction. If this initiative works, it’s a great day for tourism communities.

Travel Agency Expansion Heats Up in the Face of Staffing Challenges: Strong sales are giving travel agencies the means to expand, but they face challenges in finding experienced travel advisors. As a way around this, some are looking to acquire existing agencies or attract more independents to their host operations.

How South African Tourism Can Get Its Mojo Back: South African tourism is on the decline. There are several factors at play, but given the diversity of experiences that can be had in this country of 58 million people, what’s needed is a new and sharper narrative.

Coronavirus Impact Mounts on Meetings Sector: Event cancellations related to the spread of coronavirus will linger well into this year as planners have to make important decisions in the near future.

The Key to Unlocking the Future of Flight-Free Business Travel: Employees are always going to need to travel. Emerging technologies may hold the key to a more sustainable future for corporate travel.

What’s Driving Growth for Travel’s Arrangement and Reservation Services: New Skift Research: Travel agents still exist; tour operators are the last sector to move to digital; online travel platforms are scrambling to keep the growth rate high. We are expecting to see more changes shaping up the travel arrangement and reservation services sector in the next few years.

Travel Advisors Scramble as Coronavirus Rattles Clients: As the coronavirus spreads, so are concerns among travelers. Travel advisors are feeling the effects, coping with cancellations, and providing reassurance to nervous clients.

What Luxury Family Travel Looks Like in 2020: The future of luxury family travel is sustainable, eco-friendly adventures. Luxury properties would be wise to think about how they can appeal to this environmentally-conscious set of travelers.

Tough Times Offer Asia Tourism Opportunity to Reassess: The coronavirus ban has plunged Asia tourism into a challenging period, but the outlook needs not be bleak if industry players take the opportunity to reduce their reliance on a single market.

TUI and Royal Caribbean Expand Cruise Partnership With $1.3 Billion Deal: This seems like a win-win for TUI Group. It gets an established partner to help grow its luxury and expedition cruise line — while also keeping a share of the business — and at the same time it gets the cash to help pursue its digital strategy.

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Tags: travel trends

Photo credit: The U.S. Travel Association's 10-year agenda aims to maintain U.S. market share of the global overseas travel market. William87 / Adobe

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