Hawaii Tourism Backlash and 11 Other Top Travel Stories This Week

Throughout the week we are posting original stories night and day covering news and travel trends, including on the impact of coronavirus. Every weekend we will offer you a chance to read the most essential stories again in case you missed them earlier.

Lessons From a Tourism Pushback in Hawaii: In a major departure from other tourism-dependent destinations, more than 60 percent of Hawaiian residents indicated they don’t want visitors back on their islands. Covid worries? Yes. But the bigger fear is a return to overtourism. Can reforms happen without crushing the economy?

Lessons From Africa’s Safari Lodges for a Post-Pandemic Era: Many innovations have been born from constraints. In the case of safari lodges in Africa, the remote settings and lack of infrastructure forces architects and teams to get creative. Here are examples from the bleeding edge of innovation in sustainability, along with some hints about what is to come in developed markets around the world.

Flight Attendants Want Trump Rioters Barred From Flights Home: The outrage and fear over Wednesday’s violent protest at the capitol extended to the travel industry. The head of the largest U.S. flight attendants union is calling on airlines to ban passengers who participated in the mayhem. It would be a highly unusual for airlines to do so.

Airlines Want All International Travelers Tested Before Flying to the U.S.: U.S. airlines support a CDC recommendation to mandate negative Covid-19 tests for all arriving international travelers. It’s a bet many think will allow the industry to restart grounded flights and boost their moribund businesses.

Travel + Leisure Magazine Acquired by Wyndham Destinations for $100 Million: A timeshare company like Wyndham Destinations and a media brand like Travel + Leisure joined at the hip? It may not be as crazy as it sounds, especially if you’re wanting a younger client base to join the vacation club sector.

What Travel CEOs Are Saying About the Siege on the Capitol: A handful of travel leaders were quick to condemn the violence and terror that we all witnessed among Donald Trump’s supporters on Wednesday in Washington. The top execs’ bottom line: It’s not who we are.

Sonesta CEO on Turning the Brand Into One of the Largest U.S. Hotel Companies Overnight: Sonesta’s ongoing growth spurt isn’t likely to stop with just one acquisition target.

American Airlines Finds Travelers Not Avoiding the Boeing 737 Max as Many Feared: Fears that U.S. travelers would go out of their way to avoid the Boeing 737 Max appear unfounded a week after the jet returned to U.S. skies. American Airlines is ramping up service, and other carriers are due to follow over the next two months.

Hotel Union Frustrations Boil Over as Deeper Job Cuts Coming: Unite Here, one of the largest North American labor unions, is angry at hotel companies for laying off a bulk of their workforce during the pandemic. But companies like Wynn Resorts and Omni are pushing back against what they see as unfair criticism.

New Non-Gaming Vegas Hotel for Biz Travelers Will Rely on 1960s Design: This developer is breaking the tradition in hotel design, and going after an unpredictable market. What are the odds of this working out?

Hipcamp Raises $57 Million for Campsite Bookings as Outdoor Travel Trend Booms: Hipcamp says that demand for quality outdoor experiences has exceeded supply as a long-term trend, not just a pandemic bump. It also claims to create more supply by wooing landowners to create camping experiences. But skeptics will wonder if a valuation north of $300 million is justified for the company.

Patience Is the Best Hope for 2021: Patience is managing expectations through a new prism, and seeing the opportunity from that view. Too fast, too soon is a recipe for more disasters.