U.S. Tourism Drops, Marriott Eyes Outdoors and Airlines Brace for Tepid Earnings
Photo Credit: Roadside sign welcoming visitors to Florida, known as the Sunshine State. Adobe Stock / Brian
Skift Take
On today's pod we look at the U.S.'s waning international appeal, Marriott's great outdoors brand, and warnings about airlines' earnings.
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Inbound tourism to the U.S. is struggling as the sector’s slump continued in June, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.
Visits to the U.S. from overseas dropped 3.4% from last year, according to preliminary figures released Wednesday by the National Travel and Tourism Office. Arrivals from roughly half of the U.S.’ top 20 inbound markets declined, including 8% from India and 5.5% from France.
June’s inbound tourist volume was 80% of 2019 figures, data that O’Neill notes excludes arrivals from Canada and Mexico.
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Next, Marriott has filed 12 trademark applications worldwide since April for a new brand called “Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy,” a sign of the hotel giant’s push into outdoor recreation, write Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill and Middle East Reporter Josh Corder.
Marriott said last December it had plans to launch an outdoor-focused collection in 2025. Several of the countries where Marriott filed trademarks have thriving outdoor recreation scenes, including Costa Rica, Iceland, and Australia.
One of the filings reveals several possible services, including wedding ceremonies and guided outdoor adventure tours.
Finally, airlines face a murky outlook ahead of earnings season as economic uncertainty continues to weigh down on consumers, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi.
Wall Street analysts widely anticipate airlines to report stable demand. However, Maharishi notes that demand will be down from previous projections for the year. Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said airlines were starting to sell discounted summer fares, which he said is unusual for the industry during a high-demand season.
One analyst said that second-quarter results would be “largely in line with expectations, but far from memorable.”
