Dan Peltier

Keith Barr has a clean slate to build off his tenure in China and implement new technology for IHG employees that will help shape and improve the guest experience. We'll be watching to see if his vision of more seamless technology integration is realized this year.

These winning tourism videos don't use radical production elements to tell the stories of their countries. Instead, they let the landscapes and handshakes speak for themselves, and show why travel is such a beautiful and enlightening thing.

Some travel brands are still hooked on TV and see the value in creating ads for that medium, and then repurposing TV content for other platforms. In those varied other platforms, they can try and reach diverse audiences wherever they watch their content.

A CEO such as the Priceline Group's Fogel has to pick which new technology to panic about next. He's keeping tabs on blockchain, but it's not on his investment to-do list yet.

More destinations understand that WeChat is a different ball game than western channels and they're getting smarter about how to reach Chinese travelers on the platform. The challenge is showing how Paris, for instance, is different from a city in Belgium or Germany that also wants to attract more tourism.

Florida's tourism industry was already having a turbulent year before one of the most active and destructive Atlantic hurricane seasons in years began playing out. Getting travelers to come back will require unified marketing efforts — and that's currently in jeopardy.

Some destinations preparing for Hurricane Maria were still bailing out from Hurricane Irma and the succession of intense hurricanes will have a long-term impact on many aspects of the region's tourism industry.

The J-1 visa program is an invaluable resource for many travel industry businesses. It's clear that any cuts to the program would be detrimental to the travel industry and the broader U.S. economy.

The UNWTO has been touting impressive growth in global tourism for years but, has only recently started to get more serious about the reality of overtourism. Travel brands will be watching how Pololikashvili responds to the problem, and whether he can get through to destinations that are struggling.

Visit Oslo doesn't want to become a shell of itself, lose its Nordic cool character, and attract too many tourists. But it definitely wants a larger slice of international market share, and it is combing through social media for its new campaign to help make that happen.