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Skift Travel News Blog

Short stories and posts about the daily news happenings around the travel industry.

Tourism

Israel to Assist with Tourist Departures Amid Hamas War

6 months ago

Israel’s tourism ministry is working to assist travelers seeking to depart the country amid its ongoing war with Hamas. The country is in a state of emergency.

Travelers can contact Israel’s Home Front Command on WhatsApp or SMS on +972 52 910 4104, said the Israel Ministry of Tourism. They can also receive informational assistance from the ministry’s “virtual office” via WhatsApp or email. 

Many airlines have suspended flights. Ben Gurion International Airport remains open and many flights are still departing Israel, the ministry said.

Tourism

International Traveler Spending Reached $19 Billion in August

6 months ago

International traveler spending on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the U.S. totaled $19 billion in August 2023, its highest level since the pandemic hit in 2020, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data. August international traveler spending, however, was still below its 2019 pre-pandemic total of $19.6 billion.

International traveler spending on strictly goods and services like recreation, lodging and foot totaled $10.6 billion in August, down from $11.5 billion for the same month in 2019.

Between January and August, total international traveler spending amounted to over $137.7 billion on travel and tourism-related goods and services, up more than 33% from the same period in 2022. That translated into nearly $567 million spending per day on average.

In August, Americans traveling abroad spent over $17.2 billion, up from $14.9 billion in August 2019.

Short-Term Rentals

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky Hints at Long-Term Rentals

6 months ago

Is Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky hinting at long-term rentals when he said to expect what could be “the biggest update to Airbnb ever?” 

Chesky told The Financial Times, Airbnb will venture beyond its core travel business. Starting next year, the online rental platform will expand into longer-term housing rentals and enhance its experiences and services offerings like “dining pop-ups.” He added, “there’s an eventual opportunity for Airbnb to become a greater part of your daily life. Not just once or twice a year.”

The Airbnb CEO believes that there’s an untapped market for rentals lasting up to a year, citing the shift towards remote work and extended stays. While only 18% of gross nights booked in the second quarter of this year were for stays longer than 30 days, Chesky sees great potential in extended stays.

This strategic shift comes as Airbnb faces scrutiny from regulators globally over its impact on housing availability in major cities. New York recently introduced rules restricting short-term rentals, but Chesky doesn’t consider it a precedent, emphasizing potential win-win solutions. Airbnb’s future plans also include dining experiences, he told The Financial Times.

Tourism

Australia Reopens to Chinese Group Tourism

6 months ago

Australia has recommenced visa processing for Chinese group travel, Australia’s Ministry of Trade and Tourism announced on Monday.

The visa processing restart follows China’s lifting of pandemic-era restrictions last month on outbound group tours to Australia, the U.S., Japan and multiple other countries.

Australia reopened its borders to international travel in March this year. Since its reopening, Chinese tourism has slowly returned. In July, it reached 79,040, which was 50% of its pre-pandemic level.

Before the pandemic, China was Australia’s largest inbound tourism market in terms of spend. In 2019, Chinese group tours spent $581 million, which was about one-third of all Chinese travel spend in Australia.

“The resumption of Chinese group tour travel will provide another welcome boost for Australia’s hard-working tourism operators,” said Australia Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell.

Ideas

IDEAS: Adventure Awaits with Akun, The Latest Offering From Red Sea Global

11 months ago

Red Sea Global (RSG), the developer behind The Red Sea and Amaala in Saudi Arabia, has launched an adventure travel brand for guests aimed at offering unique sporting activities at its destinations.

Akun, which comes from the Arabic meaning of “to be”, will operate and manage various adventure experiences out of its destinations, including electric biking, trail running and hiking, all in line with the responsible ethos of the group. 

Credit: Read Sea Global/Akun

Having already signed two partnership deals with Bungy New Zealand and Air Sports Group, Akun is Red Sea Global’s third subsidiary business to be announced this year following the launch of its water sports and diving brands, WAMA and Galaxea, in February.

Credit: Read Sea Global/Akun

“At Red Sea Global, we believe the experiences available for our guests are just as important as the destination itself, and this new brand will provide them with world-class experiences in land and in connection with the sky above. Akun will offer a diverse range of ‘bucket-list’ adventures set in, over and throughout breath-taking sea and landscapes, and each builds on the exciting sense of exploration we nurture at our destinations,” said John Pagano, group CEO of red sea global. 


At the Skift IDEA Awards, we are looking for the projects defining the future of leisure tourism, destination marketing and the visitor experience, including those defining the future of day tours, activities, and experiences.

If you have an exciting initiative to share, head to the Skift IDEA Awards website and start your submission today.

Ground Transport

Paris Bans E-Scooter Rentals

12 months ago

Residents of Paris have voted to ban the use of rental electric scooters throughout the city, hindering scooter operators while signaling a victory for proponents of road safety.

Two Parisians riding their electric scooters through the city. Source: Unsplash/Vlad B.

The ban on the battery-powered devices, which will be in place September 1, was supported by nearly 90 percent of votes cast Sunday.

Yet this data may not entirely reflect public opinion on the issue, as less than 8 percent of eligible voters took part in the vote. According to an official report, out of 1.38 million people on the city’s electoral register, just over 103,000 participated, with 91,300 people voting to ban electric scooters.

The referendum comes in response to rising numbers of e-scooter riders being injured or killed in Paris.

Although Paris was historically one of the first cities to embrace electric vehicles, many argue the negative consequences of these vehicles outweigh the benefits.

Specifically, there has been significant concern regarding the ways in which riders of electric scooters drive through traffic, endanger pedestrians and reach speeds of up to 17 mile per hour. Riders of these vehicles traditionally have not worn helmets and children as young as 12 have often been able to ride electric scooters.

A 31-year-old woman was killed in 2021 after being run over by an electric scooter with two riders.

E-scooter operators themselves have argued that these vehicles make up ma small portion of traffic accidents throughout Paris, but the city’s mayor, Anne Hidalgo, called for the referendum. She gave voters the opportunity to express their views on free-floating electric scooters.

Hidalgo supported the ban and announced the vote in January to allow citizens to determine their stances.

“It’s very expensive — five euros ($5.40) for 10 minutes – it’s not very sustainable, and above all, it’s the cause of a lot of accidents,” Hidalgo said.

The three main operators of electric scooters — Lime, Dott and Tier — turned to social media to encourage consumers to vote, offering free rides throughout Sunday as well.

A ban on the parking of dockless scooters upon pavements went largely unnoticed, even despite the ensuing €35 fine.

Tourism

Hawaii Is Close to Shutting Down Tourism Marketing Agency

1 year ago

The Hawaii Tourism Authority may not be around for long. Last week, the state legislature’s House committee approved a Senate bill that would repeal the Hawaii Tourism Authority and create a government office dedicated solely to destination management, leaving the island without a tourism marketing agency. The bill now has to face two hearings before leaving the House, bringing it closer to passage.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority has had a strained relationship with the legislature. Lawmakers have questioned its necessity, slashed its budget, removed its state procurement exemption and took away its transient accommodation tax fund source. 

Hawaiian residents have been frustrated with overtourism. Feeling their quality of life and environment has suffered, they have asserted themselves and are no longer spectators in how tourism is managed. “What I’m cognizant of now is that communities are intently watching the visitor industry,” Hawaii Tourism Authority CEO De Fries told Skift

Photo credit: Braden Jarvis

The agency’s recent failure to award a two-year destination marketing and management contract was the last straw for the legislature. It repeatedly redid the procurement process and endured legal troubles and delays. It mostly recently had to split the contract between marketing and destination marketing and put both out to bid after a senior government official canceled minutes before his departure.

For the last few years, the Hawaii Tourism Authority has tried to pursue a sustainable approach. This has involved listening to residents, taking on more destination management responsibilities and pivoting away from mass tourism marketing.

Tourism

International Travel Volume to the U.S. in 2022 Reached 64 Percent of Pre-Pandemic Level

1 year ago

The U.S. hosted 51 million international visitors in 2022, amounting to 64 percent of its 2019 volume, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data. Outbound travel from the U.S. totaled 80.8 million, down 19 percent from its pre-pandemic volume.

About 24 million traveled from overseas, i.e. not Canada and Mexico, up 161 percent from 2021. Western Europe was the largest regional source market with over 10 million visitors. South America came in second with 4.2 million. 

Among overseas countries, the UK was at the top with 3.5 million, followed by Germany at 1.5 million and France at 1.3 million. In 2022, New York was the largest point of entry at 4.5 million, Miami at second with 3.8 million, followed by Los Angeles at 2 million. 

In December, international inbound volume rose 46.2 percent year over year to 5 million, representing 73 percent of its pre-pandemic December volume. Overseas visitor volume to the U.S. totaled 2.5 million, representing 94 percent of its pre-pandemic December volume.

Short-Term Rentals

Lucerne Caps Short-Term Rentals to 90 Days

1 year ago

The Swiss city of Lucerne is the latest to place restrictions on short-term rentals. Lucerne citizens voted (64 percent) to limit short-term rental stays to a maximum of 90 days per year.  

Lucerne is the fifth city in Switzerland after Geneva, Zurich, Basel and Bern to cap short-term rentals. The initiative was led by Social Democratic Party, aimed to cap rentals  available on a temporary basis to make more housing available to residents of the city.  

Bern is one of the top tourist destinations in the country, and those opposed to the move warned that it might risk losing incoming tourists. 

Lake Lucerne. Source: Flickr

Switzerland joins a number of cities across Europe to curtail short-term rentals via platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo. Earlier this month, Portugal proposed a ban on issuing new licenses to operate short-term rentals in a move to manage the cost-of-living and housing crisis.  

There are similar restrictions in Madrid, Andalusia, Barcelona and Valencia in Spain. 

This comes on the heels of the European Commission approving new rules about collecting and sharing data on short-term accommodation at EU level. Beyond data-sharing, the EU-level regulations aim to reduce fragmentation among local communities, clamp down illegal listings and promote sustainable tourism in keeping with local laws and regional mandates across Europe. 

Tourism

China’s Fosun Looks to Club Med Resorts Recovery After Profit Warning

1 year ago

Chinese conglomerate Fosun International is hoping its vacation business segment will pull it out of a slump.

Fosun, which owns the Club Med chain of resorts and the Thomas Cook brand, issued a warning on Jan. 20, saying profit for the year ended Dec 31, 2022 is expected to decrease by 80 percent compared to the year before.

It also revealed revenue was expected to climb 10 percent on the prior year in the preliminary assessment. It will likely publish the results in March.

Fosun blamed the “recurrent outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic in 2022 and the turmoil and downturn of the international capital markets, resulting in high business costs and an increase in floating losses in secondary capital market investment.”

However on Monday the company said its domestic Club Med resorts were mostly exceeding pre-pandemic levels, with occupancy in some properties fully occupied. It attributed the recovery to easing of restrictions, and demand for travel due to the Spring festival.

From Jan. 21-27, average occupancy rate at Club Med Lijiang for six nights was 95 percent, and the average occupancy Club Med Guilin 90 percent. Club Med Joyview Anji and Club Med Joyview Qiandao Lake also topped 95 percent. Average occupancy rate of its ski resorts in Beidahu, Yabuli and Changbaishan was 85 percent.

During the New Year vacation, South China Sea resort Atlantis Sanya saw average occupancy rate reach 97.4 percent, with “business volume” exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

“In 2023, I believe that the family-oriented consumer sector that Fosun is engaged in will gradually see an increase in demand, and our offline retail and tourism businesses will be among the first to snap back,” said Guo Guangchang, chairman of Fosun International.

A Fosun-led consortium bought Club Med in 2015 for about $968 million. It recently played down reports it was looking to sell it to reduce debts.

Earlier this month it sold off stakes in four industrial companies for almost $1 billion.

Fosun is also doubling down in Europe with its Cook’s Club lifestyle hotel brand. It is opening a property in Rhodes, Greece, in May, marking its 10th hotel. It opened two earlier this year.

The Hong Kong-listed company acquired the Thomas Cook brand in November 2019.

Fosun’s tourism business sits in its “Happiness” segment of companies.