Europe Travel Destination Industry News & Information by Skift

Tegel Airport Gets Backing From Berlin Voters Who Want It to Stay Open

Richard Weiss, Bloomberg

A world city like Berlin deserves two airports. Yet courts may, in effect, overturn voter wishes. Whatever the outcome, let's hope the city soon gets the much-postponed, modern airport gateway it needs.

2 hours ago

European Destinations Are Trying to Stand Out to Chinese Travelers

Dan Petlier, Skift

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.

4 days ago

The European Union Is Preparing to Get Tough on Data Protection

Patrick Whyte , Skift

With privacy and data protection becoming bigger issues for consumers, it's not a surprise to see the European Union step up its regulation. Travel companies all over the world should be paying attention.

4 days ago

Trump Travel Ban Gets Tweet Support From the President After London Attack

Associated Press

This knee-jerk reaction — before all the facts are in, by the way, is hardly surprising.

1 week ago

Visit Oslo Campaign Rescues Travelers From People-Polluted European Cities

Dan Peltier, Skift

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.

2 weeks ago

Stonehenge Plan for New Tunnel to Combat Overtourism Draws Archeologists’ Ire

Associated Press

We saw how it took decades for Stonehenge's visitor center to open and at this point, getting construction under way for the tunnel is what's needed to help limit the impact of tourism on the area.

2 weeks ago

Turkey Issues Travel Warning for Germany as Campaign Rhetoric Gets Racist

Associated Press

Discrimination against and hatred of Turks working and living in Germany is a decades-long problem. Right-wing campaigns, along with Turkey's own repressive moves after the attempted coup, have exacerbated tensions.

2 weeks ago

Iceland Residents Aren’t Embracing Chinese Tourism Investment

Ragnhildur Sigurdardottir, Bloomberg

Iceland has become so popular that there aren't enough hotel rooms to go around yet residents and legislators are largely resistant to foreign investment to build more hotels. This dilemma isn't unique to Iceland and other destinations will watch how the country responds.

3 weeks ago

London Lays out a Strategy for Smart Tourism Growth Amid Brexit Concerns

Dan Peltier, Skift

London is quick to paint a bright future for its tourism industry in the face of Brexit, but it also needs to accept that visitors won't be happy with their experiences if the city loses its EU tourism workforce and that causes problems ranging from longer wait times to lagging infrastructure investment.

3 weeks ago

Travel Rollback for U.S.-Russia Trips Leads to Further Isolation

Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

Isolation breeds ignorance and fear of the unknown. Ending Russian visas to the United States is shooting ourselves in the foot on so many levels.

3 weeks ago

Iceland Will Search for Tourists With Drones When Next Volcano Erupts

Egill Bjarnason, Associated Press

Iceland would take extraordinary and necessary steps when Katla — thankfully easier to pronounce than Eyjafjallajökull — erupts to protect tourists, who would be more vulnerable than the locals.

3 weeks ago

Poland Tourism Chief Gets Fired Over Axing Auschwitz From Press Tours

Associated Press

Auschwitz is one of the top points of interest for visitors in Poland. But, avoiding a tragic and horrific time in a country's history is not how you move forward with new tourism branding and messaging, which Poland has sought to do in recent years.

4 weeks ago