Tourism News

This week in tourism, we thought about human rights. Bermuda's reversal on same-sex marriage might put a dent in its visitation, and civil rights park sites in the U.S. got new funding from a controversial source.

By banning same-sex marriage, Bermuda is being the wrong kind of trailblazer, many travelers, companies, and human rights organizations would argue. We've seen how much similar discriminatory legislation has stung other destinations and left a bad impression.

This development might be the worst-kept secret in theme park history. We're not sure what took Six Flags so long to seal the deal, but we do know the arrangement fits squarely into the operator's strategic goals — as long as everything goes according to plan.

It seems like the Trump administration is trying to support civil rights sites during a very important milestone year. But the funding for the site grants comes from controversial oil drilling revenues the administration is seeking to grow, and possibly expand to other national park sites.

Given their huge spending power, it’s no wonder affluent Americans are an attractive and strategic segment for travel brands to target. Our U.S. Affluent Traveler Survey 2018 reveals key insights into their travel behaviors, attitudes, and preferences, while further segmentation paints a more nuanced picture of this diverse and lucrative group.

Downtown Phoenix is an established and spirited meetings destination due to significant infrastructure investments in recent years. Building on that, the public and private sectors are now collaborating more intentionally to connect meeting planners with the region's thought leaders in technology, healthcare, and other advanced industries.

There's no way around it – Australia is one of the longest flights someone from the United States or Europe can take. But it's not necessarily the grueling journey many travelers fear, and Tourism Australia is telling them why the flight is worth it.

It makes sense that the City of Fort Worth and Visit Fort Worth leveraged SXSW's cool factor and global tech audience to help reposition the destination brand around innovation and creativity. The question now is how to keep that momentum going moving forward.

It took years for overtourism to happen in some destinations and the problem won't be solved overnight or this year. But to start, destinations could begin paying tourism workers more fairly and give locals more access to programs and services that tourism revenue supposedly helps to fund.

This week in tourism, an executive exodus continues at SeaWorld, which just can't shake the pall of Blackfish. Meanwhile, TUI is buying an in-destination services business from Hotelbeds, a company that TUI previously sold. Sometimes the past comes back to help, not haunt.