Tourism News

This week's tourism news is all about cruising. News Editor Hannah Sampson reported from the Seatrade conference on overtourism, breaking cruise stereotypes, and the pitfalls of focusing exclusively on millennials.

The mayor and economic development leaders in Washington, D.C. are using SXSW as a platform to promote how the city supports female and minority entrepreneurs, more so than most U.S. cities.

This week in tourism, the U.S. government was on our minds as we covered the Visit U.S. Coalition, overtourism in national parks, and companies cutting ties with the NRA.

The park service has dramatically changed its tune during the past year and acknowledged that overtourism is something it must address – all while its leadership has stirred trouble. But the parks have a long road to travel before they can command a reasonable balance of visitors who won't cause a conservation nightmare.

SeaWorld brought in a lot of fresh new leaders when the company was looking for ways to recover from the Blackfish effect. After years of flailing, the operator is turning to the old guard for ideas — at least for now.

This was probably inevitable. Joel Manby tried to turn the company around, but his efforts failed to do the trick. Executives say they plan to continue his strategies, but we wonder how much will change once a permanent new CEO is named.

Argentina is breaking from the past and hopes that its diversity of offerings attracts new types of travelers. The tourism minister comes from the private sector and he's bringing new energy into tourism promotion efforts.

This week in tourism, we had theme parks covered. Disney is opening a new Toy Story-themed land ahead of the Star Wars expansion, and Six Flags reported earnings with talk of tax reform and keeping some parks open year-round.

When it comes to creating a visitor guide that stands out, there are a number of do's and don’ts destination marketers should keep in mind.

Six Flags had a good year, but a look at the bottom line shows a benefit from tax reform and lower compensation expense. The company is focusing on improving its underlying business, and keeping profitable parks open year-round is likely to help.