Tourism News

Much of the European tourism industry has emerged from the doldrums of 2015 and 2016 stronger than ever, but not without fault lines to keep track of, such as hotels and alternative accommodations. The latter is proving it's a sector that's holding its weight against hotels across much of the continent.

Crocodile Dundee is a nostalgic figure in the U.S., and it appears as though Tourism Australia could be hoping to score with an ad on Super Bowl Sunday. A campaign could get younger and older generations interested in Australia. But would a pricy spot during the Super Bowl be worth it?

Many cruise passengers sail because it's a more economical way to visit a destination. Caribbean countries like the Bahamas have known this for years and are getting more ambitious about trying to attract more flights — a perennial problem — and hoteliers that can help do a better job at growing their economies in the long term.

WeChat may be key for travel brands and destinations looking to appeal to Chinese outbound travelers. However, brands need to go beyond simply copying and pasting content from western social media to see the kind of payoff they are hoping for.

This week in tourism, U.S. travel brands fight back against isolationism while Europe enjoys one of its best years for visitation. Read more about how President Trump affects tourism worldwide in our new magazine: The Megatrends Defining Travel in 2018.

Travel brands no longer get political at their own risk — they avoid politics at their own risk. With so much at stake in the Trump era, remaining on the sidelines about multicultural acceptance isn’t an option.

Interior Secretary Zinke said last year that 30 percent of the park service's employees were "disloyal to the flag." Employees, as well as the national parks and monuments themselves, have become political pawns. The advisory board members who resigned were tired of serving as cover for an Interior Secretary who wouldn't mind chopping down the forest.

If the travel industry's lobbying and trade associations have any more tricks up their sleeves, they'll need them if they will have any chance of reversing what is essentially the Trump Administration's anti-visitor stance.

Europe's 2017 tourism story is nearly the opposite of its 2016 downward twists and turns. It wasn't a perfect year and some destinations on the continent are still struggling, but it's also a sign that many Europeans are choosing to travel closer to home to stick to their budgets.

This week in tourism, we analyzed how President Trump's first year in office affected the industry, and it was rough. On the bright side, the U.S. is getting its first national civil rights trail, thanks to several motivated tourism boards.