Tourism News

Destinations around the world need to wake up and realize that social problems related to tourism aren't going to solve themselves.

Cruise companies are finally seeing the booking behavior they desired as more passengers reserve their places earlier. But observers wonder if selling inventory too far in advance means cruise lines are leaving money on the table.

This week in tourism we looked back. We reviewed second quarter earnings from Disney, SeaWorld, and Norwegian Cruise, plus our editor-in-chief reflected on the last five years of breaking travel news.

While TUI's CEO is right to point out the macro benefits of tourism in Spain, the company ignores the myriad of local issues in places such as Barcelona and Majorca that are turning locals against mass tourism. It is a self-interested issue to address for virtually the entire travel industry.

China outbound travel is booming and has a long way to go before maturity. Individual destinations should pursue the market, but be cognizant of the risks. South Korea serves as an example of what can happen when the Chinese government changes course.

Disney has a strong lineup of coming attractions at its theme parks in the U.S., but we'd like to know how the newest addition is doing. Executives didn't provide much detail in a call with analysts Tuesday.

SeaWorld said a lot during this call after a dismal quarter, but equally interesting is what the company didn't address. We wonder if higher spending on advertising will help the operator address the issues that have resurfaced — and what it will do if not.

The term "experiential travel" is so overused these days that it's almost become cliche. But 45 years ago, Richard Bangs did experiential travel before experiential travel was cool. When he inaugurated Sobek to specialize in worldwide adventure and cultural travel, the concept was pioneering.

The best tourism websites in the business in 2017 are emphasizing user-generated content from platforms like Instagram and doubling down on video to make destinations seem more real rather than a part of a traveler's imagination.

SeaWorld is still struggling and Merlin is probably hoping it can bag a bargain. Watch this space.