Tourism News

These are the tourism trends we were talking about this week.

The announcement by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings to cancel all stops in Turkey this year is the most sweeping yet by an American cruise operator. Now all eyes turn to Carnival and Royal Caribbean.

IATA raises concerns over softening growth in Premium demand due in part to economic conditions in China, but premium remains strong in markets which have long held the lion share of demand for the airline seat of power.

Visa overstays are a hot topic for xenophobic politicians, but the data indicates that very few international travelers choose to remain in the U.S. illegally. It also so happens that the worst offenders are America's neighbors.

Despite stalled growth in China, Brazil and Russia, a wave of newly middle-class travelers from the BRICs and beyond will start visiting international destinations in the coming decades — dwarfing the numbers we’ve seen thus far.

What's not to love about Hawaii? The extended codeshare service between JetBlue and Hawaiian will also strengthen both airlines by creating new connections from the East coast to the islands, and beyond, for travellers from the U.S. and Asia.

The world has less restrictive visa policies in 2016 than it did before the global economic crisis. Let's hope temporary setbacks from terror attacks and security fears don't cause governments to send us backwards.

China's slowing growth hasn't shaken the cruise industry's enthusiasm. But as executives like to point out: Cruise ships can easily relocate if demand dwindles.

Another solid year of international tourism growth is in the books. But if the global economy hits the skids in 2016, expect international leisure travel to experience tapping of the brakes.

Even as there is more awareness about benefits of time off, the overworked, under-vacationed, and under-traveled American remains a reality and the travel industry hasn't done much to band together and attempt to change it, despite some efforts by the U.S. Travel Association and brands like MasterCard and Expedia.