Brazil Explored: Immersive Trips, Diamond Trails And Long-Lost Tales

Most travelers see little more than the duty-free store during a short connection, but there’s an alternative approach that’s gaining momentum.

Everyone at the IPW travel trade show in Los Angeles was banking on doing big business for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but several tour operators told us much of it would be coming from corporations and large groups.

Los Angeles, California — The United States has “serious problems” when it comes to international inbound travel that must be resolved if the country is to regain its competitive edge.That’s the assessment of the U.S. Travel Association and its leader Geoff Freeman, the organization’s president and CEO.Freeman delivered his sober take on the problems plaguing inbound travel to the United States during a press conference today in Los Angeles, California where a travel industry convention is taking place.“The United States remains the world’s most desired nation to visit, but at the end of 2019 we had 79 million visitors internationally and in 2023 we had 67 million international visitors," Freeman told the media gathered for the IPW 2024 convention. “That’s only 84 percent of pre-pandemic levels.”“When you look at travel as an export - before the pandemic we had a 12 billion [person] travel trade surplus. At end of last year we had about a 50 billion [person] travel trade deficit,” Freeman added.There's a handful of challenges that the United States currently faces when it comes to attracting international visitors and significantly ramping up inbound numbers, said Freeman. And some of those challenges are within the country’s ability to fix, while others are not.There’s not much that can be done, for instance, about the strength of the U.S. dollar, which makes this country very expensive to visit from many other parts of the world. Similarly, there’s not much U.S. officials can do about the current prohibitions surrounding flights over Russian airspace, which pose a major obstacle for airlines coming to this country from China.However, visa wait times continue to be a significant roadblock for international visitors — and that’s an issue U.S. officials can — and should — be able to fix, Freeman said.“On the visa side, I checked this morning — if you're a Columbian and want to come to the U.S. the wait times are over 600 days to get an interview at a U.S. consulate,” said Freeman. “If you’re in Mexico, the wait times are over 800 days.”By contrast, for visitors from India the wait timeline for visa interviews has recently been reduced to a somewhat more reasonable 150 to 200 days. Similarly, wait times for those visiting from Brazil have been reduced drastically — from what was once 500 days down to just 21 days, according to the U.S. Travel Association.“It shows us that it can be done. When the State Department uses their ingenuity and gets creative and puts resources in the right places, this problem can be solved,” explained Freeman. “But it’s been going on for far too long. It needs to be solved now.”

After inking a revised labor agreement with its pilots last month, NetJets has signed a deal that could see it spend over $6 billion with options for up to 232 of Bombardier's Challenger 3500s.

Trivago’s first AI-infused TV ad didn’t play well in Latin America so the Germany-based hotel price comparison site curtailed marketing investments in the region.

April was another busy month for airline network planners — both at home and abroad.

One of my very favorite parts of traveling the world involves discovering exceptional locations, properties, and brands that are unique, distinctive, rich in history - and unfamiliar to those from my part of the world. During my recent travels to South America, I became acquainted with one such brand – Fasano.

Solo travel was one of the top trends to emerge from Forbes Travel Guide’s 2024 Summit.

Saudi is emerging as a wellness capital, with its diverse regions championing bespoke wellness experiences. Its awe-inspiring natural landscapes are the perfect backdrop to reset and restore travellers – think pristine waters, lush green mountains, fresh air, outdoor oases and rolling desert dunes, plus a boost of vitamin D to mark the end of winter.

On International Dance Day, 29 April, world-leading dance organisation Sadler’s Wells in London has unveiled the shortlist of the inaugural Rose International Dance Prize, a biennial prize for new dance creations in any style, showcasing some of the most inventive and daring choreographers around the world at work today. The Rose International Dance Prize consists of the Rose category, for established choreographers presenting a full-length performance of 50 minutes or longer, and the Bloom category, for emerging choreographers with a maximum of ten years’ experience. A prize of £40,000 will be awarded to the Rose category winner and a prize for £15,000 will be awarded to the Bloom category winner.

The Venice Biennale is renowned for tackling weighty and complex themes from nationalism to climate change. But that doesn't mean all the works on show are sombre or obscurely conceptualized. This year, dozens of contributions to what is known as the 'Art Olympics' are joyous, celebratory and spectacular to look at.

Airlines often add special flights for major events, like the Super Bowl or the Consumer Electronics Show.