Summer Travel Boom Hurts Domestic Tourism

The way we travel is constantly changing.

It may be getting colder, but low-cost airline Norse Atlantic Airways is looking ahead to summer with a full schedule of budget-friendly flights between the United States and Europe.

Chase cardholders should check their accounts for a generous new travel offer.

The city of Chicago has had a great summer! Choose Chicago recently released summer 2023 performance data showing that for the months of June, July and August, the hotel revenue totaled $825 million, and hotel taxes totaled $46 million, both all-time records for summer months. Also, over one million room nights were filled each month this summer, totaling 3.24 million hotel room nights. That is 4% higher than last year and represents a 92% recovery share compared to 2019 numbers. Leisure visitors in particular came to Chicago in droves this summer – buoyed by a packed calendar of concerts, events and festivals, total leisure hotel room demand increased by 8% compared to summer 2022. International visitation increased by 13% compared to summer 2022.

Multinational investment bank UBS has told its staff not to go on any work-related trips to the Middle East. The company has also hit the brakes on an event it was supposed to host in Qatar later this month, according to an internal memo that was seen by Bloomberg and confirmed by a UBS spokesman.

WHY IT RATES: The appointments are noteworthy as the team works to drive visitation to its 13 member states and Washington D.C.—Patrick Clarke, TravelPulse Senior Editor

The U.S. is still waiting to fill its newly-created position of assistant secretary of travel and tourism – dubbed the country’s future ‘Czar of Tourism‘. For now, Brian Beall is acting deputy assistant secretary for travel and tourism and director of the National Travel and Tourism Office, but according to investor Greg O’Hara, the role must be filled if the country wants to roll out a more inviting tourism sector.

Gulf countries are forming a new “bloc” dedicated to furthering the region’s tourism sector. The much-anticipated ‘GCC zone’ unified visa should be announced by December to tie together the GCC states: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.

Jet2.com and Jet2holidays have announced that their biggest ever Summer Sun programme is now on sale for 2025 from Bristol Airport, offering a brand-new and exclusive destination, as well as more seats and choice than ever before. The UK’s largest tour operator and leading leisure airline has put 34 sunshine destinations on sale from Bristol Airport, including a brand-new and exclusive route to Kalamata. The addition of this new route, alongside increased capacity to other destinations, makes this Jet2.com and Jet2holidays’ largest ever Summer Sun programme to operate from the airport.

During summer travel season we enjoy “La Dolce Vita”, the sweeter side of life with less strict routines and more sunshine. As fall approaches many of us take a back-to-school approach to our beauty and wellness routines, getting back on track after vacations and weekend trips. Fall is a great time to counteract many symptoms of summer travel including hyperpigmentation from too much sun, aches from too many flights, and a puffy face from one too many poolside wines.

Hot on the heels of releasing its new domestic schedule—which includes connections to a slew of cities known for their access to the outdoors—Delta Air Lines has announced its updated lineup of transatlantic flights for summer 2024, complete with routes not flown in years.

The U.S. travel industry shouldn’t get its hopes up that the newly created assistant secretary of travel and tourism position will make the U.S. more globally competitive, said U.S. Travel CEO and President Geoff Freeman at the Skift Global Forum.