Marriott International announced 13 deal signings in Turkey comprising over 2,000 rooms.
25.08.2023 - 14:28 / skift.com / Rashaad Jorden / Sean Oneill / Peden Doma Bhutia
Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, December 7. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
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The ongoing World Cup has not only attracted roughly 1.5 million visitors to Qatar, it’s also helped boost tourism throughout the entire Middle East. The region is leading the global travel recovery in the fourth quarter, reports Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia in this week’s Middle East Travel Roundup newsletter.
The Middle East has seen inbound arrivals increase 4 percent in the fourth quarter compared to the same period in 2019, according to travel analytics firm ForwardKeys. That’s far ahead of the global average of a 30 percent decrease. Juan Gomez, head of market intelligence at ForwardKeys, said the World Cup was the driving force in the region’s tourism recovery.
ForwardKeys also noted that the outlook for tourism in the Middle East looks promising despite a possible recession worldwide. The firm’s latest air ticketing data reveals that inbound arrivals to the region may hit pre-Covid levels in 2023. Travel to the Middle East is projected to be 15 percentage points above pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter next year.
Next, dozens of travel companies have viewed inflation as a threat to their bottom lines, but not Hilton Grand Vacations. The timeshare company believes surging rates for hotels are making its stable prices more appealing for consumers, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.
O’Neill writes that Hilton Grand Vacations hasn’t increased the cost of its points-based system unlike hotels that have raised rates. Points-based systems enable travelers to buy what’s essentially a voucher they can redeem for stays at hundreds of locations. Chief Operating Officer Gordon Gurnik said that as consumers see nightly hotel rates surge, they’re increasingly looking toward timeshare products they view as lifelong investments.
Gurnik also expressed confidence that possible recessions wouldn’t boost default rates. He said Hilton Grand Vacations has improved at selling timeshares to qualified individuals, which have helped keep its default rates low.
Finally, U.S. national parks have increasingly been implementing reservation systems to help control overcrowding. But Yosemite National Park is ending reservation requirements for summer visitors to evaluate its impact on local communities, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam.
Habtemariam notes that Yosemite is bucking the trend among U.S. national parks to limit visitor access. National parks, which attracted record numbers of visitors during the pandemic, have been grappling with overtourism, which Skift identified as a 2022 travel megatrend. Habtemariam adds
Marriott International announced 13 deal signings in Turkey comprising over 2,000 rooms.
Rugby fans from all over the world will soon descend on France for the 10th Rugby World Cup.
For the first time, a nation is allowing travelers to cross its border with a digital passport on their smartphone instead of a physical passport. While the trial is happening in Finland, the European Union wants at least 80% of citizens in the 27-country bloc to be using a digital ID by 2030.
Sports fans could face travel chaos next week as French airport staff threaten strikes during the Rugby World Cup.
Even if you have status on every airline under the sun, jet lag is no joke. Whenever I find myself embracing my inner zombie too much, I do two things: hike and hydrate. Both activities instantly wake me up. It doesn’t matter where I am—and as a travel writer, I go through countries like a golden retriever goes through tennis balls—this is my modus operandi. Walk, water, repeat. That said, I don’t carry cumbersome water bottles that leak or constantly need refilling. Whether I’m hiking the Appalachian Trail or exploring Incan ruins in the Andes, the Camelbak M.U.L.E. Hydration Pack is always on my back.
The conclusion of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 highlights the growing and collective legacy of Qatar Airways and FIFA.
Seasoned pilots skillfully navigated an array of hot air balloons, each uniquely designed in varying colours and models, during the festival over Cappadocia’s skies.
Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO, spoke at the IATA World Financial Symposium in Barcelona, where he noted that aviation delivers enormous value to the global economy, contributing some $2.4 trillion to GDP, carrying over a third of world trade by value and supporting some 58 million jobs including aviation-related tourism. Historically, however, aviation has not had an equivalent level of success creating value for its equity investors. Tyler highlighted four areas where industry stakeholders have opportunities to set a path toward long-term financial sustainability: Smarter Regulation; Rebalancing the Value Chain; Innovation; and Efficient Processes.
Cricket is the most popular sport in India and has a huge fan base. Beyond just being a sport, it is deeply embedded in the nation’s culture, evoking intense emotions from the masses over the victories and losses of their favorite teams: 90% of the global cricket fandom consists of Indians, highlighting the cricket craze in the country.
The latest Sustainable Travel Index for 2023, released by Euromonitor International, highlights Sweden as the epitome of sustainable travel within Europe. Notably, a staggering 19 out of the top 20 positions on this index are firmly held by nations belonging to the European Union and the Schengen Area, as reported by SchengenVisaInfo.com, citing Euromonitor—an independent provider of strategic market research.
Flying high now is better than ever aboard VistaJet. The global business aviation company has announced its partnership with one of the finest seafood restaurants in the world, estiatorio Milos, famous for offering exquisite fish. The restaurant has passionate fans all over the world.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, November 23. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.