Travel and Tourism Industry Employing Growing Number of Women Since 2010

I last checked in at the half-year, highlighting the few brands, ideas, and services that deserved a hat tip for their executions. There were a lot of exciting ideas: At that point, we’d gone from the precariousness of a global pandemic into a full-throttle, growth sprint for luxury. Interest in high-end experiences continued to surge, along with eye-watering room rates.  

Seattle skies were glowing with color as the Space Needle rang in 2024 with a brilliant light, drone, and pyrotechnic spectacular for the West Coast—and the world—to see. The T-Mobile New Year’s at the Needle extravaganza was the longest show in the event’s 32-year history, stunning viewers with an 18-minute display. More viewers were able to tune in than ever before with the event broadcast live for the first time in Portland and Spokane, in addition to Seattle.

The conclave’s agenda featured engaging panel discussions, keynote presentations, and interactive sessions covering a spectrum of topics, including talent acquisition, employee engagement, leadership development, and the impact of technology on HR practices within the travel industry.

Recently, the 5th Hainan International Film Festival concluded in Sanya, Hainan, attracting guests from home and abroad as well as tourists to gather in Sanya, driving the popularity of the city continue to rise. “Our hotel room occupancy reached 90% in November, and in December, as a number of large-scale events such as the Hainan International Film Festival opened, the room occupancy averaged 96.8% from 1st December to 18th December, and weekends are basically full,” Cai Liwei, marketing and sales director of InterContinental Sanya Haitang Bay Resort said.

In 2020, after reading too many restaurant obituaries, I set out to write annual restaurant love letters instead. Now that the food world is roaring back, getting stronger—and more creative—than ever, it has become even easier to fall in love. And so, I have a new round of love letters.

Where do you find spectacular and life-changing destinations that are without the hordes that have become commonplace in so many destinations worldwide, particularly in Europe? Last week in Forbes, I asked some travel experts about where people are going. This week, I asked the same gurus about their choices for where to go next. I was looking for off-the-radar destinations they love, places to go before they get discovered.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is inviting everyone to the ‘Amazing Thailand Countdown 2024 Vijit Arun’ celebration that will take place on New Year’s Eve at Nagaraphirom Park against the majestic backdrop of Wat Arun or the Temple of Dawn, one of Thailand’s most-visited attractions on the mighty Chao Phraya River in Bangkok.

Eurostar is back to running a full timetable of trains out of London, Paris and Brussels after a "last-minute strike" by French rail workers caused chaos Thursday.

Although it has been years since I’ve traveled in mesmerizing Tokyo, my memories are as vivid as though they had been sparked yesterday—pleasures aswirl in unique flavors and noises, creativity and ingenuity. So when luxury publisher Assouline released the new book Tokyo Chic, I dove into its 312 lush-paper-stock pages, with more than 200 photographs and illustrations, which are bound in an outsize (10-by-13-inches, 6.4-pound) format—a hefty hardcover wrapped in silk. The brainchild of Andrea Fazzari, whose deft imagery and words are love letters to the inimitable capital, Tokyo Chic showcases a massively enthralling—yet strikingly intimate—city. Currently based in Tokyo, Fazzari is a James Beard Award-winning photographer, author and restaurant maven with notable backgrounds in fashion and film. Born in New York City, she has lived in France, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain and Thailand—and speaks four languages. What a sophisticated guide to have at your armchair traveler’s fingertips! Indeed, this coffee table tome would make a treasured holiday gift for those who have already vacationed in Japan or simply dream of doing so.

Alex Lasry has been sworn in as the new deputy assistant secretary for travel and tourism at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Lasry will report to Brian Beall, director of travel and tourism, who started on May 8.

The Yucatan peninsula has welcomed the first part of a new tourist train that's being constructed to connect the region’s many resorts and archeological sites.Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador attended opening ceremonies on Friday for what will ultimately be a 950-mile train line, which has been named the Maya Train. The $20 billion project is expected to be complete by February, according to a report from Associated Press. Once finished, the train will operate a rough loop around the Yucatan peninsula.The rail segment opened right now runs between the colonial Gulf coast city of Campeche and the popular tourist destination of Cancun. It's a stretch of train line that amounts to about one-third of the entire project.The train journey between Campeche and Cancun will take about 5 1/2 hours. The train will travel at an average speed of 50 miles per hour, Associated Press reported.

While many reports this time of year are focused on looking at what lies ahead, Skyscanner is taking a different approach.The global travel marketplace has crunched its voluminous booking data from the past 12 months to provide an insider's review of the “Year in Travel” for 2023. All of the Skyscanner number crunching resulted in insights surrounding the most popular travel destinations of the past year among U.S. travelers, cheapest flights, biggest hotel bargains, and even the most budget-friendly car rental destinations. Let’s start with the most popular travel destinations, shall we?Drumroll please….Sin City aka Las Vegas, Nevada nabbed the top spot in the hearts of American travelers in 2023, attracting more visitors than any other location.“From visiting one of the many world-famous casinos or checking out world-renowned restaurants and shops on the Las Vegas strip, US travelers loved to visit and feel the vibes of Sin City,” says the Skyscanner report.  Coming in second place among Americans was the eternal favorite, London.