ABOUT TOURISM
Donald Trump's 'Muslim ban' costs US travel industry an estimated $185m as tourism interest 'falls off a cliff'
Interest in both business and leisure travel to the US have dropped since Mr Trump took office
President Donald Trump’s travel ban appears to have even deterred those people not affected directly by the executive order from travelling to the US, costing the country’s tourism industry millions.
​
Several reports have revealed that interest in both business and leisure travel to the US dropped since Mr Trump took office, with the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) estimating that the US lost about $185m in business travel bookings as uncertainty dented travellers' confidence.
Data from travel search site Kayak showed interest in travel to the US from the UK had “fallen of a cliff”, the site said in a press release.
​
Searches for flights to Tampa and Orlando declined 58 per cent while searches for Miami were down 52 per cent when compared to last year. Searches for San Diego dropped by 43 per cent, Las Vegas by 36 per cent and Los Angeles 32 by per cent.
While flight prices stayed stable for all destinations, average prices for hotel rooms in Las Vegas dropped by 39 per cent on average, they declined by 34 per cent in San Francisco and by 32 per cent in New York.
Suzanne Perry, a travel expert at Kayak, said the story of the summer is the fall of interest in the US.
“We noted that searches to the US dropped after the new President came to office – but it seems like this is a longer-term trend,” Ms Perry said.
​
“The US has historically been one of the most popular countries for Brits, but searches to popular destinations falling by over half in one year is a massive shift. With hotel prices also falling significantly, it may only be a matter of time before airlines follow suit. It will be interesting to see if it can bounce back in 2018,” she added.
Flight app Hopper analysed flight search demand from 122 international origins to the US for weeks immediately before and after Mr Trump's inauguration and in February found that demand fell significantly after the travel ban was announced.
Mr Trump defended his travel ban Tuesday at a Joint Session of Congress — and pledged to take new steps soon “to keep out those who would do us harm”
​
​
* IN MY OPINION : I think that the arrival of the new president of the United States will be a problem in a lot of facts. But this is more focused to tourism, as he said, some people is forbidden to travel anywhere but, this consequence affects more people than they thought. It affects a lot of countries and a lot of people, and this is a large-terminal fact.
We will see over the years how much will this affect to global tourism.
​
Scotland’s dazzling visitor attraction numbers are not quite what they seem
Scotland has become a good source for UK tourism
​
cotland’s visitor attractions are outstripping those in the rest of the UK, according to a new report. They recorded a whopping 15.6 per cent increase in visitor numbers between 2015 and 2016 compared to an overall UK increase of 7.2 per cent – growing faster for the third year in a row.
​
Led by big increases from Scotland’s two top visitor attractions, Edinburgh Castle (+13 per cent) and the city’s National Museum (+16 per cent), the Scottish government hailed the 2016 figures as outstanding news. Fiona Hyslop, the tourism secretary, said:
The success of our leading visitor attractions will continue to play a vital role in making Scotland a destination of first choice for visitors from the UK and across the world.
​
Unquestionably Scotland has a great range of visitor attractions. “Must-sees” include the Glenfinnan Viaduct on the West Highland railway line, made world famous by the Harry Potter films. Then there are battlefields such as nearby Culloden, where the Jacobites met their most famous defeat to British troops in 1745. Not to mention the scores of whisky distilleries in some of the most beautiful settings in the country.
​
Yet the new figures, published by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), look remarkably high to me – especially compared to other key sources. On closer examination, they are exaggerating the reality for Scottish visitor attractions as a whole.
Who counts what
​
ALVA only counts 51 Scottish visitor attractions as members out of a total of more than 1,280. Membership criteria require 1m visitors per year and for each site to be considered among the “most popular, iconic and important attractions”. Of the six Scottish attractions that receive 1m annual visitors on their own, only five are ALVA members: the National Museum, Edinburgh Castle, the city’s Scottish National Gallery and Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Riverside Museum. The sixth, St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, is not included.
​
​
IN MY OPINION: I understand that Tourism in Scotland has increased by a large increase from Scotland's two top visitor attractions, Edinburgh Castle (+13 per cent) and the city's National Museum (+16 per cent), the Scottish government hailed the 2016 figures as outstanding news.
​Cruise Industry Celebrates Record-Breaking Year
The cruise industry hosted a record 24.7 million ocean passengers around the globe last year, according to new data released by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Tuesday.
​
The figure topped projections by 500,000 and is up from 23.2 million in 2015.
​
The Caribbean was the most popular destination for ocean cruisers last year, accounting for a 35 percent share of capacity. Next came the Mediterranean (18.3 percent) and Europe (11.1 percent) while Asia (9.2 percent), Australia/New Zealand/Pacific (6.1 percent) Alaska (4.2 percent) and South America (2.5 percent) rounded out the seven most-visited regions in 2016.
CLIA credits the positive growth to continued development in the Asian market as well as more than two dozen new ships joining its fleet in 2016, including nine new ocean vessels. The 26 new cruise ships introduced last year expanded passenger capacity by 28,000.
According to CLIA, capacity in Asia climbed to 9.2 percent last year, representing a 38 percent increase from 2015. What's more, Asian travelers are taking shorter cruises and taking them more frequently the trade association has found.
​
Beyond the booming Asian market and an ever-expanding fleet, CLIA president and CEO Cindy D'Aoust attributes the industry's growth to its ability to provide travelers with exactly what they're looking for.
​
"One of the many reasons that the cruise industry continues to thrive is because of the personalization it is able to offer to its guests from around the world," D’Aoust said in a statement. "Never before have I been a part of or seen an industry that is so good at listening and reacting to what its customers want, and this is why we are going to see our industry continue to grow."
As TravelPulse cruise expert Jason Leppert points out, cruise lines are also winning over the all-important millennial market with exciting onboard attractions and kid facilities for younger passengers traveling with children.
​
Unsurprisingly, CLIA projects another year of encouraging growth on the ocean: The association is forecasting 25.8 million global passengers for 2017.
​
​
IN MY OPINION: I think that with the passage of time more and more people are cruising, as it is a new way to travel much more comfortable as you sleep while you travel and you can do many activities on board.
Build Your Own Minibar at Marriott's West Coast Hotels
Minibars are on the way out, or so suggests a report in The New York Times.
​
Hotels have really transformed from the good ol' days when everything you wanted was IN the room; They're now catering to millennials, who the industry believes want everything out of the room in communally shared spaces—even work environments
That doesn’t appeal to everyone, however. Take 26-year-old travel blogger, consultant and millennial Ben Schlappig, for example. His blog, One Mile at a Time, chronicles the 365 nights a year he stays in hotels, and he tells the Times that communal spaces don’t work for him:
​
“I’m a millennial, but I’m also an introvert. Hotel executives are building everything around millennials right now and they expect all millennials to want to work in these hip, communal lobby spaces or in bed. That doesn’t work for me.”
So what does that mean for the minibar? Well, if you haven’t noticed, it’s rare to find more than an empty mini fridge in a modern property these days. Minibars take up a lot of space and are expensive to maintain, so it’s not surprising that they were one of the first casualties of the modern hotel era.
​
However, a new trend is picking up where the minibar left off: What if you could build your own, just to your liking?
Marriott hotels are giving their guests on the West Coast the chance to do just that.
A new Build Your Own Mini Bar package provides guests with a $20 credit to the Market—a mini grocery store at each hotel—every night of their stay.
​
​
​
* MY OPINION: I think it is a very good initiative, as each one will be able to create his minibar to his liking and it will be a much more personalized service.
A Meeting In Paradise
When contemplating your options for an offsite location where you can host an important business event or work gathering, meeting space is an important consideration.
You want to choose a place that can offer space which is sufficient to meet all of your needs. It needs to be equipped with everything you need to share presentations effectively (if that’s something you will need), while also allowing enough room for everyone to assemble comfortably within the space.
Of course, it’s also a plus if the meeting space offers some extra perks, such as a great view or a variety of nice perks and amenities. That’s like having the best of both worlds, as it gives you a luxurious environment in which to relax or enjoy a break in between work tasks. Let’s face it, few people get excited about work meetings, but when you host your event in a desirable location, it’s easier to view it as more of a retreat with some work-related brainstorming or planning thrown in on the agenda.
​
Breezes Resort & Spa in the Bahamas is the perfect choice.
This is what you likely envision when picturing the perfect meeting locale of your dreams. It checks off all of the practical boxes: furnishings that are easily rearranged so you can configure them to accommodate your plans, and all of the technology and connectivity features that will allow you to conduct seamless meetings and presentations without any headaches.
​
But that’s just the beginning. Their meeting and conference space options allow you plenty of choices, so you can be sure to find the perfect location for your particular event. From smaller rooms to suites and ballrooms, the selection runs the gamut and offers something for whatever you need.
For smaller groups, consider the Panorama Gallery, where your group of up to 50 people will enjoy amazing views thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows. Have a larger event in mind? The Ocean View Terrace can accommodate receptions and other events of up to 200 people. For large-scale events, you may want to consider the Seabreeze Ballroom, the largest of all the hotel’s event spaces.
All work and no play can be exhausting, though, so the extra amenities are also an important factor when choosing meeting space. Breezes Resort & Spa has many great extras that will make your gathering seem less like work and more like a getaway. You will be greeted with welcome drinks, to kick things off on a good note. There are also special additional perks for group leaders and VIPs.
​
Once the work necessities are done, you will get to enjoy some well-deserved downtime in one of the most amazing locations in the area. The resort offers a gorgeous setting, and you can relax and unwind while strolling the grounds or enjoying the spectacular views.
​
The resort staff has expertise in planning and coordinating business events and group gatherings of all types, so they will take care of all of the little details for you.
IN MY OPINION: It seems a very interesting idea since it is a new site and innovate
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
