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1. US to impose tariffs on auto imports
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. will impose 25% tariffs on global automotive imports starting on April 3, ratcheting up tensions with trade partners further, the Wall Street Journal reports. The tariffs will include finished cars and auto parts.
These tariffs would go into place a day after widespread reciprocal tariffs will go into place. Trump also threatened larger tariffs on Canada and the European Union if they were to work together to "do economic harm" to the U.S., the newspaper reports.
2. US airlines cut first-quarter profit projections
A slowdown in travel demand is leading U.S. airlines to scale back their first-quarter profit forecasts, Reuters reports. Tourists and companies have reduced travel spending due to economic uncertainty wrought by tariffs and government spending cuts.
The news outlet reports that the S&P 500 passenger airlines index is down about 15% this year and is underperforming the broader S&P 500 index. Shares of Delta and United Airlines have fallen about 20% each so far this year.
"Your first needs are food and shelter. And then, we're a little bit down the list of expenditures," said David Neeleman, CEO of low-cost carrier Breeze Airways. "If you don't have a job, you're not going to go buy an airline ticket."
3. Regional markets in Vietnam see pickup in hotel demand
Regional markets in Vietnam such as Phu Quoc, Cam Ranh and Nha Trang are seeing hotel demand increases, with Phu Quoc's topline hotel performance up more than 60% year over year, Jesper Palmqvist, STR's senior director of Asia-Pacific, said on the latest episode of the Hotel News Now podcast.
There's been a lot of interest in opening hotels in Vietnam recently, he said.
"A lot of changes happening, but like any country here, you need airlift," Palmqvist said. "You need flights to work both domestically and internationally, and that's one thing where they're a bit behind, but generally a positive vibe and a big step forward for Vietnam."
4. UK economy to slow in 2025
The U.K.'s economy is projected to grow slower than previously forecast, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Office for Budget Responsibility lowered its growth forecast for 2025 to 1% from 2%.
“The global economy has become more uncertain, bringing insecurity at home as trading patterns become more unstable and borrowing costs rise for many major economies,” Treasury Chief Rachel Reeves told lawmakers in an update on the public finances.
U.S. tariffs could lead to even more stunted growth in the future, the OBR warned. If the U.S. were to raise tariffs 20% on all other countries and those countries fully retaliate, the U.K. economy would be 1% smaller next year and inflation would be 2.7% instead of 2.1%.
5. How to avoid online hotel resellers
As legislation continues to trickle in addressing hidden fees on hotel booking sites, there's another potential obstacle raising the rates of an online sale: resellers. Online resellers are third-party websites that look like the hotel's website, but in reality they're pulling rooms from bigger travel agencies and charging exorbitant prices, the Wall Street Journal reports.
While the hotel industry and the Federal Trade Commission have pushed back on these sites. Big travel sites such as Expedia offer rooms to other third-party sites to expand the distribution, which can lead to this occurring.
In order to avoid falling prey to these websites, consumers should check the URL and book directly with hotel companies as much as possible, the newspaper reports.