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1. International Air Travel Ticks Up
Roughly 8.5 billion travelers took the a flight in 2023, resulting in a 27% jump overall compared to 2022 thanks to a 37% boost from international travel, which is almost double the increase experienced in domestic air travel, Forbes reports.
This recent increase in international travel has caused a shift in which airports across the globe are busiest in terms of total volume in 2023.
"On the international stage, the biggest movers were in Asia. Singapore Changi Airport jumped from No. 9 to No. 5, with an eye-popping 83% increase in international volume. Yet it was Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea, which made the biggest leap from No. 32 to No. 7, due to a massive 213% boost in international passenger traffic, driven mainly by visitors from Japan, China, Taiwan and and elsewhere in Asia," the news outlet reports.
2. Economic Impact From Tourism Could Be Record-Breaking
The World Travel & Tourism Council is projecting 2024 to be a record-breaking year for tourism's global economic contribution, amounting to $11.1 trillion. A total of 142 countries are expected to outperform past records, Forbes reports.
These figures solidify that tourism is "a global economic engine, generating $1 in every $10 worldwide," the news outlet reports.
3. Phoenix, Cleveland Reap Benefits of March Madness
Hotels in the Phoenix and Cleveland markets achieved a boost in performance from hosting the men's and women's Final Four, reports HNN's Trevor Simpson.
In addition to hosting Final Four matchups, Cleveland also welcomed an increased number of travelers due to its location in the path of totality for last week's solar eclipse.
"Hotel revenue per available room in the Cleveland market between April 5-8 was $195, a whopping 227% year-over-year increase, according to CoStar data. Average daily rate rose 105% year over year to $241 and occupancy was 81%, which was a 60% jump over last year," Simpson reports.
4. Countries Fight Against Overtourism
Cities across the globe are facing overtourism, causing some to take certain measures to curb it. For example, in the Netherlands, Amsterdam is no longer allowing new hotel buildings to be constructed unless they meet certain requirements, Reuters reports.
According to its local government, a new hotel can only be built if another hotel closes, if the room counts don't increase and the new hotel will be more advantageous to the community, such as being more sustainable.
Anti-tourism movements are also present in Spain, which is the world's second-most visited country, Agence France-Presse reports.
"Rallying under the slogan 'The Canaries have a limit,' a collective of groups on the archipelago off northwest Africa are planning a slew of protests on Saturday. The Canaries are known for volcanic landscapes and year-round sunshine and attracts millions of visitors from all over the world. Groups there want authorities to halt work on two new hotels on Tenerife, the largest and most developed of the archipelago's seven islands," the news outlet reports.
5. US Hotel Performance Helped by Solar Eclipse
Performance of U.S. hotel metrics increased year over year in the second week of April thanks to a boost from the total solar eclipse, according to CoStar data.
For the week ending April 13, occupancy grew 2.8% to 65.8%. Average daily rate grew 2.9% to $160.20. As a result, revenue per available room rose 5.8% to $105.48, according to a news release.
"Dallas, positioned along the path of the solar eclipse, posted the largest ADR lift (+20.1% to $150.33) and the second-highest jump in RevPAR (+38.8% to $117.50)," the news release states.