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1. Concerns grow about overtourism in Europe
In 2024, roughly 747 million people traveled internationally around the globe, and about 70% of those people ended up in Southern or Western Europe. That U.N. World Tourism Barometer statistic is putting Europe at the forefront of overtourism concerns as the summer travel season ramps up, the Associated Press reports.
"Among factors driving the record numbers are cheap flights, social media, the ease of travel planning using artificial intelligence and what U.N. tourism officials call a strong economic outlook for many rich countries that send tourists despite some geopolitical and economic tensions," the news agency reports.
Some countries, like Italy, hosted more travelers in 2024 than their entire populations, but tourism officials remain optimistic that the situation can be managed without driving traveler's away.
“It’s a phenomenon that can absolutely be managed,” Italy's Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè said. "Tourism must be an opportunity, not a threat — even for local communities. That’s why we are focusing on organizing flows.”
2. US strikes on Iran disrupt Middle East air travel
Major air carriers from around the globe were cancelling flights to and from the Middle East this weekend after the U.S. bombed Iran, and CNBC reports many are trying to determine how long to scale back operations in the region.
Closing off Middle East airspace is an increasingly tricky prospect for airlines as the war between Russia and Ukraine have closed of airspace over those countries.
Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, warned on Sunday that U.S. attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites could raise threats to American-based airlines in the region, the news outlet reported.
3. Aimbridge charts new course following ownership reset
After reorganizing its ownership structure earlier this year to reduce the company's debt loads, officials with Aimbridge Hospitality embraced a strategic shift to focus on quality over quantity, Chief Global Growth Officer Eric Jacobs told CoStar news in a recent video interview.
Now, the company puts a premium on quality partnerships and working with groups that "focus on longer-term investments."
Aimbridge will "focus on not managing all the different chain scales," he said. "We don't need to be all things to all folks. [The company will] stay focused on fees, longer agreements, stickier agreements."
4. Dollar gains strength but trajectory remains uncertain
The strength of the U.S. dollar was up early Monday as the Japanese yen hit a six-week low, but currency watchers say it's unclear what lasting effects might stem from the U.S. jumping into the conflict between Israel and Iran, Reuters reports.
"Markets need more than what would normally be required to enter long dollar positions," ING FX strategist Francesco Pesole said. "At the same time, markets are still not willing to price in a full-blown conflict in the area."
A strong dollar remains one of the major headwinds for international inbound travel into the U.S.
5. AAA Independence Day projections include big jump for cruises
AAA has released its travel projections for the July 4 holiday, including a 2.2% year-over-year increase in car travel and a 1.4% increase in air travel, but the biggest jump in the "other modes" category as strong demand for cruise lines pushing that up 7.4% year over year.
In all, 72.2 million people will travel at least 50 miles from June 28 to July 6, up 1.7 million from the previous year. It's boosted somewhat by the holiday falling on a Friday and making for an easier long travel weekend.