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1. WTTC report projects tourism's recovery
According to the World Travel & Tourism Council’s latest report, one standout conclusion presents itself time after time is that “tourism always recovers.”
The “Accelerating Travel and tourism recovery: Global evidence from four decades of crises” report notes that in 2025 tourism contributed $11.6 trillion, or 9.8%, to global gross domestic product and employed 1 in 9 of those of working age, or 366 million.
The WTTC said recovery is not a question of “if,” but “how fast.”
Gloria Guevara, WTTC president and CEO, said the “report proves what our sector has demonstrated time and again: resilience is built into our DNA. Even after the most severe crises, people continue to travel, and destinations come back stronger, with faster action leading to faster recovery.”
2. Resorts scrambling around sun lounger availability ruling
Resorts across Europe are scrambling to change rules and policies regarding the availability of sun-loungers following the ruling by a court in Hanover, Germany, that a guest was entitled to compensation for the inability to reserve such a space for him and his family, the BBC reports.
A tour operator had refunded the guest €350 ($412), but the judge increased that penalty to €986.70. Resorts and tour operators now are looking at their policies and reservation systems to make sure they are not exposed to such legal action.
Guests often “reserve” poolside loungers by placing their towels on them. The court ruled that “although the travel company did not run the hotel and could not ensure every customer could access a sunbed at any given time, the operator did have an obligation to make sure there was an organizational structure that would guarantee a ‘reasonable’ ratio of sunbeds to guests.” The BBC reported that the situation is so dire in some places that “holiday-goers … were sleeping (overnight) on sun loungers in order to secure a poolside spot.”
3. Modi’s appeal not to travel abroad sees Indian hotel stocks fall
Indian hotel-firm stock values have fallen by approximately 5% following comments from Indian prime minister Narendra Modi urging “citizens [to] curb non-essential foreign exchange outflows, including overseas travel,” the Business Standard reports.
Gaurav Sharma, head of research and equity at investment firm Globe Capital, said some people initially thought Modi had asked them not to travel anywhere.
Domestic travel remains strong, Sharma said.
“I don’t really think it is negative for the Indian hotel industry. Because the Prime Minister has emphasized that one should not travel abroad. One should not plan destination weddings abroad. So that clearly means he is emphasizing to stay home and restrict the tourism to domestic tourism only,” Sharma said.
4. Bali’s Mirah announces investment partnership with RV Capital
Balinese hotel developer and operator Mirah Investment & Development, whose brands are Cocana Resorts and Somoshotels, has announced a partnership agreement with RV Capital to help expansion across Asia and Southeast Asia across the next five years.
A Mirah news release said the “investment reflects RV Capital’s confidence not only in the individual assets, but in Mirah’s broader platform — its ability to identify emerging destinations, develop integrated hospitality product and scale it across markets.”
Mirah said the capital deployment will permit it to add at least five new hotels in Indonesia, Japan and Thailand and added “RV Capital’s investment includes a substantial capital deployment in 2026 and accelerates Mirah’s expansion across the region, with a development pipeline exceeding $300 million in hospitality assets planned across Asia.”
5. Onyx and Equatorial sign financing deal for $87 million EQ Phuket hotel development
Bangkok-based Onyx Hospitality Group and Kuala Lumpur-based Equatorial Group signed a 1.8 billion Thai baht ($55.7 million) financing agreement with Thai bank Land & Houses to develop the 170-room luxury hotel EQ Phuket in Phuket, Thailand, according to a news release. The project was initially announced in early 2025 and now has a total investment value of 2.8 billion Thai baht.
The hotel, when it opens in mid 2028, “aims to strengthen the [Onyx’s] portfolio within the upper-upscale and luxury resort segment across the region."