Travel industry executive advocacy at the White House contrasts with downgraded international visitation forecasts and foreign traveler friction, underscoring the growing gap between industry optics and actual macro market realities.
The OTA Tip Jar
The FTC’s $35 million settlement with Hopper over preselected checkout fees signals heightened regulatory scrutiny on deceptive booking practices, highlighting how hidden charges jeopardize long-term consumer trust.
You Can’t Make This Stuff Up (Tourism Edition)
The appointment of a controversial “tourism envoy” adds to growing concerns about U.S. travel perception, as policy, politics, and messaging increasingly shape international demand ahead of major global events.
Deep Dish, Wrigley Field, and Highest Hotel Taxes
Chicago hotels are backing a tax increase to fund tourism marketing, a move that echoes Hawaiʻi’s TAT history and raises a broader question about why destinations must tax visitors heavily and still fight to fund demand generation.
The Regulators are Sniffing Around Our Comp Sets
Hotel benchmarking tools like STR are facing antitrust scrutiny in the U.S. and UK, raising questions about whether analyzing historical competitor data, or future AI pricing tools, could be viewed as reducing market competition.
Resort Fees Banned! – Don’t Believe the Headlines… Except Ours.
Despite headlines, New York City hasn’t banned resort fees, only reinforced upfront price disclosure, but as total-price transparency becomes the norm, the economic advantage of resort fees may be quietly disappearing.
The Passport Gap: Easy Out, Hard In.
The 2026 Henley Passport Index shows a widening global mobility gap: Singapore leads with 192 visa-free destinations, the U.S. still ranks strong at 179, but remains far less open to inbound travelers, while China is rapidly expanding visa-free access as a competitive travel lever.
America Continues to Pull in the Welcome Mat
New U.S. travel proposals, including higher fees and mandatory social media disclosure, are adding friction for international visitors, contributing to declining arrivals and raising concerns for tourism demand.
Brand USA Funding Might Finally Catch a Break
Congress is moving to restore Brand USA’s funding through the VISIT USA Act, aiming to counter declining global sentiment and strengthen U.S. competitiveness ahead of major events by using surplus visa fees, not taxpayer dollars.
Brand USA’s Shrinking Stage
Brand USA slashes 15% of staff after funding drops from $100M to $20M. With inbound tourism at 80% of 2019 levels, politics, not branding, is the issue.
