Hospitality and leisure industry
The most common travel scams in 9 global cities
The travel industry is one of the sectors most susceptible to fraud, with scams rising 18% during the summer peak season and 28% in the winter peak season in 2024, according to a new report. The report, published last Tuesday by the Mastercard Economics Institute, showed that fraud related to travel agency and tour company […]
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The world’s best airport is building a mega terminal to ride the travel boom in Asia
Asia is set to see a travel boom, and countries in the region are gearing up to exploit this surge in demand. Singapore’s Changi Airport on Wednesday broke ground on its fifth terminal, which is expected to be operational in the mid-2030s. The new terminal, which sits on a plot of land 1,080 hectares large, […]
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More than half of the summer’s top trending travel destinations are in Asia
Asia is home to more than half of this summer’s top 15 emerging travel destinations, according to a report released Monday by the Mastercard Economics Institute. Tokyo and Osaka topped the list, which compared summer flight bookings for 2024 and 2025 to find the places experiencing the most growth in travelers. The ranking shows continued […]
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‘Resort fees’ in the U.S. must now be disclosed. But some aren’t celebrating yet
A new U.S. rule that requires hotel and short-term lodging companies to disclose so-called “junk fees” starts Monday. Announced by the Federal Trade Commission in December, the rule takes direct aim at the widely loathed charges, which can appear as “resort,” “destination” or “hospitality service” fees and purport to grant perks that travelers either don’t […]
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Mongolia’s ‘ambitious’ plan could boost tourism to 10% of GDP by 2030, says minister
Tourism could comprise 10% of Mongolia’s gross domestic product if the country can attract 2 million annual tourists by 2030, the country’s tourism minister told CNBC Wednesday. “We have a big, ambitious kind of goal, which is about 2 million tourists by 2030, which will be around a $4 billion contribution towards our GDP,” […]
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Indian airlines can’t fly over Pakistan. Here’s how that is affecting flights
Pakistan’s closure of its airspace to Indian airlines Thursday is forcing carriers to alter some routes that link India to Europe, North America, Central Asia and the Middle East. Indian carriers — including Air India, IndiGo, Akasa Air and SpiceJet — must now fly longer, and thus costlier, flights on some westbound routes. The detour […]
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Fewer Americans are planning summer vacations. Travel costs aren’t the top reason
Fewer Americans are planning to travel this summer, according to a survey by the consumer finance company Bankrate. Some 46% of respondents said they are planning a summer vacation this year — down from 53% in 2024. Of those who don’t intend to travel, nearly two-thirds (65%) said money was the main reason. However, it’s […]
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More travelers are using ‘buy now, pay later’ plans to pay for trips. Here’s when it may make sense
Kristin Herman said using a “buy now, pay later” service to pay for a last-minute trip to Miami felt like a lifesaver. She said the approval was quick, and there were no upfront costs — but she accidentally skipped a scheduled payment. “One missed reminder turned into fees,” she told CNBC Travel. Rane Teo, however, […]
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How does an island with high prices and few beaches attract tourists? Singapore lays out a plan
Inexpensive hotels and swaying palm trees have long attracted travelers to Southeast Asia, but Singapore is doubling down on a different strategy — focusing on increasing tourism receipts instead of traveler arrivals. Officials on Friday outlined a plan to increase tourism revenue in the city-state from a record-breaking $29.8 million in 2024 to $47 million-$50 […]
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Is it safe to travel to Thailand right now? Thai officials say yes
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is expecting that country’s upcoming Songkran festival will generate more tourism revenue than it did last year, despite projections that the March 28 earthquake has dampened tourist arrivals to the kingdom. The 7.7-magnitude earthquake, which epicentered in neighboring Myanmar, caused a building under construction near Bangkok’s famous Chatuchak market to […]
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