Top Destination News from August 2023

Destination news from August centered around record-breaking numbers of travelers in destinations from Europe to the Caribbean, as well as news about the impact that our warming world has on destinations from Maui to Southern Europe. Click through the slideshow to read the biggest headlines, and if you'd like to read the full stories, click on the links provided in each slide. Don't want to miss a beat? Register for our TravelPulse newsletter today! 

An August feature focusing on overtourism shows some ways European hotspots are beginning to curtail the waves of travelers this year as destinations consider more sustainable alternatives. 

Officials in Greece announced this August that they would begin capping the numbers of visitors allowed each day into the Acropolis, Athens' most iconic ancient landmark, as overtourism becomes a major problem in Europe.

The Great Barrier Reef system stayed off UNESCO's endangered list this year. It has been considered for placement on the list due to the impact of climate change and pollution, which are harming the world's largest reef system. Officials in Australia have been stepping up conservation efforts and therefore, the reef isn't considered endangered for another year.

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site may be placed on the organization's endangered list next month: Venice. The city has seen some negative impacts due to both climate change and overtourism, so officials will be discussing whether the site should be listed as endangered. 

Europe hasn't just seen a rise in travelers this summer: it's seen record-level heat waves, especially in southern Europe. Intrepid Travel CEO James Thornton shared his prediction that this region of the world simply won't be as comfortable to visit in summer as in previous years.

The International Galapagos Tour Operators Association is calling on the Ecuadorian government to start capping land-based travel to the biodiverse island chain the way that cruise tourism has been regulated for nearly twenty-five years. This request comes following a growth of land-based tourism to the islands, which the association believes could become detrimental to the islands' ecosystems should it continue to grow unchecked.

A new feature dives into Costa Rica's particular style of sustainability. Learn why this small Central American country was awarded the United Nations' highest environmental award, the Champions of the Earth Award.

Juneau, a famous Alaskan cruise port known for being the site where travelers can view the Mendenhall glacier, begins pondering its future as experts predict the glacier will no longer be visible from the current viewing site by as soon as 2050. According to current data, the glacier has receded as much as eight football fields from 2007 to 2021.

China once again began allowing tour groups from several countries, including the United States, to visit the country as it begins rolling back its COVID-19 travel restrictions. China is one of the last countries to do this, and has had a much stricter set of restrictions than many others.

Barbados is predicting a record cruise season this year, with about 45 new cruise ship calls and over 115,000 more travelers than the last cruise season. 

The National Travel and Tourism Office of the United States saw a nearly 25 percent increase in international visitor spending from June to July of this year, despite sometimes agonizingly slow visa wait times. 

Beginning October 1, travelers from the U.S., Canada and Australia will have to obtain an electronic visitor visa to visit Brazil, according to an official announcement made this August. 

The Dominican Republic is also breaking its own visitor records: this August, the small half-island nation reported welcoming over 792,000 travelers in July alone, exceeding 700,000 monthly travelers for the first time ever.

As West Maui continues to recover, reclaim and rebuild following the devastating wildfire, government officials have stated and encouraged travelers to continue visiting the rest of the island, which is open for travelers. 

New research conducted by the World Travel & Tourism Council showcases how the United States' retail tourism comprises 6 percent of the nation's travel and tourism revenue. Using data from 2019, the council also reported that the nation leads the world in retail tourism.

A new Economic Impact Report from the World Travel & Tourism Council predicts that global tourism will grow its GDP to $15.5 trillion by 2033.

The drama between Florida governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis and Walt Disney World continued in August as his handpicked oversight committee received a $2.5 million bill from Disney asking them to pay for Disney's employee benefits, such as free parks passes and other discounts.

Bhutan is encouraging more travelers to visit the kingdom by cutting its daily tourist fee in half as it struggles to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the first time in a long time, international travelers heading to China will no longer face any COVID-19 testing requirements beginning August 30.