Top Destination Travel News From July

In an effort to deter crime and violence and keep tourists safe, Mexico deployed its National Guard to Cancun earlier this summer. The precaution is welcome news for travelers with concerns about visiting the Mexican Caribbean.

The Institute of Economics and Peace released its latest Global Peace Index, revealing the world's safest countries for 2023. Europe and Asia were among the big winners, placing multiple countries in the top 10.

New data from Trip.com reveals that flight and hotel bookings from outbound U.S. travelers to the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe are surging this summer, with the leading travel service provider reporting a year-over-year increase of 145 percent in flight bookings from the U.S. to the U.K. in the first half of 2023.

In the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic set a visitor arrival record in the first half of 2023. According to officials at the country’s civil aviation agency, 7.18 million passengers passed. through the nation’s airports between January and May.

Greece recently began implementing new measures to combat overtourism at the Acropolis in Athens, including applying time-slot scheduling requirements, special visitor zones, fast-lane entry points for guided tourist groups and an electronic ticketing system.

A burgeoning destination in Europe, Portugal is on track to smash travel and tourism records in 2023. The country's tourism industry will contribute about $45.4 billion this year, surpassing the peak of $45.06 billion achieved in 2019.

Bali has revealed plans to tax visitors about $10 starting next year. The tax is meant to deter visitors from behaving badly in the wake of some unruly incidents. 

Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) has launched a performance-based rewards program to incentivize travel advisors using the Abu Dhabi Expert mobile sales companion app. The annual 2023 grand prize for advisors who book the highest number of travelers using the app and website is a six-night trip to Abu Dhabi.

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) announced that Jamaica will host its 42nd Caribbean Travel Marketplace on May 20-22, 2024. The all-important industry event will be held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.