D/R DOWNLOAD 2.6
What’s Trending
01/ On Google
“Budget travel trip” searches rose +110% this week, indicating how travelers are looking for low cost vacations.
02/ With Media
This week, media were interested in the most secluded overwater bungalows in the Caribbean, unique river cruise offerings, all-inclusive resorts not at a beach, family-friendly travel experiences and destinations, top destinations for St. Patrick's Day, and more.
The Washington Post eliminated its sports, books, and select international sections, highlighting mounting financial pressures on newsrooms and signaling how even legacy outlets are rethinking staffing and coverage priorities as technology and audience habits continue to evolve.
03/ In the Zeitgeist
The 2026 Winter Olympics kick off today in northern Italy with sixteen sports spread across multiple regions, making them the most spread-out Winter Games ever. The festivities begin with an opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro stadium featuring performances by Mariah Carey and other artists.
The 2026 Grammy Awards featured major wins, including Bad Bunny’s historic Album of the Year victory alongside standout performances from artists like Lady Gaga and Sabrina Carpenter.
Industry Insights
Tourism organizations have stepped up to fight and prevent wildfires, from forming in-house fire brigades to investing in fire-resilient designs. These efforts aim to protect guests, local communities, and the environment, as fire seasons worsen due to climate change.
Warm winters and declining snowfall have hit the ski industry hard, shortening seasons and driving steep declines in revenue worldwide.
The northern lights are expected to be brighter, more frequent, and visible farther south than usual in 2026, offering travelers a rare chance to witness this display as a result of solar maximum.
Australia has been named the top country for Americans retiring abroad, standing out in areas like cost of living, property ownership, lifestyle, health care, and visa access. Portugal, New Zealand, Singapore, and Spain round out the list of the best destinations for US retirees.
Amsterdam is considering banning cruises by 2035 as relocating its current cruise terminal would entail financial uncertainties and sustainability concerns. While a threat to existing jobs and tax revenue, the final decision will be left to the newly elected executive in March.
Three years after the devastating 2023 Lahaina wildfires, Maui remains in a fragile phase of recovery. As residents rebuild homes and businesses, they grapple with how tourism should return in a way that supports the local economy without overshadowing the community’s cultural significance and ongoing healing.
Travelers without a REAL ID or other acceptable identification may have to pay a $45 fee to use TSA’s ConfirmID process at airport checkpoints. This new program shifts the cost of verifying insufficient ID to the traveler rather than taxpayers, while also helping to prevent flight delays.
New airline data indicates transatlantic summer travel demand between Europe and the U.S. is declining, with bookings from Europe to the U.S. down more than 14 % year-over-year and U.S. departures to Europe also falling.
The Good
Angry Orchard is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a new Ex-Change program that lets people mail in their ex’s abandoned belongings in return for credit toward a case of hard cider. All donated items will be given to charity, turning the aftermath of a breakup into a good cause.
