Dawit Habtemariam

I cover what destinations around world are doing to attract tourists. Prior to joining Skift, I covered corporate travel at Business Travel News.

Latest Stories

Hotels

Standard International to Debut New Hospitality Brand, The StandardX

Standard International is trying to take lessons from its successes 25 years ago and apply them to its latest brand today.

Dawit Habtemariam | 4 days ago

Standard International to Debut New Hospitality Brand, The StandardX

Tourism

U.S.-Canada Rainbow Bridge Incident Spurs Heightened Security at Onset of Thanksgiving Travel

Hopefully no one else was hurt, and that this incident was an isolated event.

Dawit Habtemariam | 4 days ago

U.S.-Canada Rainbow Bridge Incident Spurs Heightened Security at Onset of Thanksgiving Travel

News Blog

Climate Change Not a Top Focus for U.S. Tourism Marketers: Report

Only 8% of U.S. tourism boards strongly prioritize addressing climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero. In contrast, 62% of European tourism boards and 29% of Canadian tourism boards have made it a top priority. That’s according to Sojern’s “State of Destination Marketing 2024.” The report is based on a survey of over…

Dawit Habtemariam | 6 days ago

News Blog

China and U.S. to Improve Tourism Ties, Says Chinese President Xi

The U.S. and China will improve air connectivity and streamline visa processing, said Chinese President Xi Jinping in public remarks on Wednesday. Xi made the remarks at a dinner hosted by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and US-China Business Council.  The dinner followed Xi’s meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden at the Asia-Pacific Economic…

Dawit Habtemariam | 1 week ago

Tourism

Orlando’s $100 Million Tourism Marketing Budget Faces Cuts

Visit Orlando has one of the largest budgets in the U.S. and is the envy of destination marketers. All eyes are on what happens next.

Dawit Habtemariam | 1 week ago

Orlando’s $100 Million Tourism Marketing Budget Faces Cuts

Tourism

Britain Faces a ‘Slow Build Back’ for Chinese Tourism

Like the U.S, Britain is feeling the pinch of the slow return of Chinese tourists.

Dawit Habtemariam | 2 weeks ago

Britain Faces a ‘Slow Build Back’ for Chinese Tourism

News Blog

International Travel to the U.S. Reached 86% of Pre-Pandemic Level in August

About 7 million international travelers came to the U.S in August, which was 86% of their pre-pandemic level, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data. About 3.3 million of international travelers came from outside North America. India was the U.S.’s second top traveler market outside North America in August. The U.S. welcomed…

Dawit Habtemariam | 2 weeks ago

Cruises

Lindblad Deepens Branding With Disney’s National Geographic

Not only will Lindblad get to use more of the National Geographic brand, it will be able to access Disney's vast marketing resources.

Dawit Habtemariam | 2 weeks ago

Lindblad Deepens Branding With Disney’s National Geographic

Tourism

Turkey Tourism Bookings Start to Go ‘Quiet’

Even though Turkey is geographically far from the Israel-Hamas conflict, its tourism sector is not immune to its consequences.

Dawit Habtemariam | 2 weeks ago

Turkey Tourism Bookings Start to Go ‘Quiet’

News Blog

Iceland Readies for Volcanic Eruption: Latest Tourism Updates

Tourists won't be allowed to relax in Iceland's iconic Blue Lagoon for the next few days. A volcano near the geothermal spa is very likely to erupt soon, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office.  Residents of the nearby seaside town of Grindavik have been evacuated. Roads have been closed. There have been around 900 earthquakes…

Dawit Habtemariam | 2 weeks ago