Skift Travel News Blog

Visit Sweden launched a new marketing campaign to remind the world to stop mixing up Sweden with Switzerland, the tourism board announced on Tuesday.

Called “Welcome to Sweden (not Switzerland),” the campaign kicked off with a playful message to Swiss public officials. In the video, Sweden proposes what the countries should promote to better differentiate themselves to end the confusion. Sweden, for example, proposes Switzerland talks about its financial banks while they talk about their sandbanks.

The campaign video includes a joke about U.S. President Joe Biden accidentally stating in 2022 that Switzerland was joining NATO instead of Sweden. Last year, 85,000 Google searches originating from the U.S. asked, “Are Sweden and Switzerland the same?” according to MyTelescope.

Many people can’t differentiate Sweden and Switzerland. About 50% of Americans can’t confidently tell the differences in Swedish and Swiss culture, according to a study commissioned by Visit Sweden.

The campaign also includes a dedicated webpage with key points on how Sweden’s different from Switzerland and a FAQ. “If people struggle to separate our two countries, we need to help them. We can’t change the names of our nations, but we can become more distinct,” said Visit Sweden CEO Susanne Andersson.

Maui’s western region will be fully reopened to the public on November 1, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen announced on Monday. The reopened will area span Kahana to Ka’anapali. Only burned-out sections of the historic Lahaina will remained closed.

The reopening date will be nearly three months after the devastating wildfires in West Maui that started on August 8. The wildfires caused the deaths of nearly 100 and displaced thousands of people.

The November 1 date is meant to signal a time when businesses and workers can make their preparations, said Bissen. Maui’s tourism sector faces a long road to recovery. In the wake of the fires, tourists and tour operators canceled trips, airlines reduced their flights, hotel occupancy rates nosedived and unemployment soared.

Many hotels in Maui are currently sheltering the nearly 7,000 displaced residents, none of whom will lose their housing, said Bisen. “The Red Cross has assured me that housing for displaced Lāhainā residents, including those staying in hotels, is not in jeopardy,” he said.

Government officials initially planned to reopen West Maui in three phases. The first phase started on October 8 with the area from Ritz-Carlton, Kapaula to Kahana Villia being re-opened to the public.

The timeline change came about after repeated discussions between the mayor’s Lahaina Advisory Team, the American Red Cross and other partners, as well as community feedback about the first phase of the reopening.

India was the U.S.’ s second top market for travelers outside of North America between April and June, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s data released Monday. Over 500,000 Indian travelers came to the America in the those three months, up from 392,000 and 498,000 for the same period in 2022 and pre-pandemic 2019, respectively.

In the first six months of 2023, over 800, 000 Indian travelers came to the U.S., making it America’s second largest’s non-North American market after the UK this year.

Nearly 60% of Indian travelers came to the U.S. for vacation, business or a conference in the first six months of this year, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office. On average, Indian travelers spent $3,500 per trip in the U.S. The states they visited the most were California, New York and Texas.

In 2023, the U.S. is expected to welcome 1.4 million Indian travelers, which is 97% of their pre-pandemic volume, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office. It will be the U.S.’s sixth top source overseas market in 2023, after the UK, France, Germany, Japan and Brazil. In 2019, India was the U.S. eighth-largest market.

It’s notable is that India has recovered so quickly and is rising as top source market for the U.S. despite long visa wait times at U.S. embassies, which suggests inbound travel from the country has been heavily restrained.

While the number of visitor visa approvals for Indians has “outperformed” 2019 levels, they remain over 400 days on average, said U.S. Travel Association CEO and President Geoff Freeman at Skift Global Forum. In New Delhi, for example, an Indian national would have to wait 542 days for a visa interview at the U.S. Embassy.

The visa wait times deter Indian travel into the U.S. “The message to that traveler is all but go away. This is anything but a welcoming environment,” said Freeman. 

U.S. destination marketing organizations have been investing in driving tourism from India. New York Tourism + Conventions, San Francisco Travel and Los Angeles Tourism have expanded their marketing efforts in India this year.

“We’ve invested heavily in India,” said NYC Tourism + Conventions CEO and President Fred Dixon at Skift Global Forum. “I was just there in January, we’ll be back again next January. We see a huge opportunity in the future from India. We’re excited about the airlift opportunities.”

International travel to the U.S. continues to make a post-pandemic recovery, according to new data on international air travelers released Monday by the U.S.’s National Travel and Tourism Office. International air travelers spent $18.9 billion in the U.S. in the second quarter, up 33% from the same period in 2022.

The data provided telling statistics. Below are some key facts about overseas travel, i.e., not from Mexico or Canada, in the second quarter:

• On average, overseas travelers had an income of $95,311, stayed 19 days, and spent $1,933 on their trips.

• Over 7.7 million travelers came to the U.S. from overseas markets. Europe was the top contributor at over 3.3 million.

• About 61% of overseas travelers took their trips solo, while 20% took theirs with a spouse or partner, and 16% took theirs with family or relatives.

• Vacation was the top reason at 53%, which was the same level in the second quarter of 2022.

• More overseas travelers took trips to the U.S. for business in the second quarter at 18%, up from 14% last year.

What about travelers from Canada and Mexico, you ask?

Over 720,000 air travelers came from Mexico to the U.S. On average, Mexican travelers spent $1,271 per trip. Below were their favorite destinations in the second quarter:

Over 2.6 million air travelers came from Canada. On average, Canadian travelers spent $1,164 per trip. Below were their favorite destinations in the second quarter:

A growing share of Canadian, Mexican and overseas travelers cited business travel as a top reason for taking a trip to the U.S. in the second quarter.

The U.S. Department of State issued a “worldwide caution” to all Americans traveling abroad on Thursday. It urged them to stay alert due to heightened tensions in various locations, potential terrorist attacks and violent actions against U.S. citizens. The caution is in response to the ongoing the war between Israel and Hamas.

Americans traveling abroad were advised to stay alert in locations frequented by tourists, enroll in the Smart Travel Enrollment Program to stay updated and follow the State Department on Facebook and Twitter.

Full Coverage: U.S. Travel Caution FAQ – What the State Department Advice Means for Travelers

On Tuesday, the U.S. advised Americans to avoid travel all to Lebanon. On October 14, the U.S. advised Americans to reconsider travel to Israel due to terrorism and civil unrest.

The U.S. has four advisory levels for countries based on how safe and secure they are for U.S. travelers:

• Level 4: Do Not Travel. U.S. travelers should not travel there because it’s very dangerous. Lebanon is now under this level.
• Level 3: Reconsider Travel. U.S. Travelers should avoid traveling to this area due to safety and security risks. Israel is now under this level.
• Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. American traveling to this area should be aware of heightened risks.
• Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions. This is the lowest level in terms of safety and security risks to U.S. travelers.  

The U.S. government is facilitating charter flight transportation for U.S. on a rolling basis at Ben Gurion International Airport through at least Sunday, October 22.

Nearly 6.5 million international travelers came to the U.S. in July, representing 84% of its pre-pandemic level, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data release. Compared to July 2022, international travel to the U.S. is up 25%.

International travelers from overseas, i.e. not Mexico and Canada, totaled 3.1 million in July, up 21% from the same month last year. The United Kingdom, France and Germany were top overseas source countries for the U.S. in July.

Over 10.6 million Americans traveled abroad in July, which was up 17% from the same month in 2022 and 99% of its pre-pandemic level, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office.

Europe was the largest outbound overseas destination for Americans traveling abroad in July, having welcomed 2.3 million Americans traveling abroad, up 13% from the same month last year.

The September 8 earthquake did not halt Morocco’s post-pandemic tourism boom. The country welcomed 960,000 international travelers in September, up 8.5% from the same month in 2019, according to the the Morocco Tourism Office’s latest data. Between January and September, international travel to Morocco rose 44% compared to the same period in 2019.

On September 8, a devastating 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Atlas Mountains. Multiple tour operators temporarily canceled or suspended operations in the immediate aftermath.

Israel’s tourism ministry is working to assist travelers seeking to depart the country amid its ongoing war with Hamas. The country is in a state of emergency.

Travelers can contact Israel’s Home Front Command on WhatsApp or SMS on +972 52 910 4104, said the Israel Ministry of Tourism. They can also receive informational assistance from the ministry’s “virtual office” via WhatsApp or email. 

Many airlines have suspended flights. Ben Gurion International Airport remains open and many flights are still departing Israel, the ministry said.

International traveler spending on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the U.S. totaled $19 billion in August 2023, its highest level since the pandemic hit in 2020, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data. August international traveler spending, however, was still below its 2019 pre-pandemic total of $19.6 billion.

International traveler spending on strictly goods and services like recreation, lodging and foot totaled $10.6 billion in August, down from $11.5 billion for the same month in 2019.

Between January and August, total international traveler spending amounted to over $137.7 billion on travel and tourism-related goods and services, up more than 33% from the same period in 2022. That translated into nearly $567 million spending per day on average.

In August, Americans traveling abroad spent over $17.2 billion, up from $14.9 billion in August 2019.

Is Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky hinting at long-term rentals when he said to expect what could be “the biggest update to Airbnb ever?” 

Chesky told The Financial Times, Airbnb will venture beyond its core travel business. Starting next year, the online rental platform will expand into longer-term housing rentals and enhance its experiences and services offerings like “dining pop-ups.” He added, “there’s an eventual opportunity for Airbnb to become a greater part of your daily life. Not just once or twice a year.”

The Airbnb CEO believes that there’s an untapped market for rentals lasting up to a year, citing the shift towards remote work and extended stays. While only 18% of gross nights booked in the second quarter of this year were for stays longer than 30 days, Chesky sees great potential in extended stays.

This strategic shift comes as Airbnb faces scrutiny from regulators globally over its impact on housing availability in major cities. New York recently introduced rules restricting short-term rentals, but Chesky doesn’t consider it a precedent, emphasizing potential win-win solutions. Airbnb’s future plans also include dining experiences, he told The Financial Times.