Hi, it’s Damian Francis here, Editorial Director at Business Publishing Group. When you read this, pending potential delays, I’ll likely be somewhere around Minneapolis St Paul airport waiting for my final Delta Air Lines connection to Chicago.
On Sunday, America’s largest inbound tourism conference, IPW, kicks off in the Windy City, and as one of my colleagues in the mainstream news space quipped to me this week, what a great week it is to be holding such a conference.
Last year, IPW was held in Los Angeles, in the somewhat less than lively LA Live precinct. But it was a good show overall in an environment that was a lot less chaotic.
It is a very good thing that LA is not playing host this year.
The scene that has been set is not one that the PR department would have planned – it’s certainly not one that will be selling LA, or the US, to the world.
I flew through Los Angeles in the midst of US Marines being readied for deployment to restore law and order as protests against the Trump administrations immigration policies took place.
Members of the National Guard had already been deployed.
According to the ABC, dozens of people had been arrested on the first night of a curfew in downtown Los Angeles imposed by local city officials to curb ongoing vandalism.
Police said they had carried out “mass arrests” in the City of Angels while the aforementioned curfew, between 8pm and 6am, originally for Tuesday night this week, didn’t seem to have much effect, as multiple groups still congregated within the curfew area, according to reports.
LA has caught a severe cold, and other cities are starting to sneeze, as protestors have now marched in New York, Atlanta, and, anxiously for IPW, Chicago.
At this stage, thankfully, all have been peaceful, although in New York, more than 80 people were reportedly detained, with multiple media suggesting nation-wide protests would expand today.
With the already “uncertain” environment in the US (that so many businesses in the travel industry keep alluding to) shrouding IPW, the current situation has provided an unpredictable scenario and a very difficult one for the travel industry.
Let’s be real – while the media is eating this up, and no doubt the big news stories will be flying around thick and fast over the next week, there is just one outcome that our local travel industry would want – a healthy US travel scene where inbound for the country is doing well.
We want the US to be a genuine option for Aussie travellers. For the most part, it still is, but the situation is becoming more and more strained.
For what it is worth, while Smartraveller suggests visitors to the US be aware of what is going on, it still states that they should exercise just a “normal” amount of precaution.
But the slowdown in sales across the board for US travel has already begun to hit, as has been well-reported – from airlines cutting routes to tour operators changing options and hotels suggesting it’s harder to fill rooms.
Flight Centre’s ASX announcement was so straight-up that even the mainstream media reported on it.
SBS wrote: “Flight Centre, one of the world’s largest travel agencies, has warned it could lose more than $100 million in earnings this year, citing weakening demand for travel to the United States.”
International travel to the States dropped 14% in March compared to the previous corresponding period, according to the US Travel Association.
CNBC reported that “as of April, flight bookings to the US for the May–July travel window are 10.8% lower than they were the same period last year, according to the research firm. It projects an 8.7% decline in international arrivals in 2025”.
If what is happening now generally has a knock-on effect six to nine months down the track due to the time it takes travellers to act on their decisions, take time off from work, and actually get on the road (or in the air or sea), we could be seeing numbers that are very difficult to digest towards the end of the year and possibly into next when it comes to US inbound.
But I hope that is not the case. Like most of you, I would like to see a thriving travel industry around the world.
Over the next week I will be attending as many of the press conferences as I can, canvassing as many brands in the US travel scene as I can, both on and off the record, and digging up as many stories as I can – stay tuned to Travel Daily, Cruise Weekly and travelBulletin for all the latest.
Hopefully what I will be bringing you is positive news, but whatever the case, I’ll play a straight card.
Now, over to travelBulletin‘s Senior Reporter, Janie Medbury.
Sticking with the US theme, Brand USA could see its funding slashed dramatically after the Senate Commerce Committee this week proposed to reduce the DMO’s budget from US$100 million to just US$20 million, as part of the nation’s wider cost-cutting efforts.
Back at home, the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection boosted its presence in Australia with the opening of its first local office, which is headquartered in Sydney, and the appointment of two reservations agents. The luxury maritime brand also introduced AUD pricing this week, making the booking process easier for Aussie agents.
In more positive news for Australia, Qantas Group announced a move that will allow it to shift its focus back to the local market. The Flying Kangaroo will retire its Singapore-based subsidiary, Jetstar Asia, freeing up $500 million in capital to reinvest into its operations here.
On top of that, 13 Airbus A320 aircraft currently operated by Jetstar Asia will be gradually redeployed to Australia and New Zealand, boosting fleet renewal efforts and creating around 100 new local jobs.
Australian travellers are also set to benefit from Air New Zealand’s latest move, with the Kiwi carrier confirmed as the latest airline to commit to flying from Western Sydney International Airport. Air New Zealand will offer direct flights to Auckland at the new airport, beginning mid-2027, in addition to its existing services at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport.
It’s also been a busy week on the people front, with several notable appointments and departures shaking up the industry. Travel Daily put out a breaking news about respected aviation figure, Anil Rodricks’ decision to wrap up his decades-long representative career with the Lufthansa Group at the end of October, setting his sights on “new interests”.
We also broke the news about two new additions to the Council of Australian Tour Operators’ board for 2025/26, with Greece & Mediterranean Travel Centre GM Amanda Highfield and Globus family of brands CEO Chris Hall both joining as directors. The duo will replace outgoing directors Julie King and Yvette Thompson (Intrepid Travel), who both decided not to stand for re-election this year.
Additionally, Webjet welcomed its first Chief Marketing Officer in Oonagh Flanagan.
Separately, Envoyage appointed Paul Murrell as its new Global Air Leader and Shauna Stedner as Global Supply Partner in two newly created roles in a bid to expand its global product leadership team.
And that’s a wrap – enjoy your weekend!
