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In this article MAR Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTMarriott International's business operations and growth are solid, CEO Anthony Capuano told CNBC Monday, amid layoffs of more than 800 corporate employees and continued sluggishness in China's tourism market. Marriott International reported net room growth of 6% year-on-year and room rate growth of 2.5%, driven by a strong return of group travel, which Capuano called the "bright, shining star" for the business today. The company raised its year-end guidance for net room growth, and added 9 million new Bonvoy members in the third quarter. That measure turned out to be corporate layoffs, first reported by the travel media company Skift on Nov. 14, which later linked to a notice of "mass layoffs" of 833 Marriott employees posted on a Maryland government labor website. watch nowCapuano denied that the company — which doubled in size during the past decade — grew too big, too fast, at least in terms of corporate employees, instead calling the move a much-needed "reorganization" of its global corporate structure.

Persons: Anthony Capuano, Capuano, Leeny Oberg, —, Rather Organizations: Marriott, CNBC, Marriott International, Uber, Starbucks Locations: RevPar, China, Greater China, Maryland, Bethesda , Maryland

Thailand's same-sex marriage legislation, scheduled to come into effect in January 2025, could attract an additional 4 million tourists to the country per year, according to a report commissioned by the travel company Agoda. The report published Thursday estimates the country's marriage equality law may increase tourism arrivals by 10%, netting the country an extra $2 billion in tourism revenue per year, within two years. Arrivals are expected to come, not only from same-sex couples and their wedding guests, but from the broader LGBTQ community and beyond. The new law will make Thailand the third place in Asia to allow same-same marriage, following Taiwan in 2019 and, on a more limited basis, Nepal in 2023. The law is also set to grant same-sex couples rights related to child adoption, health care and inheritance.

Organizations: Thailand's Tourism Industry, Partnership Locations: Thailand, Asia, Taiwan, Nepal

Delta Air Lines allows buyers to personalize gift cards with photos and is shipping gift cards for free through Dec. 13. Royal Caribbean sells gift cards that can be redeemed for a cruise booking, but not pre-cruise purchases such as shore excursions, beverage packages and internet. Intrepid Travel, which specializes in sustainable tours for small groups, lets gift buyers purchase specific tours for another person. Other websites offer gift cards that aren't tied to specific brands, but reviews are mixed on some of those companies. For example, Finnair gift cards expire in one year, while Airbnb gift cards aren't available in every region.

Persons: Zs, millennials, Reddit, Rick Steves, Hilton Organizations: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Marriott, Royal, Intrepid Locations: Italy, Rick Steves Italy, Lyft, Royal Caribbean, U.S

LVMH-owned luxury hospitality company Belmond will launch a luxury sleeper train next year that will take travelers through the countryside of England and Wales. The Britannic Explorer will run three itineraries: one to the southwestern county of Cornwall and the other to the opposite end of England through the Lake District of Cumbria in the north, while the third will journey though the country of Wales. All trips will start from London and run for three nights, with the England routes operating during the weekends (Fridays to Mondays) and the Wales route during the week (Monday to Thursday), allowing travelers to combine two journeys into one trip. Belmond operates several luxury hotels around the globe, including the famed Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and Asia's Eastern & Oriental Express.

Organizations: Belmond, Orient, Oriental Express Locations: England, Wales, Cornwall, Lake District, Cumbria, London, Venice

Temperatures are cooling in Japan, but interest in visiting shows no signs of abating, as autumn arrivals continue to outpace pre-pandemic levels. Before the pandemic, China was Japan's largest tourism source market, representing 30% of all arrivals, according to Japanese authorities. Chinese visitors to Japan doubled last month, from 325,645 in September 2023 to 652,300 in September 2024, according to Japan's tourism statistics. From January to September this year, more than 5.2 million visitors from China visited Japan, a 228% increase from 2023, according to preliminary statistics. But that leaves plenty of space to grow to reach the 9.6 million that arrived in 2019.

Organizations: Japan National Tourism Organization Locations: Japan, China

Americans disappointed with the outcome of the U.S. election took their anguish online, with searches related to moving abroad surging following the results of the presidential race. Google Trends showed that searches related to "leaving the country" and "how to move to …" spiked following the news that Donald Trump would be returning to the White House. Searches for "how to move to Canada" peaked on Nov. 6, with Google Trends showing interest in the phrase highest among Democratic strongholds, like Vermont, Maine, Oregon and Washington. A survey conducted earlier this month found that 21% of Americans said they would consider moving abroad if their preferred candidate lost the race. Among those polled, nearly 60% said they would be "very unlikely" to move, while only 2.6% said they were "very likely" to uproot and leave.

Persons: Donald Trump Organizations: Google, Democratic, NBC, Trump —, Casino.org Locations: Canada, Vermont , Maine , Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Minnesota, Indiana

From Friday, citizens of nine more countries can enter China without needing a visa to visit. South Korea is a major tourism source market for China. In 2019, some 4.3 million South Koreans visited China, according to The Korea Times. Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported less than 1.3 million visited in 2023. Share prices of prominent Chinese and Korean travel companies rose following Beijing's announcement of the expanded visa-free program on Friday.

Persons: Trip.com Organizations: Europe —, Liechtenstein —, The Korea Times, Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jin Locations: China, Europe, Europe — Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, South Korea

Search interest for "Travel Tuesday" rose more than 500% from 2021 to 2023, according to a report published by McKinsey & Company on Thursday. Searches are highest among American and Canadian consumers, but interest is also rising in Australia, the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Spain, according to McKinsey. "European travel companies can anticipate the possibility that Travel Tuesday will become a growing phenomenon in their region," McKinsey's report notes. Searches for "Cyber Monday" are far greater than "Travel Tuesday," but interest in the former is declining, it showed. "But unlike some of the impulse purchases consumers make on Black Friday, travel bookings can require more planning."

Persons: —, Kristen Jennings, Ryan Mann, Mann Organizations: McKinsey & Company, McKinsey, Google, Bawah Reserve, McKinsey's, Logistics, Infrastructure Locations: Canadian, Australia, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Spain, North America, Western Europe, Singapore, Asia, Riau

But some countries make motorists more nervous than others. A survey published in October shows drivers are most concerned about getting behind the wheel in India. With a score of 7.15 out of 10, India had the average highest score out of 49 countries in the survey. The survey is not based on statistical information, such as roadway safety or fatalities, but perceptions of drivability among non-locals. The top 10 list is a mix of countries across Asia, Africa and South America.

Locations: India, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Asia, Africa, South America

A report from travel news site Skift shows that seven major airlines have retreated from the country in the past four months. Longer flights require more fuel, which make flights more expensive. "Indeed U.S. carriers are making hard but very commercial decisions to drop Chinese services and redeploy the aircraft elsewhere," he said. China airlines' struggleLow demand has also plagued domestic airlines in China. Collectively, Chinese airlines have increased capacity to Europe, compared to pre-pandemic, even though the market and trade flows were much stronger then, said Grant.

Persons: Nicola Economou, John Grant, Grant, It's, Finnair, bauer, haven't Organizations: FIA, FI, British Airlines, Qantas, Nurphoto, Getty, Virgin Atlantic, Scandinavian Airlines, Boeing, OAG, EU, Aaronp, Cape Town, U.S, CNBC, Air China Locations: China, Asia, Hong Kong, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Russia, — Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul, Bangkok, Delhi, Singapore, Thailand, Beijing, Cape, Sydney, Australia's, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Hong Kong . U.S, Russian, U.S, Europe, Frankfurt

The biggest travel trend of 2022 was to go big, spend big — with people eagerly booking bucket list-style trips to places like Bali, Rome, London and Paris. But two new reports show travelers are now in a very different headspace. Trend reports from Expedia and Booking.com show vacationers are forgoing splashy trips to global hot spots in favor of quieter trips to places that are lesser-known — and far less crowded. Some 63% of travelers said they are likely to visit an off-the-beaten-track destination on their next trip, according to Expedia's "Unpack '25," a travel trend report which surveyed 25,000 respondents from 19 countries. They want to move away and find equivalent destinations that haven't been discovered by that many people."

Persons: Japan Abu, James Marshall Organizations: France, United Locations: Bali, Rome, London, Paris, Expedia, Reims, France Brescia, Italy Cozumel, Mexico Santa Barbara , California Waikato , New Zealand Girona, Spain Fukuoka, Japan, Japan Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thailand Canmore, Canada

When it comes to overtourism, don't blame the travelers, said Randy Durband, CEO of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. Rather, it's "lack of management," he told "Squawk Box Asia" Monday. From marketing to managingDestination marketing organizations "must change the 'M' in DMO from marketing to management," Durband told CNBC before the interview. "This is the great awakening that needs to take place, that government needs to understand — tourism is a sector that needs management," he said. Managing tourism 'flows'Managing visitor flows is a strategy that is fast-gaining ground to mitigate overtourism.

Persons: Randy Durband, I've, Durband, Saint Guilhem, Désert Organizations: Sustainable Tourism, CNBC, CNBC Travel, Walt Disney, Sustainable Tourism Council Locations: Sustainable Tourism Council, Europe, North America, Asia, China, Saint, Barcelona

On July 6, thousands of anti-tourism protesters marched through the streets of Barcelona, shouting: "Tourists go home!" Tourists caught in the crossfire of Barcelona's July protest — some of whom endured water guns and confrontations caught on tape — may not be inclined to return. And the top three most popular destinations were the very spots where protesters staged marches this year. A spokesperson for Barcelona's City Council told CNBC Travel that managing the city's tourism is one its main priorities since it is "reaching a limit with 17 million visitors per year." 'Winning the struggle'Despite claims that an influx of summer tourists humiliated protesters, Rivacoba said they are enthusiastic.

Persons: —, Skift, Booking.com, Daniel Pardo Rivacoba, Josep Lago, Rivacoba, Clara Margais, touristification, Marc Asensio, overtourism, Paco Freire Organizations: Spain's National Statistics Institute, Mallorca —, Catalonia —, CNBC, Mallorca, Neighbourhoods, Tourism Degrowth, Afp, Getty, CNBC Travel, Management, Barcelona's City Council, America's, Nurphoto Locations: Barcelona, Spain, Catalonia, Andalusia, Mallorca, Barcelona's, Spanish

They thrive on it, said John Hackston, head of thought leadership at The Myers-Briggs Company. Be it spouses, best friends or acquaintances, travelers enduring long stretches of time together often struggle to find a middle ground. But the same level of reflection hasn’t happened with extroverts, said Hackston. The problem, said Hackston, is that extroverts often assume others think and feel as they do. Just because you're good friends, it doesn't mean that you'll be good travelers.

Persons: ”, John Hackston, The Myers, Susan Cain’s, —, extroverts, “ There's, introverts, there's, That's, United Kingdom …, Chris Ratcliffe, Myers, Emma Morrell Organizations: The, Briggs Company, Bloomberg, Getty, Northern Locations: “, United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Finnish

More than 90% of travelers from Southeast Asia say that gun prevalence in the United States influences whether they will visit, according to a new survey. However, nearly 80% said the likelihood that they would attend a mass gathering — such as a concert or music festival — would be greatly or moderately affected by the number of guns in the United States. Half of those surveyed said they have been to the United States. But a prior visit didn't calm Singaporeans' worries about gun violence to the same extent as other nationalities. Another 5% said they will out-and-out refuse to visit if Trump wins, with 2% saying the same about a Harris win.

Persons: Antarika Sen, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Harris, Scott Olson, it's Organizations: CNBC Travel, Insight, U.S, Trump, Getty Locations: Southeast Asia, United States, Hawaii, Texas, New York , California, Florida , Nevada , Arizona, Washington, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, U.S, Flint , Michigan

In this article AF-FRUALAIR-NZ Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTThe days of spotty — or worse, no — Wi-Fi on airplanes are numbered, said Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran. Reliable and fast Wi-Fi will become "ubiquitous" on full-service carriers, he told "Squawk Box Asia" Friday. Air New Zealand announced in December 2023 that Starlink services would be installed on two domestic aircraft in late 2024. watch nowHowever, passengers will have to wait a bit longer for those services to launch at Air New Zealand. Starlink at scaleOn Sept. 13, United Airlines said it had signed the industry's largest agreement for Starlink services to date.

Persons: Greg Foran, Foran Organizations: Air New Zealand, CNBC, United Airlines

Outbound travel from China is set to receive a much-anticipated jolt as "Golden Week" bookings show changes in where and why Chinese people are traveling. While most Golden Week travelers are choosing mid-tier accommodations, growth for five-star hotels in Europe is almost three times higher in Europe than in Asia-Pacific, company data showed. Seeking quiet and concertsAs Chinese tourists continue to move beyond organized sightseeing tours abroad, more are seeking to celebrate Golden Week in off-the-beaten-path locations, especially in Asia and Europe, according to Trip.com's data. In Europe, bookings in Spain rose 260% to the city of Granada and 144% to Seville, according to Trip.com. Hong Kong is expected to welcome as many as 1.2 million mainland Chinese visitors during the coming Golden Week holiday, up 10% from last year, according to the city's Travel Industry Council.

Persons: Trip.com, Oscar Wong, Vietnam —, Ito, John Legend Organizations: National, Alibaba Group, United, United Arab, Goldman Sachs Equity Research, ASEAN, Golden, city's Travel Industry Locations: China, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Southeast Asia, United States, Chile, Croatia, Belgium, Hungary, Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Europe, Trip.com, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Tokyo, Kyoto, Yokohama, Phu, Granada, Seville, Golden, . Hong Kong

A couple, who argued with a passenger who reclined her seat, won't be flying with Cathay Pacific ever again. Cathay Pacific has not responded to CNBC's request for comment, but said in the statement that it "sincerely" apologized for the incident. The woman, who narrates parts of the video that was posted on the same platform, said the couple harassed her after she declined to return her seat to the upright position. Eventually, she was moved to another seat, the video showed. However, Cathay Pacific said in its statement that onboard staff had issued two "serious" verbal warnings to the two disruptive passengers.

Persons: Instagram Organizations: Cathay Pacific, London . Cathay, Cathay Locations: Hong Kong, London, London . Cathay Pacific, Cathay Pacific

The percentage is even higher among parents of kids and teens, the survey showed. Trip planning can involve an arduous slog through booking websites, star ratings, travel reviews and fine print — first to find what to book, then to find the best available price. Artificial intelligence is set to change this, with ChatGPT already proving that generative AI can provide itineraries and recommendations in a matter of seconds. But Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel told CNBC Travel he wants to "go beyond" that. And using all the data we have, all we know about our customers, what they may want, trying to start that conversation."

Persons: ChatGPT, Glenn Fogel, Fogel, — Organizations: CNBC Travel Locations: Naples, Italy

Lansky said he was inspired by a discussion he had with a pilot he sat next to on a flight years ago. When the safety demonstration video began, “I noticed he wasn't paying attention to it. “You really need to kind of visualize actually lifting the flap,” Lansky told CNBC Travel. “Oh yes,” a U.S. flight attendant with more than two decades of experience told CNBC Travel. He said he asked flight attendants how many times they bump passengers elbows, knees and feet on long-haul flights.

Persons: ”, Doug Lansky, Lansky, “, ” Lansky, I've, you’re, “ We’ll, they've Organizations: CNBC Travel Locations: U.S

"Our research infers that fliers are doing more research to understand and potentially avoid Boeing aircrafts," she said. "First of all, there are more discount carriers operating Airbus (A320s) than Boeing (737s) particularly in Asia," he said. watch nowThe study is a historical analysis of commercial flight safety, which does not predict how Boeing's issues may play out in the future. But Barnett indicated he's confident about the future of commercial aviation. Why avoiding Boeing is difficultThough competition among airlines is fierce, aircraft manufacturing has long been dominated by the United States' century-old Boeing company and its European competitor, Airbus.

Persons: Danielle Harvey, Brendan Sobie, Arnold Barnett, Barnett Organizations: Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Sobie Aviation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, of Air Transport Management, MIT, U.S . Federal Aviation Agency, National Transportation Safety Board, European Union, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, CNBC Travel, Airbus, Airlines, Max Locations: Asia, United States, Europe, Australia, Canada, China, Israel, Japan, New, Bahrain, Bosnia, Brazil, Brunei, Chile, Hong Kong, India, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Alaska

With a plum position atop many "Best Places to Travel" lists, Japan is on track to welcome a record-breaking number of travelers in 2024. Summer trips are up too, with inbound bookings doubling since last summer, a representative from the travel website Trip.com told CNBC Travel. In 2019, China welcomed some 49.1 million travelers — as of July this year, around 17.25 million foreigners had arrived, according to Chinese state media. "The USD/JPY exchange rate [moved] from approximately 140 in January 2024 to over 160 by July 2024, making Japan more affordable," said Chakraborty. But a Pew Research Center report shows that, among 35 surveyed countries, more than half have unfavorable views of China.

Persons: Trip.com, Joydeep Chakraborty, Chakraborty, Jasmine Leung Organizations: National Immigration Administration, CNBC Travel, Japan, Japan Federation of Service & Tourism Industries Workers ' Unions, East Asia, Pew Research Center, France — Locations: Japan, China, Kiyomizu, dera, Kyoto, United States, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Saharan Africa, Asia, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, South Korea

The World, a luxury liner, has many descriptions, but "cruise ship" is not one of them, said resident Jim Minarik. "The only thing that's similar between the world and a cruise ship is they float on the water," he said. Minarik and his wife bought their apartment in 2020 with plans to spend one to two months a year on the ship. Source: The WorldYet money is not a big topic aboard The World, Minarik said. Wong said that while other companies have tried, The World is still the only ship of its kind.

Persons: Jim Minarik, we're, Minarik, Eddie Wong, Wong, There's, I'd Organizations: CNBC, CNBC Travel Locations: Singapore, Antarctica, French Polynesia, Easter, Amalfi Coast, Australia's Kimberley, Papua New Guinea, Solomon, South America, South Africa, Cape Town, Orange County , California, Africa's, Penola Strait

With revenge travel over and pandemic savings depleted, travelers say they're planning fewer trips this summer, or skipping their vacations altogether. "After two straight years of strong gains, the number of Americans planning to take leisure trips is taking a dip," states a summer travel report from Deloitte Insights. 'Too expensive' to travel nowAmericans are planning 2.3 trips this summer, down from 3.1 trips from the summer of 2023, according to Deloitte's survey of more than 4,000 people. watch nowThe number of people who said they're avoiding summer travel altogether increased from 37% to 42%, the report showed. Those generations are spending less on airfare and hotel accommodations too, said Baig, suggesting a cutback in travel spending may be a normalization of the market following the end of revenge travel.

Persons: they're, Sofia Baig, Gen Zs, Baig, Zs Organizations: Deloitte, Marriott, Wyndham, Morning Locations: Hyatt, Airbnb

UNESCO's World Heritage Committee named a site in the Gaza Strip — Saint Hilarion Monastery, or Tell Umm Amer — to both its "World Heritage" and "World Heritage In Danger" lists in late July. The decision, made during the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee held in New Delhi, India, reflects the ancient monastery's value and need for protection, according to UNESCO. The Committee inscribed the monastery — one of the oldest sites in the Middle East, according to UNESCO — to both lists using an emergency procedure set forth in the World Heritage Convention. Use of the emergency procedureSimultaneous inscriptions to UNESCO's World Heritage and its "In Danger" lists are rather common, a UNESCO spokesperson told CNBC. Use of UNESCO's emergency procedure fast-tracked Saint Hilarion Monastery/Tell Umm Amer's inclusion onto its World Heritage Lists, a procedure which normally takes at least two years.

Persons: Umm Amer —, Hilarion, Umm Amer, Mohammed Abed, Biden Organizations: Heritage, World Heritage, UNESCO, UNESCO —, Heritage Convention, CNBC Travel, Getty, State Party, United States, CNBC, Workers Locations: Gaza, Hilarion, New Delhi, India, Israel, United States, Palestine, United, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Odesa, Saba, Saint Hilarion

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