Travel News: Airlines, Tourism and Airfares

The Americas region recorded mixed results in the three key performance metrics when reported in U.S. dollars for February 2010, according to data compiled by STR and STR Global.

Hotels in the Asia/Pacific region experienced increases in all three key performance metrics for February 2010 when reported in U.S. dollars, according to data compiled by STR Global.

The Middle East/Africa region reported increases in all three key measurements for February 2010, when reported in U.S. dollars, according to data compiled by STR Global.

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA), the American Car Rental Association (ACRA), and the Arizona Business Travel Association (AZBTA) were pleased to learn a proposed provision that would establish a new rental car tax to fund training facility upgrades in Mesa, AZ, for the Chicago Cubs was removed before the legislation was passed in the Arizona House of Representatives.

The U.S.-Cuba Travel Summit begins today in Cancun with travel professionals and Cuban officials in attendance. The agenda for the summit includes presentations from Cuban travel enterprises, information on current legislation including the Peterson-Moran bill (HR4645) and the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act (S428), breakout groups with Cuban travel experts and addresses from NTA President Lisa Simon, CTP, and U.S. Tour Operators Association President Bob Whitley on the view from the U.S. travel sector. The summit is presented by Alamar Associates in association with NTA and sponsored by USTOA.

I'd like to advance a hypothesis: Despite all the excitement surrounding social media, the Internet isn't connecting us as much as we think it is. It's largely home to weak, artificial connections, what I call thin relationships.

Company-operated restaurant-level margin decreased 180 basis points for the quarter to 16.2% of company-operated restaurants revenue, in part as a result of a 100 basis point increase in depreciation costs, primarily associated with recent remodeling activities. Labor costs also increased due to higher minimum wages in some states and the impact of sales deleveraging.

When I ask audiences to describe Generation Y (the 72 million people born after 1980,) I get comments like 'Bad Attitude, Continually Complaining, Gossiping, Lazy, Rude, Apathetic, Wants Reward and Wants to have Fun.' Generation Y is the second largest generation in our country and they are leaving managers scratching their heads over just how to manage, train, and motivate this new generation and still retain their own sanity.

The 6th annual China Hotel Development and Financing Conference 2010 Opened in Beijing today, with over 500 delegates packing into the Crowne Plaza Sun Palace to hear the very latest news from the industry. The event is being organised by Horwath HTL, the world’s leading hotel consultancy and is hosted with the China Tourist Hotels Association (CTHA) and STR Global.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced an industry strategy for profitable growth in Latin American aviation.