Tourism Archives - Page 14 of 14

Airbnb: 3rd Edition of the Heritage and Local Tourism Grand Prix

June 14, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Airbnb et la Fondation du patrimoine lancent la 3e édition du « Grand Prix du patrimoine et du tourisme local », Despositphotos.com, Photo by Primakov

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From Monday, June 1, Airbnb and the Heritage Foundation invite the French to vote to support the project of their choice among 12 emblematic rural sites spread across France.

This initiative, with Airbnb as a sponsor, aims to restore the heritage of communes with less than 20,000 inhabitants that hold significant historical, architectural, or cultural interest, in order to turn them into drivers of economic and tourist development:

The Pionsat Castle (Puy-de-Dôme)

The Cachat refreshment stand in Evian-les-Bains (Haute-Savoie)

The La Mure Market Hall (Isère)

The Châtelet of the Château de Vitré (Ille-et-Vilaine)

Capu Neru Tower in Coti-Chiavari (South Corsica)

The Governor’s Stables and the King’s Bastion in Rocroi (Ardennes)

The Lewarde Mining History Center (Nord)

The Daubigny Museum in Auvers-sur-Oise (Val-d’Oise)

The Medieval Castle of Château-sur-Epte (Eure)

The Suspension Bridge of Tonnay-Charente (Charente-Maritime)

Saint-Pierre Church of Collonges-la-Rouge (Corrèze)

Marsillargues Castle (Hérault)

The three communes that receive the most votes will benefit from substantial financial support to accelerate restoration work: €150,000 for first prize, €125,000 for second, and €100,000 for third.

How to vote?

The general public has a voting window from June 1 to June 28, 2026, at midnight to express their vote and back their favorite site.

To participate, all you need to do is log on to the official website of the Heritage Foundation. The winners will then be announced during July 2026.

Alexandre Giuglaris, General Manager of the Heritage Foundation, states: “Heritage is a cause that brings people together. Through this Grand Prix, the Heritage Foundation invites everyone to support the heritage site that matters most to them. By voting, you contribute concretely to safeguarding the treasures of our rural landscapes.”

A Real Impact for France’s Rural Areas

This competition is part of a broader program: since 2022, 215 projects located in rural zones across France have already benefited from support through this partnership.

Demonstrating the local roots of the initiative, nearly 90% of these projects are in towns with fewer than 3,500 inhabitants, and about 75% of them aim to ultimately welcome the public.

Tourism 2026: Decoding Travelers’ New Consumption Habits

June 14, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Le Mastercard Economics Institute a publié son rapport annuel « Travel Trends Report 2026 », Despositsphotos.com, Photo by olegda88

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Following the strong rebound after the pandemic, the sector has entered a maturity phase.

For its 2026 edition, Mastercard’s annual report (based on macroeconomic analysis of real, aggregated and anonymized transaction data) paints a portrait of a global traveler who is resilient yet highly selective.

In the face of persistent inflation and rising fuel costs that drive higher hotel and airline prices, travelers do not give up on traveling. Instead, they weigh options, compare, and optimize their choices.

“Our data confirm that the travel economy remains resilient. Behaviors are shifting toward a more thoughtful approach, with Europeans placing greater emphasis on value for money, financial affordability, and authentic experiences“, analyzes Natalia Lechmanova, Chief Economist for Europe at the Mastercard Economics Institute.

Read: AirPlus, Kresus and Mastercard tackle corporate indirect spend

Europe remains the queen of the game (with Paris leading the spotlight)

In this global tourism competition, the Old Continent shines brilliantly. Europe maintains its status as the preferred destination for cultural and gastronomic tourism, occupying six of the ten top spots among the world’s most visited destinations.

Despite disruptions in energy supply chains and airspace disturbances forcing carriers to adjust certain routes, optimism prevails for the summer season.

Projections for air capacities from June to September indicate sustained growth compared with the previous year.

In this context, Paris is expected to register the strongest global growth.

Behind the French capital, Amsterdam and Brussels show similar momentum, while Barcelona, Madrid and Frankfurt also benefit from a notable rise in international arrivals.

Spending disparities: each nationality has its priorities

One of the report’s insights concerns analyzing tourist behavior once on the ground. In France, expenditures vary considerably based on visitors’ origins.

Swiss travelers favor retail, notably high-end shopping, making Paris their preferred destination. The British and the Dutch, meanwhile, clearly dedicate their budgets to gastronomy, emphasizing dining and haute cuisine.

The Germans adopt a more pragmatic approach, allocate a significant portion of their spending to everyday grocery purchases.

In Spain, the situation is radically different: nightlife occupies a prominent place. Consequently, British tourists spend on average 32% more than other nationalities in clubs and nightlife venues.

The eco-responsible boom: train travel (luxury) on the right rails

The second major trend highlighted in the 2026 edition is the dramatic rise in travel spending related to rail journeys between 2022 and 2025.

Supported by Europe’s strategy for sustainable mobility, which aims to double high-speed rail traffic by 2030, rail travel is no longer just a zero-emission transport option: it is becoming a true immersive experience.

Some nationalities stand out in this dynamic. Spanish travelers now allocate 2.7% of their travel budget to rail (versus 1.8% in 2022), followed closely by the Dutch (2.2%), as well as Belgians and the British (2.1%).

Beyond the conventional network, it is the luxury rail travel segment that is experiencing exceptional growth. Today it accounts for nearly 20% of global rail tourism expenditures. This premium market, particularly buoyant, especially appeals to Italian travelers, who alone dedicate half (50%) of their rail budget to these exceptional rail cruises.

Green Is Our Gold: Sustainability Becomes a Major Tourism Draw in Australia [ABO]

June 12, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Tourism Australia a lancé en mars 2026 son initiative "Green is Our Gold" - DepositPhotos.com, bennymarty

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When 77% of international travelers say that sustainability is important in their daily lives, and 70% that it influences their travel choices, a long-haul destination can no longer merely promise spectacular scenery.

Tourism Australia has understood this.

Launched on March 19, 2026, at the Destination Australia conference in Melbourne (Narrm) in front of 800 professionals, the initiative “Green is Our Gold” now structures the country’s sustainable commitment.

At the Australian Tourism Exchange 2026 in Adelaide, the program was placed at the heart of professional conversations, including those aimed at European markets.

Five Pillars, a Toolbox, 360,000 Businesses

“Green is Our Gold brings together the Australian tourism industry around a shared promise“, explains a spokesperson from Tourism Australia’s Sustainability and Communications team met in Adelaide.

According to her, operators who sign the Green and Gold Promise access a practical toolkit containing operational sustainability tools and on the five pillars to embody.

These five pillars, formalized by Tourism Australia, have become the common grammar of Australian responsible tourism:

– Celebrate Community : support local players and their businesses,

– Embrace Culture : share heritage, including the stories of the First Nations,

– Preserve Place : protect natural and iconic environments,

– Respect Wildlife : ensure the health of the wildlife unique,

– Take Care : encourage responsible travel, in the manner of locals.

More than 360,000 Australian tourism businesses are targeted by this rollout.

The momentum was confirmed at ATE26: more than 1,000 professionals signed the Green and Gold Promise during the fair, marking their formal commitment to the five principles.

The official engagement platform is accessible at greenisourgold.australia.com, where operators and organizations can sign the charter and download the practical kit.

The program is designed to last. The spokesperson describes “Green is Our Gold” as a lasting platform, designed to endure over time.

Phase 1, extending until 2027, aims to mobilize the industry. Phase 2 includes gradual integration into the Aussie Specialist program, which will directly affect French agencies trained by Tourism Australia.

Robin Mack: “Green is Our Gold is a Call to the Industry”

Manifeste "The Green and Gold Promise" - Illustration Tourism Australia

In an interview with TourMaG in Adelaide, Robin Mack, Managing Director of Tourism Australia, defends a strong industry conviction. “Green is Our Gold is a call to the industry to go even further,” he asserts.

“Australia has a solid history of sustainable growth in tourism, and many companies have already integrated sustainability, delivering world-class experiences that respect our natural environments, cultures and communities.”

For Robin Mack, two logics converge. First, that of the First Nations: “Our First Nations culture and sustainability are deeply linked.” Then that of geography: “We cannot escape our location. It’s a long flight to get here. When travelers are on site, we must show them how well we practice sustainability on the ground.”

The initiative fits within the national THRIVE 2030 framework and complements the National Sustainability Framework for the Visitor Economy launched in 2023.

Between Industry Commitment and Carbon Accounting: a Balancing Equation

The initiative is not universally welcomed. At ATE26, several professionals highlight the paradox of a country that heavy invests in mining while access remains reserved for long-haul travel.

The critique has its legitimacy. But industrial awareness, on the scale of a continent, nonetheless marks progress.

The whole challenge now lies in transmission. That the program reaches regional operators and small firms, that agents pass the baton to their clients, and that these clients in turn accept concrete gestures, such as choosing a reusable water bottle over a plastic bottle, in a country where tap water is drinkable everywhere.

Transmission, in short, as the implicit fifth pillar of the program.

Sébastien Cros

Government Launches Campaign to Boost Low-Carbon Tourism

June 12, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Le Gouvernement relance la campagne « Marquons les esprits, pas la planète », despositphotos.com

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Le ministre Serge Papin engage une action de sensibilisation face à l’impact environnemental des déplacements liés aux vacances et aux loisirs des Français.

Alors que le transport représente 69 % de l’empreinte carbone globale du tourisme en France, la majorité de ces émissions découle directement du trajet effectué entre le domicile et le lieu de séjour.

En France, la voiture individuelle reste le mode de transport prédominant pour 79 % des départs en vacances et génère 53 % des émissions de gaz à effet de serre du transport touristique.

À l’inverse, si le transport aérien ne représente que 6 % de l’ensemble des voyages enregistrés, son impact écologique s’avère disproportionné, puisqu’il totalise 44 % des émissions de la filière.

A lire : Gaz à effet de serre : le tourisme doit (vite) agir ou mourir ?

Le ministro du Tourisme vient de lancer une campagne qui doit faire évoluer les comportements individuels en valorisant le voyage en train comme une composante à part entière de l’expérience touristique, tout en incitant à l’usage du vélo, de la marche ou de l’autopartage une fois arrivés à destination.

“Marquons les esprits, pas la planète” : une campagne pour transformer l’imaginaire du voyage

Pour maximiser l’impact de son message auprès du grand public, la DGE s’appuie sur un partenariat avec sept structures spécialisées dans les mobilités alternatives, l’hébergement et les loisirs.

La campagne est ainsi relayée par le réseau coopératif d’autopartage Citiz, la fédération d’hébergement Gîtes de France, ainsi que Lokki Rent, une plateforme dédiée à la location d’équipements sportifs.

Le secteur de l’aventure et des médias thématiques est également mobilisé à travers l’organisateur de courses de plein air La Mad Jacques et le média Mollow, spécialisé dans la décarbonation du voyage.

A lire : Évolution de la pollution des transports : faut-il s’alarmer ?

Enfin, l’application de guidage pour le vélo et la randonnée La Trace, ainsi que le site d’information Voyagerentrain.fr, complètent ce dispositif pour toucher une large communauté de voyageurs prêts à transformer leurs habitudes de déplacement.

La diffusion des supports de communication sera assurée pendant trois mois.

Ce réseau de diffusion est renforcé par le soutien d’organismes institutionnels et professionnels majeurs, parmi lesquels Atout France, l’ADEME, ADN Tourisme, l’association Acteurs du tourisme durable, le Réseau des Grands Sites de France, la Fédération nationale des Parcs naturels régionaux, ainsi que l’Autorité de régulation professionnelle de la publicité.

Le déploiement de la campagne tout au long de la saison estivale entend ainsi proposer des alternatives concrètes pour concilier découverte des territoires et préservation des écosystèmes.

Has Dubai Tourism Recovered After Drone Strikes?

June 10, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Life in Dubai seems to have returned to its normal course, at least outwardly. While air traffic has resumed and restaurants are once again fully booked, tourists remain hesitant to visit, particularly because the emirate is still threatened by missiles and drones coming from the Gulf.

Even though most attacks have been intercepted before reaching the United Arab Emirates, fear is still present on the ground. This is why hotels, airlines and hospitality and food-service players are redoubling efforts to entice visitors to return.

Tourism stakeholders are trying to reassure visitors

CNN Travel went to meet several Dubai residents to better gauge the situation on the ground. The outlet in particular spoke with Naim Maadad, founder and CEO of Gates Hospitality, who explained that information relayed by international media did not necessarily reflect the reality on the ground. “Airports, hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions remain fully operational”, he said at first. He then stated that the main challenge was psychological.

“Travel advisories, insurance limitations and international news inevitably influence consumer behavior, even if the on-the-ground reality is very different. The sector must therefore redouble its efforts to communicate reassuring, transparent and trustworthy messages, without giving the impression of downplaying regional sensitivities,” he said. Victor Abou-Ghanem, CEO of STORY Hospitality, also stressed that travel warnings were hindering visitors’ return.

“For a family planning a vacation, a government advisory, an insurance restriction or the fear of flight disruptions can be enough to postpone a trip, even if the destination operates normally”, he recounted before adding that money was also a factor, with oil prices impacting air tickets. Economists warn that repercussions could be felt long after a durable ceasefire. They estimate that Dubai’s hotel occupancy could fall to as little as 10% in the second quarter, down from 80% before the conflict.

Measures put in place to revive tourism

In response to this decline in tourism, Dubai authorities acted by launching an ambitious set of support measures designed to speed up the rebound. Among them were the suspension of the daily hotel tax applied to upscale establishments, the removal of the 7% municipal tax on hotel and restaurant invoices, the deferral of hospitality-related sales fees, and the waiving of fees for the extension and cancellation of event permits.

The authorities also allowed hotels, serviced apartments and holiday homes to defer payment of taxes on lodging and dining for three months, easing pressure on operators as visitor numbers began to rise again. Businesses responded by offering promotions and incentives rarely seen since Dubai’s post-pandemic tourism boom.

A fashion designer based in Dubai for nearly 20 years, who asked to remain anonymous, said the scale of discounts currently offered across the emirate is unprecedented since the Covid-19 pandemic began, especially in the tourist district of J1 Beach. “Many of these places, once crowded, are now offering exceptional discounts. The city keeps functioning, people keep going out, but businesses must double their efforts for every customer,” he stated.

Tourism Careers in the AI Era: Technological Change or the New Hospitality? [ABO]

June 9, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

L’IA ne transforme pas seulement les métiers du tourisme existants, elle fait apparaître de nouvelles fonctions - DepositPhotos.com, BiancoBlue

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Artificial intelligence is no longer a speculative topic in French tourism.

In under three years, it has established itself within travel agencies, tourism offices, hotels, booking platforms, airlines, and even the professions of cultural mediation.

Behind the trend, a tangible reality is taking shape: AI already reshapes professional practices, the skills expected, and the relationship between travelers and destinations.

The phenomenon is all the more significant because tourism is a sector characterized by abundant human interactions, data, and personalization. AI therefore acts simultaneously on three dimensions: automating repetitive tasks, augmenting human capacities, and creating new services.

Moreover, according to a study by OPCO Mobilités dedicated to “Artificial Intelligence in Travel Jobs in 2025,” usages are spreading rapidly across sector companies, even though maturity levels remain highly uneven.

The study highlights that AI is now seen less as a peripheral innovation and more as a structural transformation of travel professions.

A transformation comparable to the arrival of the Internet

For many professionals, AI represents a disruption on a scale comparable to the web’s emergence in the 2000s or the smartphone revolution of the 2010s.

In the tourism trades, the earliest uses developed around chatbots, recommendation engines, or hotel revenue management.

Today, generative AI enables the production of content, the construction of personalized itineraries, the automation of a portion of customer relations, and assistance to staff in their daily tasks.

Also read: Artificial Intelligence: How to Use It Daily in Travel Agencies?

This evolution touches nearly the entire travel chain: inspiration and search for stays, booking, customer relations, hotel operations, flow management, territorial marketing, heritage mediation, data analysis, HR management and training.

The challenge is no longer purely technological. It becomes organizational, human, and strategic.

The jobs most affected

TRAVEL AGENTS: from seller to “augmented travel designer”

The role of a travel agent is among the most exposed to generative AI. Long focused on booking and information access, it is shifting toward advisory duties, expertise, and emotional support. Travelers already use ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude to prepare itineraries, compare destinations or generate customized programs.

The added value of the professional thus lies not in access to raw information, but in the reliability of recommendations, the safety of itineraries, deep destination knowledge, the ability to create bespoke experiences, and human guidance.

AI thus becomes an assistance tool. It helps draft commercial proposals, create complex itineraries, produce quotes, respond quickly to requests, and personalize offers.

French platforms such as Galdeo are developing automated quotation and travel notebook solutions for bespoke travel professionals. The profession gradually shifts toward the role of an “augmented travel designer,” where humans retain roles of arbitration, creativity, and relationship.

HOTEL INDUSTRY: automate without dehumanizing

Hospitality is another major testing ground. AI is used for dynamic pricing, demand forecasting, energy optimization, automated check-ins, conversational assistants, review management, satisfaction analysis, and predictive maintenance.

New API-first PMS like those developed by Mews or Cloudbeds facilitate the integration of automation and predictive analytics.

But hospitality remains a sector where human warmth remains central. Several groups now emphasize an “AI + human” logic rather than a wholesale replacement of staff.

Industry leaders remind that automation should free time to strengthen high-value interactions: front desk, concierge, guest experiences, and handling delicate situations.

In other words, fewer repetitive tasks, more attention paid to the guest.

TOURISM OFFICES AND DESTINATIONS: toward “conversational destinations”

Destination management organizations (DMOs) are entering a new phase as well. Generative AI profoundly reshapes content production, multilingual translation, social media dissemination, visitor relations, data qualification, flow and behavior analysis.

Tourism offices are already piloting conversational assistants capable of replying to visitors 24/7 in several languages.

The emergence of “conversational destinations” is likely to be one of the major shifts to come: tomorrow, visitors will converse directly with territorial AIs able to recommend experiences, manage mobility, book activities, or tailor suggestions in real time.

Actors such as Ask Mona or Moovtoo are already working on conversational experiences applied to heritage, museums, and cultural territories. This evolution changes the roles of communications officers, community managers, and tourism promotion managers.

The skills expected evolve toward editorial leadership, supervision of AI content, conversational strategy, data management, and the analysis of user behavior.

The new roles that are emerging

AI is not only transforming existing professions: it is creating new roles.

Among emerging profiles in tourism:

– AI Content Manager: a professional responsible for supervising AI-produced content (texts, images, videos, translation, editorial coherence, search engine optimization).

– Tourism Prompt Designer: a specialist in crafting AI prompts tailored to tourism uses (creating itineraries, client responses, mediation scenarios, marketing production).

– Head of AI & Customer Experience: a hybrid role spanning marketing, customer relations, and innovation, tasked with steering conversational tools and personalisation.

– Territorial Data Analyst: a profile increasingly sought to analyze attendance, mobilities, visitor behaviors, tourism consumption, e-reputation, and campaign performance.

– Tourism AI Trainer: the surge in needs for cultural acclimation is creating a substantial training market. Many organizations now offer modules dedicated to AI applied to travel, hospitality, or destinations.

L’IA agentique : prochaine révolution ?

Vers une nouvelle hospitalité ?

The real challenge of artificial intelligence in tourism is likely not solely technological, but profoundly cultural.

AI pushes the sector to redefine what makes its human value: the attention given to visitors, the personalization of experiences, the quality of guidance, mediation, emotion, and the relationship.

Professionals who extract the most benefit from these tools will probably not be those who attempt to replace humans, but those able to use technology to strengthen the quality of hospitality and free up time for high-value interactions.

Tourism thus enters a paradoxical phase: the more services become automated, the more human authenticity becomes precious.

AI does not herald the disappearance of tourism jobs; it accelerates their transformation and forces destinations, businesses, and schools to rethink the training of professionals.

The question becomes strategic: how can we master technologies while preserving the very essence of welcome and human connection?

Brice Duthion is the president and founder of the agency “Les nouveaux voyages extraordinaires” (LNVE), specializing in consultancy, conferences, and communication.

He engages with numerous public and private actors in his areas of expertise: tourism and hospitality, culture and heritage, territories and public policy.

[email protected]

ADN Tourism Sets the Record Straight on the Consequences of Piracy

June 9, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

L’ensemble des données a été récupéré par ADN Tourisme, alors que Vacansoleil, du groupe Maeva, a été piraté à son tour - Depositphotos

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One week after the hack it experienced, ADN Tourisme can now gauge the scale of the damage and implement a fix to the information circulated by the cyber attackers.

The federation of institutional stakeholders indicates that the exfiltrated data would concern not 50,702 individuals but 2,869 users.

An important difference also concerns the amount of data stolen, which would not be 100 GB, but actually 91 GB, covering around 50,000 contractual documents.

Far from being trivial, the damages therefore appear considerably less significant than what the hackers claimed.

ADN Tourisme retrieved the exfiltrated data

Thus, it was not ADN Tourisme’s platform that was compromised, but the association’s legal site. And contrary to what had been claimed, not all of the data had been deleted, but was retrieved by the entity.

Moreover, no identifiers leaked since this involved a Single Sign-On (SSO) connection.

ADN Tourisme wishes to emphasize that it has never contracted with companies such as SNCF, Leroy Merlin, BPCE or ALPA GROUP.

To read: Three hacks in three days: why the tourism sector will have to prove its security

The compromise of the platform allowed the attackers to move into other platforms of the same service provider and thus to siphon contracts with these companies.

The tourism sector has endured a dark May, with a series of hacks that shows no sign of stopping.