Dan Peltier

Travel brands have an economic incentive to push policy makers and private sectors in their destinations on sustainability and leaner visa policies because tourists will reward them with higher spending and likely repeat visits.

From a public relations perspective, United CEO Munoz had to get out there on TV so the public could view his remorse. Written statements wouldn't suffice. He's now saying a lot of the right things.

360-degree videos have been a draw for many destination marketers and consumers are equally eager to watch them. But the who, what, where, when, why and how for watching such videos are still in test-and-learn mode.

Many tourism boards across the U.S. are closely watching what happens with Visit Florida's funding as CFO Hefren works to instill confidence that the organization will be more diligent with its finances.

Large hub airports like Singapore's Changi have tens of millions of connecting travelers each year. While it makes passengers happy, it hasn't been able to turn them into tourists.

While international visitor spending was in the black for January in many American destinations, data for the next few months will be more telling in how U.S. foreign policy is impacting travelers' decisions to spend and vacation in the U.S.

Residents of Bruges support tourism and feel that it's economically necessary but they also feel that it negatively impacts their quality of life.

Many U.S. destinations will have a harder time this year convincing international travelers that they're affordable and welcoming. But for U.S. travelers, much of the world is their oyster thanks to a continued strong dollar.

There are some well-qualified insiders and total outsiders with little experience in tourism among the candidates for the new UNWTO Secretary-General. Whoever is nominated and elected later this year will need to work more closely with governments at the national and local level to show them why tourism matters.

As more tourists go abroad for medical treatments there's still disconnect in the travel industry with how to accommodate travelers' times getting treatment and the rest of their in-destination experiences.