Lebawit Lily Girma

It's a stark update from the United Nations' tourism arm on the projected delayed return of international tourism — but it's also up to governments in wealthier nations to turn that tide and speed up recovery through global vaccine equity.

Spoon and Seed's owner says tough times pushed him to wear his business hat first, and the chef one second. The result —resilience amid a major tourism downturn, with a reimagined menu and a new staff management model built to face the upcoming summer visitor surge.

Florida's tourism marketers are going the extra mile to beat the competition this summer: co-producing and launching an original series set in St. Pete-Clearwater and launching on Amazon Prime Video. It's a whole new tourism marketing frontier. Action!

Malta remains optimistic in spite of its exclusion from the UK's initial safe travel list last week. Herd immunity is under a week away and pent-up summer bookings signal a potential boon for the tiny archipelago amid fierce regional competition ahead.

It's another defining year ahead for the travel industry as recovery begins in some parts of the world — the WTTC's new leadership has the opportunity to reshape how success in travel is measured and to push for a more sustainable industry post-recovery.

The nation's capital has officially reopened — it's pushing for domestic visitors from neighboring states for now, and counting on public and private sector initiatives on the road to recovery, until international travel returns.

There’s cause for optimism for this at-risk segment of the industry, just as National Travel Advisor Day hits. Travel agencies that are quick to adapt have the potential to capture a new customer base that outlasts the travel recovery years.

No vaccine access for all? No tourism recovery. It's playing out already, with more lives being lost senselessly. The travel industry should act fast and figure out how it can be part of the solution.

The industry is clamoring for ways to "build back better." Planeterra, created by the founder of G Adventures, is expanding its community tourism model to do just that. Now the ball is in the court of destinations, resorts and tour companies — will they commit to partnering with their communities?

That a city like New York needs significant investment to sell itself to potential tourists speaks loudly of the pandemic’s crushing blow on the iconic destination. Government officials recognize the importance of tourism to the city's economic recovery. The role that its destination marketing organization will play is crucial.