http://www.tornosnews.gr/en/greek-news/economy/16202-greek-tourism-progress-in-march-8-3-receipts-2-5-arrivals.html 

Chinese nationals are now the source for maximum global travel numbers and their presence at any location is source of economic boom for that place. Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic is now overtaking London as their preferred choice of destinations. Chine visitors are also making up for the loss of tourism jobs temporarily due to the reduction in inbound tourism numbers from Russia. The Czech Republic’s positioning as a history and heritage destination is getting a boost due to the aggressive marketing done by Chine outbound tour operators. However, majority of Chinese travelers are sticking to Prague only. Eventually the Czech Republic has to expand beyond the congested tourist spots to some offbeat locations too. This will be driven by the ‘second wave’ of Chinese tourists. They will then be able to cover destinations as diverse as historical towns Telc and Cesky Krumlov, spas of Marianzke Lazne and Karlovy Vary and the famous brewing centre of Pilsen. If the Czech Republic can position these as well it will set off a new wave of Chinese visitors, something that the UK, Australia, Italy and Thailand haven’t managed quite so well.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/profdrwolfganggarlt/2016/07/05/prague-overtaking-london-as-destination-for-chinese-visitors/#588d023371fa

1. business innovation sweeping across the tourism industry in Japan is termed as ‘infra-tourism’. This is a form of tourism where tourists visit prominent infrastructure projects such as dams, bridges or roads. A lot of these structures are no short of human made miracles as they have faced several challenges during the construction. Also post construction, they have thrown up several tourism opportunities such as the backwaters of dams allow water sports to be conducted. This form of tourism has become locally popular near industrial sites in Japan during the 1950s but their popularity has resurfaced now. The government plans to leverage these to lure more number of tourists to Japan with forty million being the target for next year.

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/travel/japans-infra-tourism-floodgates-open

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is set to witness a surge in creation of hotels. This boom will be anchored by a massive increase in religious tourism. The pilgrimage sites in Mecca and Medina are set to open new hotels, five star as well as budget ones. The Abu Dhabi based Rotana group has already outlined plans to develop six five star properties. According to a study by tophotelprojects.com there is a huge gap between demand and supply of hotel rooms and beds in Saudi Arabia. In addition, this surge is also expected to create an additional three hundred and seventy thousand tourism jobs in the country. Due to the policy of Saudisation, it is expected that Saudi nationals will form a third of the workforce in the tourism industry as a whole.

Source: http://www.thenational.ae/business/travel-tourism/religious-tourism-to-drive-new-saudi-arabia-hotel-openings

The travel and tourism industry has witnessed enormous change over the past five years or so. Instead of annual holidays being a family affair, now youngsters are traveling round the clock, throughout the year often in small groups, or even solo. Booking holidays meant making phone calls to airlines, hoteliers or travel agents, but it is now a process involving a few clicks using smartphone based booking apps. The concept of searching for destinations did not exist as people went to clichéd locations but now youngsters are exploring offbeat places. Instead of struggling for locating destinations on physical cumbersome maps, tourism boards and hoteliers are instead coming to us by conducting digital marketing on mobile apps themselves. Keeping in touch with loved ones no longer means cameras with rolls or postcards, but social media tools such as Facebook, Instagram and Skype. Travel offers and discounts now roll on the whole year. Accommodation preferences have also increased in option as now tribes of travelers prefer offbeat options such as couch surfing, farm stays or camps.

Source: http://www.sarepa.com/2016/06/28/how-travel-and-tourism-has-changed-in-the-past-five-years/

Tourism consulting provided by Oxford Economics clearly points out that over the next decade, Chinese travelers will be amongst the heaviest spenders globally. In fact their net spend will be greater than fellow travelers from Germany, France and the UK combined. Growing social mobility has meant that increasing numbers in the middle class in China possess disposable income enough to travel the world. Also, the global phenomena of ageing population means that several of the tourists will be older in age than usual Chinese tourist demographics. Chinese travelers, long associated with shopping sprees while traveling abroad are now instead choosing valuable experiences over tangible wares.

Source: http://www.todayonline.com/chinaindia/china/chinese-tourist-spending-jump-86-next-decade

The impact of the Brexit was summed up very well by the CEO of Etihad who stated that global aviation firms need to continue working under stress of war, epidemics and economic upheaval, but this does not stop people traveling. Thus in spite of the Brexit decision, the long term impact on tourism is unclear. Tourism consulting provided by an analyst from Piper Jaffray confirms that in the short term, impact is going to be negligible. But over a period of time, it could get impacted by two factors- market sentiment and US travel market. American travelers may now bypass the UK and visit continental Europe directly. Market sentiments exert enormous influence on the travel industry. Also budget airlines such as Ryanair and Easy Jet could be affected due to the implications on the Open Skies agreement. Top tourism players such as Trip Advisor, Expedia, Priceline, IHG, WTTC and GBTA all have confirmed that they will continue operating in the UK just as before until any major impacts come out.

Source: http://www.ttoscandinavia.com/what-brexit-means-to-the-worlds-travel-trade/