January 20, 2022,
New report finds people will spend more on travel, embark on purpose-driven and sustainable trips, and prioritize ultimate flexibility this year
SEATTLE, January 20, 2022.
On Thursday January 20th 2022 the Expedia Group released a new report, the Traveler Value Index: 2022 Outlook, based on a new study conducted in collaboration with Wakefield Research among 5,500 adults across eight countries, combined with Expedia Brands proprietary data. The findings suggest that after two years of enduring a global pandemic, people value travel and personal time more than ever. Simultaneously, travelers have started to adapt to the realities of COVID-19, ranking flex travel at the top of their priorities and focusing intently on traveling for good, including taking steps such as tipping industry workers more and choosing less crowded destinations to limit effects of overtourism. The report underscores the resilience of the industry, and reveals how travel companies can adapt to achieve a competitive advantage in this rapidly evolving environment.
"Travel is about to experience a year unlike ever before as people plan purpose-driven trips, value vacation time more, and up their investment in unique experiences," said Ariane Gorin, President, Expedia for Business. "Still, travelers are preparing themselves for possible trip changes as COVID-19 persists, and they want an array of options at their fingertips. Travel companies that prioritize safety and wellbeing, innovative solutions, and transparent communication will be the clear leaders as the entire industry shifts from survival mode into accelerated demand and growth."
Findings from the report include:
There will be a surge in travel for personal wellness.
The pandemic caused people to reflect on the importance of spending time with family and preserving their own personal wellbeing. Most people (81%) plan to take at least one vacation with family and friends in the next six months, and the majority are seeking quick doses of adventure, with more than three quarters (78%) expressing an interest in frequent short trips.
Similarly, the Expedia® 2022 Travel Trends Report found that nearly two in five (36%) U.S. travelers are searching for a sense of contentment and mental wellbeing on their next trip.
The new world of work will alter traveler priorities.
As companies prepare to return to the office and evolve remote work policies, employees are looking to make greater use of their vacation time, and in some cases, combine work and play. More than half (56%) of those who often work remotely will take a "bleisure" style trip — extending a work trip for leisure, or vice versa.
The 2022 Vrbo® Trend Report also found that, compared to pre-COVID, 84% of U.S. families have a greater appreciation for vacation time and 77% have a greater appreciation for separating professional and personal life.
Investment in travel will boom compared to pre-pandemic.
More than half (54%) of respondents say they plan to spend more on trips than they did prior to the pandemic.
Two in 5 (40%) plan to use loyalty points for at least part of a trip in 2022, with Gen Z in the lead.
People will travel more responsibly and consciously, with an increased focus on sustainability.
Over half of people (59%) are willing to pay more fees to make a trip sustainable, and 49% would choose a less crowded destination to reduce effects of overtourism.
Nearly half (43%) will add in extra time for services and transit, helping to minimize long lines, stress on workers, and missed flights.
Travelers will be on the hunt for great deals and flexibility.
As we saw in What Travelers Want and Traveler Value Index in 2021, the ability to book travel for a reasonable price and make changes to trip itineraries is an absolute must in the eyes of travelers. Almost all (84%) respondents agree that a discounted fee is influential when booking a flight online.
A nearly identical percentage (83%) say flexible fare options make a world of difference.
The full report can be downloaded (see below), containing more data from the study and actionable steps for travel companies based on the findings to help to grow traveler loyalty, trust, and business in 2022. 

All 200 inhabited islands of the Maldives could be submerged by the year 2100, say climate change experts   
Ben Anthony Horton  with AP  •  Updated: 18/01/2022
The Maldives is a tropical paradise of immaculate white beaches and spectacular coral reefs - but it might be gone by the end of the century.
That’s the verdict of the country’s Minister of Environment, Aminath Shauna, who says that unless urgent action is taken to curb the climate crisis, the Indian Ocean archipelago of more than 1,000 islands could be underwater by the year 2100.
“Climate change is real and we are the most vulnerable country in the world,” says Shauna. “There’s no higher ground for us. It’s just us, our islands and the sea.”
The nation stands at an average height of just one metre above sea level, making both increased groundswell and unpredictable weather patterns an imminent threat to life on the coral atolls.
While the very survival of the Maldives remains dependent upon limiting the impacts of climate change, the majority of the country’s 540,000 citizens rely on tourism as their main source of income.
The travel industry produces around 8 per cent of annual CO2 emissions globally - a figure which is expected to rise by 4 per cent every single year.
A battle to survive the climate crisis while simultaneously relying on an industry that is contributing to it.
This fact underlies the paradox facing modern day islanders: a battle to survive the climate crisis while simultaneously relying on an industry that is contributing to it.
“Where else are you going to get national income from if it's not tourism?” says James Ellsmoor, CEO at Island Innovation, a global network helping drive sustainable change across island communities.
“As much as everyone agrees that it's a problem to depend on tourism, there are not enough viable alternatives. I think these places are looking inwardly and seeing what they can do to reduce the impact of tourism, which they rely on so heavily.”
An existential crisis
As the future of the Maldives hangs in the balance, it's little wonder that some hoteliers are embracing greener ways to host their guests.
"36 years ago, Villa Hotels Resorts were founded with an idea of sustainability in mind,” says Khadheeja Sana, spokesperson at the Maldives resort.
“Today we are very proud to lead the way in maintaining and promoting sustainability, conservation and preservation."
One of the eco solutions on offer to visitors at the resort is the ‘Zero’ restaurant - a farm-to-fork initiative promising negligible food miles with every meal.
"Guests are able to choose organic produce from our local farms, have it prepared by a professional chef and enjoy it immediately," explains island host, Ibrahim Aleef.
"We also hand pick certain ingredients in these farms such as lettuce, passion fruit and many more."
Just around the corner from the garden, a bottling plant recycles glass containers for use around the holiday complex.
"We prepare over 2,000 bottles to be distributed to our rooms and facilities,” adds Aleef. “By doing so, we drastically reduce the need for plastic bottles on the island."
These bottles are then filled with purified rainwater, a process which produces drinkable water for guests and locals alike.
The coral is dying
Measures such as these offer practical solutions to offset the island’s emissions. But for many islanders, the question remains: is it really enough?
As well as rising sea levels, ocean temperature increases are also impacting life on the island nation.
The Maldives has around 2,500 coral reefs, making them the dominant ecosystem found across the archipelago.
As ocean temperatures rise, symbiotic algae in the coral turn white - a process called bleaching. This can have dire consequences for the vitality of the entire reef.
Already, more than 60 per cent of coral on the Maldives has already been bleached, according to a report in The Guardian.
"As a local living here I am worried about the health of our reefs and marine life,” says Ismail Hisham, a resident from Baa Atoll.
“I am very proud of the beauty of our coral but at the same time we should be protecting it for the future generations to come.”
This sentiment is echoed by experts on the island nation, who are working hard to conserve the world’s eighth largest coral reef system.
“What we hope to achieve is to try and preserve as much biodiversity as we can,” says Aya M Rahil, a marine biologist at the Coral Institute in the Maldives.
“We want to try and restore areas that we can't protect and hopefully be able to maintain biodiversity in the future as well."
The Maldives currently spends 50 per cent of its national budget on efforts to adapt to climate change.
The Maldives currently spends 50 per cent of its national budget on efforts to adapt to climate change, such as building sea walls to protect coral reefs.
In 2019 alone, 1.7 million people visited the archipelago, contributing to over 56 per cent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP).
But the coronavirus pandemic brought with it serious economic consequences, decimating the tourism industry and shrinking the economy by over a third.
“The big issue over the last two years was that so much of the national income depended on tourism,” says James Ellsmoor.
“With such a huge amount of national income coming from tourism, there was no money left to respond to the climate crisis.”
Could the Maldives lose everything?
Now the nation is attempting to rejuvenate its primary industry, while continuing to encourage a more sustainable approach to travel and tourism.
"Ten years from now, it is our vision to see a world where people and nature live in perfect balance and harmony,” says Khadheeja Sana.
“A world where people learn to respect mother nature. A world where our children will see a better Maldives. I want my children to play on the same beaches, enjoy the same tropical gardens where I grew up. That is my dream."
But while there is optimism, the reality of the ongoing climate crisis speaks for itself.
The 2015 Paris climate accord intended to limit global temperatures rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above levels recorded in the late 19th century.
But a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change claims that the world is on track to exceed this target by the year 2030 - far earlier than originally anticipated.
"This is an existential thing for us and what we need is for the temperature to stay below 1.5 degrees Celsius,” says Rahill.
“Even at two degrees Celsius, the predictions are that 99 per cent of corals will die globally. For the Maldives, this means that we lose our livelihoods, we lose our physical security, we lose our land, we lose everything.”
Like many citizens, Rahil believes that the future of her country rests not with sustainable tourism - but with the world leaders who have the power to enact change.
"My hope is that leaders will make drastic changes right now and take this as an emergency situation, because it is not only going to affect us - it is going to affect the whole world. This is a matter of life and death."
Watch the video below to find out more about the Maldives’ battle against the climate crisis. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANBzTrbjppA 

Jan. 18, 2022 - WILLEMSTAD 
One of the Curacao Apartment Small Hotel Association’s (CASHA) important policies is a Level Playing Field: a level playing field for all participants. Its members think this is one of the most important issues.
In recent years, various meetings have been held with the authorities involved, but unfortunately without actual results. The subject is even more topical than before because on the one hand Curacao needs money to get out of the financial crisis and on the other hand people start offering illegal services every day, so that the much-needed money does find its way to the treasury but disappears in the bags of the unregistered landlords.
The government is sleeping. They don't need liquidity support, the money is just out there!
CASHA members meet all requirements regarding permits, registration Chamber of Commerce and Crib (tax number), hygiene, safety, comfort and personal attention.
Besides those who rent out neatly according to the rules, there is a huge group of landlords who flout the rules and rent out their 2nd house, outbuilding, shed to tourists without contributing to the economy.
According to the brokers, more than ever 2nd houses are sold to foreigners with the intention of renting out, they often do not bother to register, also because they are not informed about the rights and obligations as a landlord.
The house is rented out from abroad, the income comes into a foreign account and no one says anything. 
At well-known booking sites such as Airbnb, Booking.com, anyone can offer their accommodation for rent, there is no control over whether tax is actually paid.
This does not motivate the honest landlord.
Property management is doing very well, the management company is usually registered but the owners of the houses are not. The management company often pays taxes, but the owners of the properties do not. Sometimes a management company manages more than a hundred houses. Neighborhoods are full of villas for rent both on Banda Abou and Banda Riba and in the city, you stumble across the range of accommodations for rent.
There is an explosion of accommodation on Facebook in the illegal sphere, many providers of accommodation rent out without paying the legally required sales tax and without reporting the income.
The "illegal" landlord feels untouchable because in the last 15 years there has been no visible action to address this massive problem. The government does not monitor and hardly enforces.
At the SBAB they do not know where to start and they check business owners who are properly registered instead of tackling these abuses. One of the SBAB employees who was commissioned to investigate the illegal rental came to CASHA to ask about the occupancy figures of the members, to the reaction of one of the board members of CASHA: “you are not going to inspect the people that meet all the requirements?” The answer was: "We have to start somewhere".
What has happened to the National Decree Level Playing Field, for which a task force was set up in May 2018 with the intention of creating as much support as possible for a level playing field, in which the various sectors adhere to the unambiguous rules and contribute jointly?
Then came Turi, the obligation to register your tourist accommodation. Only a few have complied with this request. Mainly because of the lack of communication.
Already in 2017, at the request of the Ministry of Economy (MEO) and the Ministry of Finance, a proposal was received from Airbnb, in which Airbnb wants to collect tax directly from the landlord.
Now there is a bill on the table that is very secretive and which CASHA has still not had access to. According to our contact person at MEO, the bill is on the priority list of the Minister of Economic Affairs, Mr. Cijntje.
Until now, only a small number of people have had access to this new legislation, which is very important for many CASHA members, business owners in the tourism sector.
Because why would you work hard and pay taxes if your neighbor doesn't?
In addition to accommodation rentals, which are the easiest to control by the government, illegal activities can be found in all aspects of our economy. For example, diving schools are troubled by illegal colleagues, the so-called "cowboys" who do not meet the requirements set in the field of safety, permits and registration. The illegality is rampant. Every day we see divers and people with snorkeling trips paying cash on the street.
It is so frustrating that some registered business owners are thinking of adopting the same system.
Following an investigation, the diving schools have had a report made in which it appears that the participating diving schools are good for a contribution of 50 million to the economy. During this investigation, they found about 98 diving schools offering their services through social media, only 30 were found to be legal.
At the moment there is no more car available, illegal rental is going well, these cars are often offered with only third-party insurance. Suitable for private use but not for rental.
Colleagues in the tours offer services in an uninsured car, we hold our breath.
The problem of illegality is not only about money but also about safety. What if an apartment burns out that was not insured for rental? What if a tourist causes a serious car accident and the insurance refuses to pay out because the car was not allowed to be rented? What if a diver drowns because the diving school did not follow the rules? What if...
Last Sunday we were able to see what happens when boat charters don't follow the rules. CASHA members who provide boat charters guarantee the safety of crew and passengers. It would be a shame if boat charters that do have the necessary paperwork, make their payments properly and meet all the requirements, risk being hit by government sanctions because there are a few "cowboys" who don’t follow the rules.
One of our members recently said, "it's been more than enough".

Geneva - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the recovery in air travel continued in November 2021, prior to the emergence of Omicron. International demand sustained its steady upward trend as more markets reopened. Domestic traffic, however, weakened, largely owing to strengthened travel restrictions in China.
Because comparisons between 2021 and 2020 monthly results are distorted by the extraordinary impact of COVID-19, unless otherwise noted all comparisons are to November 2019, which followed a normal demand pattern.
Total demand for air travel in November 2021 (measured in revenue passenger-kilometers or RPKs) was down 47.0% compared to November 2019. This marked an uptick compared to October’s 48.9% contraction from October 2019.
Domestic air travel deteriorated slightly in November after two consecutive monthly improvements. Domestic RPKs fell by 24.9% versus 2019 compared with a 21.3% decline in October. Primarily this was driven by China, where traffic fell 50.9% compared to 2019, after several cities introduced stricter travel restrictions to contain (pre-Omicron) COVID outbreaks.
International passenger demand in November was 60.5% below November 2019, bettering the 64.8% decline recorded in October.
“The recovery in air traffic continued in November. Unfortunately, governments over-reacted to the emergence of the Omicron variant at the close of the month and resorted to the tried-and-failed methods of border closures, excessive testing of travelers and quarantine to slow the spread. Not surprisingly, international ticket sales made in December and early January fell sharply compared to 2019, suggesting a more difficult first quarter than had been expected. If the experience of the last 22 months has shown anything, it is that there is little to no correlation between the introduction of travel restrictions and preventing transmission of the virus across borders. And these measures place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods. If experience is the best teacher, let us hope that governments pay more attention as we begin the New Year, ” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
International Passenger Markets

European carriers’ November international traffic declined 43.7% versus November 2019, much improved compared to the 49.4% decrease in October versus the same month in 2019. Capacity dropped 36.3% and load factor fell 9.7 percentage points to 74.3%.
Asia-Pacific airlines saw their November international traffic fall 89.5% compared to November 2019, slightly improved from the 92.0% drop registered in October 2021 versus October 2019. Capacity dropped 80.0% and the load factor was down 37.8 percentage points to 42.2%, the lowest among regions.
Middle Eastern airlines had a 54.4% demand drop in November compared to November 2019, well up compared to the 60.9% decrease in October, versus the same month in 2019. Capacity declined 45.5%, and load factor slipped 11.9 percentage points to 61.3%.
North American carriers experienced a 44.8% traffic drop in November versus the 2019 period, significantly improved over the 56.7% decline in October compared to October 2019. Capacity dropped 35.6%, and load factor fell 11.6 percentage points to 69.6%.
Latin American airlines saw a 47.2% drop in November traffic, compared to the same month in 2019, a marked upturn over the 54.6% decline in October compared to October 2019. November capacity fell 46.6% and load factor dropped 0.9 percentage points to 81.3%, which was the highest load factor among the regions for the 14th consecutive month.
African airlines’ traffic fell 56.8% in November versus two years’ ago, improved over the 59.8% decline in October compared to October 2019. November capacity was down 49.6% and load factor declined 10.1 percentage points to 60.3%.
Domestic Passenger Markets​

Australia remained at the bottom of the domestic RPK chart for the fifth consecutive month with RPKs 71.6% below 2019, albeit this was improved from a 78.5% decline in October, owing to the reopening of some internal borders.
US domestic traffic was down just 6.0% compared November 2019 – improved from an 11.1% fall in October, thanks in part to strong Thanksgiving holiday traffic. 

By Hayley Fowler Miami Herald December 30, 2021.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging people to avoid cruise travel — regardless of vaccination status — amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases propelled by the omicron variant. In doing so, the CDC changed the COVID-19 Travel Health Notice level for cruise travel from a Level 3 to a Level 4, which the agency described as the “highest level.”
“The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads easily between people in close quarters on board ships, and the chance of getting COVID-19 on cruise ships is very high, even if you are fully vaccinated and have received a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose,” the CDC said in its guidelines updated on Dec. 30.
Officials said anyone who does decide to travel on a cruise should be fully vaccinated with their booster shot, if eligible. A person is considered “fully vaccinated” two weeks after they receive either a single-dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson) or the second dose of a two-dose vaccine (Pfizer and Moderna).
Individuals who have only received one dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine and have recovered from the virus are not considered fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. All cruise ship passengers, even if they are fully vaccinated, should also get tested for the coronavirus one to three days before the trip and between three and five days after they return, the CDC said. The agency additionally recommends that passengers who are not vaccinated against the coronavirus quarantine for five days after they return. Travelers who may face an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 should avoid travel on all types of cruise ships regardless of whether they are vaccinated, according to the CDC.
Omicron Spurs Spike in Cases On Cruises
The number of COVID-19 cases on board cruise ships has swelled in recent weeks — due in large part to the omicron variant. At least three COVID-19 outbreaks have hit ships operated by Carnival and Royal Caribbean that left ports in Miami and Fort Lauderdale over the last week, the Miami Herald reported on Sunday, Dec. 26. That includes a Carnival Freedom cruise that docked in Miami after it was denied entry into Bonaire and Aruba because of an undisclosed number of COVID-19 cases among the ship’s 3,609 passengers and crew members as well as an Odyssey of the Seas ship that left from Fort Lauderdale and was similarly denied entry into Curacao and Aruba.
Federal officials also said more cruises are now meeting the threshold for investigation by the CDC, meaning coronavirus cases have been reported among 0.10% or more of passengers (on a ship with 6,500 passengers, that would equate to seven or more cases) and among at least one member of the crew. Nearly 90 cruise ships were under investigation by the CDC as of Dec. 28, Business Insider reported.
Cruise Industry Responds.
The CDC’s decision to update its travel recommendations for cruises was met with ire by the Cruise Lines International Association, one of the largest trade associations for cruise lines in the world.
“The decision by the CDC to raise the travel level for cruise is particularly perplexing considering that cases identified on cruise ships consistently make up a very slim minority of the total population onboard — far fewer than on land — and the majority of those cases are asymptomatic or mild in nature, posing little to no burden on medical resources onboard or onshore,” the association said in a statement. The statement went on to say that cruises offer “one of the highest levels of demonstrated mitigation against the virus,” including greater levels of testing and vaccination than other modes of travel.
Royal Caribbean Group echoed that sentiment in a Dec. 30 news release, saying “cruising remains one of the few places one can vacation knowing that almost everyone you meet is fully vaccinated.” “We don’t like to see even one case, but our experience is a fraction of the comparable statistics of virtually any other comparable location or industry,” Chairman and CEO Richard Fain said in the release.
“Few businesses are subject to such intense scrutiny, regulation, and disclosure requirements by so many authorities, and we welcome that scrutiny because of our commitment to safety.” Chief Medical Officer Dr. Calvin Johnson said in the release case counts have spiked on Royal Caribbean cruises but noted “the level of severity is significantly milder.” 

By Jen Murphy: Bloomberg: December 30, 2021
A more sustainable, less colonial experience awaits.
John De Fries still recalls fishing the waters off Waikiki Beach in Oahu as a kid in the 1960s. “Growing up, my family fishing grounds were a source of food first and recreation second,” he says. “Today they’re a playground surrounded by hotels.”
Born and raised in Waikiki, De Fries was appointed president of the Hawaii Tourism Authority in Sept. 2020, when coronavirus shutdowns had the state’s economy reeling but the community and environment thriving. In 2019, the state of 1.5 million people hosted a record 10.4 million visitors—unsustainable figures that had residents feeling sour. Though tourism netted $2.07 billion in tax revenue that year, Hawaiians lamented its effects on traffic, beaches, and the cost of living.
For locals, the quietude of 2020 “was somewhat euphoric,” says De Fries. “It felt like we got our islands back.”
But that wasn’t sustainable either. Nor was the boom that happened in July, when visitor arrivals exceeded their 2019 level by 21% despite strict Covid-19 testing protocols, mask mandates, capacity restrictions, and staff shortages. That, says De Fries, “was like putting 220 volts of electricity through a 110-volt circuit.” Rental cars became so scarce that U-Hauls were found in beach parking lots; resorts jacked up rates, with average stays at hotels in Maui of $596 a night in August; new taxes were sought; and vacation-starved visitors didn’t flinch.
What comes next is a radically transformed experience for visitors—and locals—hopefully, in a good way. For the first time, Hawaii’s tourism authority is majority-run by Hawaiian natives, rather than white mainlanders with hospitality degrees. With the input of locals, who range from farmers to hotel owners, each of Hawaii’s four counties has created a strategic plan that stretches into 2025 and focuses on sustainable destination management rather than marketing.  
The plan relies heavily on community involvement and visitor education. “In the past, visitors were spoon-fed what outsiders thought they wanted,” says Kainoa Horcajo, founder of the Mo'olelo Group, a Maui-based consultancy that helps hotels to reimagine their cultural experiences. “Now, it’s time to take a risk, challenge the visitor, and give them something real.”
Here are the ways your experience of the state might change in the near future, and possibly forever. 
You’ll Need a Reservation to Visit Popular Natural Attractions
Want to see the black sand beach at Wai'anapanapa State Park in Maui or cross the Kauai’s Kalalau Trail off your bucket list? You’ll now have to make a reservation anywhere from 24 hours to 30 days in advance, depending on the site and season. 
The new system, which covers roughly a dozen of Hawaii’s most visited parks, is meant to curb traffic in local communities and tread more lightly on natural resources. Parking and entry fees for non-residents, which can cost from $5 to $15 per person, will also help to better maintain the sites.  
Take Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve in Oahu, a marine area that had been seeing 3,000 daily visitors before the pandemic. New measures there caps entries at 720 visitors a day and hikes fees from $5 to $25 for non-residents. Before entering the water, everyone is required to watch a 9-minute educational video that talks about coral regeneration and marine life, and the park is closed two days a week to let the ecosystem rest. 
Sean Dee, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Outrigger Hospitality Group, which operates nearly two dozen properties across Hawaii, calls this the future of sustainable tourism. “The water is cleaner, visitors are educated, and the revenues help manage the bay,” he says. “It’s a win-win for everyone.” 
You’ll Have to Get a Crash Course on Being a Good Tourist
The informational video at Hanauma Bay is just one example of how the state is trying to stoke cultural and environmental awareness among visitors. This September, Hawaiian Airlines started airing a five-minute video reminding guests to only use reef-safe sunscreen, keep distance from endangered animals such as monk seals, and be cautious of rip currents and shore breaks in the ocean.
Meanwhile Jon Benson, the general manager at the Hyatt-managed Hana-Maui Resort, has removed all of such former amenities as towels and lounge service at nearby Hamoa Beach, home to a sacred Hawaiian burial place. He’ll reinstate them only if the site can be properly honored with guidance from local kupuna, or elders, he says.
“Guests complain,” Benson admits. “But when I explain why the services are on hold, they begin to understand the land around them isn’t just for photos and enjoyment. It has deep cultural significance. It’s our responsibility to educate them.”
You May Be Charged a Conservation Fee on Arrival
Currently Oahu is lobbying for the establishment of a regenerative tourism fee that would apply to all arriving tourists and directly support conservation and environmental management programs. The state seems keen on approval, given that it cannot spend more than 1% of its annual operating budget on natural resource management. 
Expect this to look a bit like the $100 fees that are charged upon port entry in the Galápagos, or embedded into airfares to the tiny Pacific island-nation of Palau. (In the latter destination, it’s called a “Pristine Paradise Environmental fee.”) The government is looking at both examples to model what soon may come.   
You’ll See a Less Colonial Version of Hawaiian Culture
In the past, tourism fed into the stories marketing executives thought White people wanted to hear, says Clifford Nae'ole, cultural adviser for the Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua, and former president of the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association. Hawaiian food was pineapple pizza and spam; a luau was just about girls dancing in grass skirts. Now, chefs are proudly incorporating native Hawaiian ingredients such as ulu, or breadfruit, into dishes, and luaus have become historical lessons about the Polynesian migration to Hawaii just as much as they are entertainment.
Those luaus, for instance, won’t include grass skirts—a costume that was introduced by 19th century missionaries as a more modest alternative to traditional skirts and lioncloths made of kapa, or bark cloth. “Now when kumu [hula teachers] are told costumes are too revealing, they push back and say this is the traditional dress,” Nae'ole says.
You’ll also see this change when you receive a lei upon arrival. Now they will be made from locally grown flowers instead of orchids, which are imported from Southeast Asia at high financial and environmental costs and have been used for decades only because White mainlanders found them pleasing.
At the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, local florist Lauren Shearer, owner of Hawaii Flora + Fauna, teaches visitors how to make the garlands from foraged native fauna such as blue jade, crown flower, and ferns. “Ancestors didn’t just use lei for personal adornment,” says Shearer. “They were also used for peace treaties and to establish hierarchies.”
Other cliches are also being rejected. The newly renovated Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort on Oahu, for instance, shines a spotlight on modern Hawaiian music, not just traditional ukulele, hosting such award-winning slack key guitarists as Sean Na'auao nightly. And at the Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria property on Maui, cultural ambassador Kalei 'Uwēko'olani goes beyond offering outrigger canoe paddles and brings in storytellers such as navigator Kala Baybayan Tanaka to share tales of her father’s historic, technology-free Hokulea canoe crossing from Hawaii to Tahiti.
You’ll Be Encouraged to Give Back
Last November, the Hawaii Tourism Authority launched a campaign in conjunction with Hawaii Tourism USA (formerly the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau) to introduce the concept of malama, or caring for the land. “Everyone relates to aloha,” says De Fries. “Malama is emerging as its sister value.”
“We’ll always have tourists who come to sip mai tais by the pool, but programs like malama are helping us target a more mindful traveler,” says Ilihia Gionson, public affairs officer with the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Since its initiation, the program has grown from having 16 hotel and airline partners to today’s 110, which have all committed to rewarding guests with a free night’s stay if they spend a day helping to clean beaches or reforest land.
Teraj Allen, a 36-year-old recording artist from New York, and his partner, Barry Hoy, 42, recently made their first trip to Hawaii and spent a day planting trees on Kauai with the Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative to partake in malama. “In my head, I thought we were going to a beach destination, and one of the highlights was this experience,” says Allen. “It felt special to be able to leave a legacy.”

Less than two weeks ago, sun-seeking tourists in Cancun’s fabled hotel district were greeted by armed members of Mexico’s National Guard. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador [AMLO] sent 1,500 troops on permanent assignments to Quintana Roo following gang-related shootings that have tarnished the region's image, including the murders of two female tourists. AMLO explained the troops were there mostly for intelligence gathering.
Benito Juarez-Cancun Municipal President ( Mayor) Mara Lezama, a member of AMLO’s party, was there to greet the troops with open arms. Lezama, who was just re-elected to a second two-year term, was effusive, proclaiming that, “It’s a great day, an historic day on the issue of preventing crime and providing security” (Google English translation).
One wonders what Mayor Lezama has done herself, or whether she just might be part of the problem. Organized crime has reportedly been on the rise in Yucatan resort cities from Cancun to Playa del Carmen and further south for years. Recently, though, the criminal violence has begun to take a heavy toll on the area’s profitable tourism industry, already hit by 2020’s pandemic closures.
Numerous popular bars and nightclubs in the hotel district have closed their doors, perhaps permanently, because neither the city, state, or federal government has been able to curtail the violence and strong-arm tactics used by organized criminals to intimidate and extort money (and perhaps commit crimes themselves). As a measure of the intimidation, despite police investigations of 324 attacks on Cancun businesses since 2019, in every case the owners refused to file any complaint against their attackers.
Recently, the brazen gangs posted banners on local streets, warning by name at least 11 bars and nightclubs that their owners, employees, and parishioners would “face the consequences” if they did not ante up the demanded sums. Many of those bars shuttered their doors rather than comply.
Earlier, the state attorney general’s office had closed another bar following the execution of a client by an armed group. Another bar was closed after officers found drugs on the property. The U.S. State Department has issued an advisory warning Americans to “exercise caution” in traveling to Quintana Roo State because of its high crime rate.
Missing from every story on the Cancun crime wave is any mention of ongoing charges of political corruption filed by two civil society organizations against Mayor Lezama and members of her family. The charges were initially filed in 2020 but went nowhere, allegedly because the technical secretary of the city council was a first cousin to a recently removed Financial Intelligence Unit [UIF] official.
But in November, the National Movement for Security and Law Enforcement sued the new UIF head, Pablo Gomez Alvarez, to reactivate their complaint that accuses Mayor Lezama of illicit enrichment and organized crime activities. In addition, the Opus Magnum organization of Mexico is again demanding that the UIF and the Attorney General’s Office reactivate at least three of its complaints against Mayor Lezama and members of her family.
Mayor Lezama’s rise to power, and apparently great wealth, is at the least curious. The former journalist and broadcast celebrity had joined AMLO’s party in 2015 to run for municipal president of Benito Juarez in 2016 but dropped out of the race alleging she had been threatened. Others alleged that members of the Morena party had paid her a huge sum to withdraw from a race she was favored to win.
Two years later, though, she was Morena’s candidate for mayor and won 58 percent of the vote. She was reelected this year with just 41 percent of the vote, her halo perhaps dinged by the very public corruption charges. Undaunted, Lezama is now running to be Governor of Quintana Roo.
Reporter  Daniel Rodriguez recently asked how Lezama can expect to win, given that she has been unable “to explain the origin of her fortune or that of her family,” which has increased exponentially since she entered politics in 2015. The family’s recent move to a luxury condominium is just one of the reasons many are questioning how they got rich so quickly.
Lezama, along with her husband, her brother, and her nephew, created the company DesarrolladoraCumpalin 2015 with an initial investment of 60,000 pesos. In just five years, they have purchased17 properties in Mexico and abroad valued at  more than 60 million pesos. In addition to the real estate, there are also reports that family members made cash purchases of six luxury vehicles collectively valued at 6.9 million pesos. And then there are the 10 taxi concessions valued at a collective 10 million pesos.
In February 2020, the Lezama tribe moved into a luxurious two-story residence with solar panels, a jetty for yachts, a swimming pool, direct access to the Caribbean Sea and more in the exclusive residential area of Puerto Cancun. The condo, which Lezama claims is just on loan “during the pandemic,” is about 11,840 square feet and has a commercial value of 102.9 million pesos. The entire arrangement is a bit murky, and the optics of the “Mara White House” suggest the mayor and her family have already ascended to royalty (at least in their own minds).
It does appear that Mayor Lezama’s fortunes took a huge turn upward at about the time she withdrew from her first political campaign. With the wolves circling around, perhaps she would do well to withdraw once again, this time from the governor’s race until she has cleared her name (or has been found guilty). Maybe Cancun’s bars and restaurants could then find political leadership with the willpower to stop the criminal gangs from ruining, or even ending, their lives. 

Cancun, Mexico, Dec 27 (EFE).- Mexico’s tourist sector is ending the year with a strong recovery compared with pre-pandemic figures from 2019 and with a high hotel room occupancy rate, despite the cancellations of flights from the US and Europe due to the spread of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The Mexican Caribbean, with Cancun as the main attraction, expects to finish out 2021 with a total of 12.5 million visitors for the year, representing an 83 percent recovery of the figures attained in 2019.
Andres Aguilar, the office manager for the Tourism Secretariat of Quintana Roo state, told EFE that during the current winter season, historically considered to be one of the best times of the year for tourism in the Mexican Caribbean, occupancy rates of between 80-90 percent are expected, with days on which more than 600 air operations are handled at the Cancun airport.
“We’re expecting a rather positive winter season … From Dec. 18 to Jan. 2 we’re forecasting the arrival of 1.3 million visitors,” he said.
“For next year, if we maintain the same trends … the levels of certification in protection and health protection, and the vaccination regimes among the local population, we’re not only going to reestablish activity with respect to what we had in 2019, which was a little over 16 million tourists, but – in addition – expect a slight increase,” he added.
For January, more than 1.6 million seats on incoming flights have been reserved already and a similar number for the months of both February and March, clear evidence leading to the optimism for the first quarter of 2022.
Along the Riviera Maya, where there are more than 43,000 hotel rooms, the first two weeks of December saw an average occupancy rate of 80 percent and for the closing days of 2021 a rate of 85 percent is expected.
These figures, as emphasized by Toni Chaves, president of the Riviera Maya Hotel Association, represent a 95 percent recovery compared to average occupancy in 2019, since last year the borders closures and restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic resulted in barely 30 percent occupancy.
“The Mexican Caribbean has benefited from the Mexican government’s strategy to implement health measures and keep the doors open, in contrast to other destinations. Also, it shows the (public) confidence that the Cancun/Mexico brand has acquired over the years,” said Javier Monje, the sales director for the RIU hotel chain in the Mexican Caribbean.
“In our case, we’re clearly seeing these figures reflected in the occupancy of our hotels,” he added.
“After how difficult it was to get started in 2020 and with the good rate at which tourism has responded given the spread of the pandemic, Cancun finds itself one of the most visited cities after the pandemic, a result of public-private collaboration,” said Monje.
Jesus Almaguer Salazar, the commercial director for Spain’s Oasis Hotels and Resorts chain for the Caribbean, said that in Cancun and along the Riviera Maya next year expectations are for a significant increase in tourist arrivals.
Almaguer Salazar said that the good results obtained so far and the favorable projections for 2022 are due to the fact that the area has managed to generate confidence among visitors as a tourist destination that has managed itself well during the pandemic.
“We’ve captured the major part of North American tourism that has traveled to the Caribbean region, from important South American markets such as Brazil, Colombia, Chile and even Argentina. If we do things right, we have guaranteed a very good season,” he told EFE.
Meanwhile, Roberto Cintron, president of the Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres Hotel Association, emphasized the need to strengthen not only the promotion and publicity strategies to continue to attract foreign tourists, but also to see to it that tourists’ experience in the region makes them want to return not just once but many times.
“We already have a forecast of about 75 percent reservations on flights for the first months of 2022, which are months during which travelers historically come here because of the cold in their places of origin,” he added.
However, Cintron warned about the “risk of losing” part of the tourists captured once other destinations manage to reactivate themselves.
“We’ve got ‘borrowed tourism,’ that’s the reality, because Europe has not completely opened up, because people prefer to come to a spot just two or three hours away by air rather than with a six- or nine-hour flight to Europe or to the center of South America where the security situation doesn’t contribute much and people prefer coming to Mexico,” he acknowledged.
“We have to see to it that those tourists return at least two or three more times to the Mexican Caribbean given the future advertising by countries like Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and other European nations that need the big (tourism) market that is the US and Canada,” he said. 

Carnival Corp. & plc's fourth quarter loss widened but cash from operations turned positive in November and revenue per passenger cruise day topped Q4 2019.
The Omicron variant is affecting bookings for near-term sailings but not return-to-service plans.
Some 61% of the company's capacity is operating and Carnival continues to expect its full fleet will be back in service by spring.
US GAAP net loss was $2.6bn, up from the $2.2bn loss a year ago, while adjusted net loss was $1.96bn, compared to $1.86bn.
Advance bookings
Cumulative advance bookings for the second half of 2022 and first half of 2023 are at the higher end of historical ranges and at higher prices, with or without future cruise credits.
Customer deposits increased $360m, to $3.5bn, in Q4, the third consecutive quarter of growing deposits.
Carnival has refinanced more than $9bn, reducing its future annual interest expense by approximately $400m per year and extending maturities.
'Since resuming guest cruise operations, we have established effective protocols for COVID-19 and its variants and have returned 65,000 team members and 50 ships, all while delivering an exceptional guest experience to over 1.2 million guests and counting,' Carnival Corp. & plc President and CEO Arnold Donald said.
Positive cash flow
Cash from operations turned positive November, earlier than expected, and Carnival projects consistently positive cash flow beginning in Q2 2022 as additional ships resume operations.
'We enter the year with $9.4 billion of liquidity, essentially the same liquidity level as last year but with significantly improved cash flow generation ahead, as ship operating cash flow and customer deposits continue to build,' Donald said. 'During 2021, we believe we have clearly maximized our return to service and strengthened our financial position to withstand potential volatility on our path to profitability.'
Revenue PCD up
Revenue per passenger cruise day increased approximately 4% in Q4, compared to a strong 2019. The increase was driven in part by exceptionally strong on-board and other revenue.
Occupancy was 58%, better than the 54% in Q3 this year.
Available lower berth days were 10.2m, or 47% of total fleet capacity. ALBDs are expected to be 14.1m for Q1 2022, or 63% of total fleet capacity.
Carnival Cruise Line nearing 90% occupancy
Donald noted Carnival Cruise Line experienced another quarter of double-digit revenue growth per passenger day compared to 2019, operating at nearly 60% of its capacity while also improving occupancy, and is now approaching 90% occupancy levels in December.
Cash burn lower than expected
The company's monthly average cash burn rate in Q4 was $510m, better than expected. Incremental costs are expected as more of the fleet resumes operating and dry dock expense goes up.
28 ships to undergo dry dock in first half
Some 28 of Carnival's 94 ships are planned to undergo dry docking in the company's fiscal first half. 
Second half profit still forecast
Carnival expects a net loss for the first half of 2022 and a profit for the second half of 2022 on both a US GAAP and adjusted basis for both periods.