The president and CEO of one of the largest travel recommendation engines in the world is well aware that over-tourism and "flight shaming" are trends that have the potential to impact the travel industry in the years to come. After all, for most people, air travel is the biggest contributor to their carbon footprint.
Historic city centers from Bali to Paris to Barcelona are straining under the weight of selfie-seeking vacationers, as a relatively strong global economy and the age of Instagram has led to an explosion in global tourism. Stephen Kaufer, who co-founded TripAdvisor ($TRIP) nearly 20 years ago, told Cheddar in an interview from the Skift Global Forum in New York that he believes tourism remains a critical way to make the world a better place ーbut there needs to be a new emphasis on how to do it sustainably.
"Experiencing other cultures is a fabulous thing ー literally for the world," he said. "Travel brings people closer together," said Kaufer. "It's harder to hate that foreigner when you've been to their land."
How to preserve that in the long-term is why Kaufer is among the industry CEOs who have partnered with Prince Harry's environmental activism organization to launch Travalyst, a sustainable travel initiative that is working to develop green practices for tourists, popular tourist attractions, and travel companies.
Even though there is a growing movement, spurred by the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, to get people to question their personal air travel, Kaufer said he doesn't expect a tourism backlash ー or "travel-lash" ー at least on the scale of the "techlash" that has gripped Silicon Valley. Tourism is inherently aspirational, he said, and in a strong economy it will always be a major part of people's lives. On that note, he added that despite growing concerns that the global economy may be heading toward a downturn, the data from TripAdvisor does not indicate that a widespread slowdown is imminent.
"What we see are ups and downs, and we're very used to that," he said.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
