Breaking Travel News

Tourism News Page 18

Flix Launches Its ChatGPT App, Bringing Sustainable & Affordable Travel Booking to Millions of Users

Flix Launches Its ChatGPT App, Bringing Sustainable & Affordable Travel Booking to Millions of Users

Flix, the global travel-tech company behind FlixBus and FlixTrain, today announced its integration with ChatGPT, enabling users to discover and plan bus and train journeys through natural conversation. With the integration, ChatGPT users can search for routes, compare travel options and seamlessly access Flix connections across Europe, North America, Türkiye, South America and Asia-Pacific. The experience combines conversational AI with Flix's real-time travel network and booking platform to make travel planning faster and more intuitive.

Etihad Airways doubles Kabul flights to twice daily as demand accelerates

Etihad Airways doubles Kabul flights to twice daily as demand accelerates

Etihad Airways is to double its flights between Abu Dhabi and Kabul from 15 July 2026, with the route's rapid growth since launch prompting the airline to add a second daily service in each direction. Kabul joined the Etihad network in March 2026, initially operating four times weekly. Demand has significantly exceeded expectations, with strong take-up from both point-to-point travellers and those using Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport as a hub to connect onwards to Europe and beyond.

Ghana Bets on Visa Liberalisation, Following a Playbook China Has Already Proven

Ghana Bets on Visa Liberalisation, Following a Playbook China Has Already Proven

Ghana has launched a new national e-visa platform while simultaneously waiving visa fees for travellers holding African passports, a move that positions the West African nation among the continent’s most progressive advocates of travel liberalisation. The initiative introduces online visa processing, significantly reduces administrative friction and, perhaps most importantly, sends a clear signal that Ghana sees connectivity as an economic growth strategy rather than a border control exercise.

LENNY PEARCE STEPS INTO THE HEADLINER SPOT AT BEACHES® RESORTS' FALL FAM JAM 2026

LENNY PEARCE STEPS INTO THE HEADLINER SPOT AT BEACHES® RESORTS' FALL FAM JAM 2026

Beaches Resorts is unveiling the 2026 lineup for its annual Fall Fam Jam, returning this autumn with live performances by toddler techno sensation Lenny Pearce, and a new wave of Sesame Street® experiences. Running September through October across Jamaica and Turks & Caicos, the Fall Fam Jam brings forward a vibrant, all-inclusive, festival-style experience designed for families to connect and soak up the sun as fall begins to settle in.

Long Beach, CA Celebrates America's 250th with Three Simultaneous Firework Shows

Long Beach, CA Celebrates America's 250th with Three Simultaneous Firework Shows

Long Beach will celebrate Independence Day in unforgettable fashion with "Sea to Shining LBC: America's 250," a weeklong patriotic celebration blending pyrotechnics, athletics and entertainment, culminating in a spectacular Independence Day fireworks finale with three simultaneous shows stretching across the city's 5.5-mile coastline.

A Soft Adventure in the Canadian Rockies

A Soft Adventure in the Canadian Rockies

ECT Travel's Autumn Train Journey Through the Canadian Rockies to Vancouver is a 12-day journey of discovery created for those who love to explore the world's wilder places without compromising on comfort or accessibility. Meticulously planned and accompanied by one of our experienced Tour Managers, it is proving particularly popular with the over 50s and solo female travellers, demographics which are leading the booming demand for soft adventures.

7 of the Best European Solstice Escapes: Riviera Travel Experts Reveal Top Scenic Spots

7 of the Best European Solstice Escapes: Riviera Travel Experts Reveal Top Scenic Spots

As the summer solstice approaches, bringing the longest day of the year on June 21st, travellers are increasingly looking for destinations that make the most of Europe's extended daylight hours. Riviera Travel's latest booking data reveals that demand is heavily concentrated around scenic European escapes, with just 15 top-performing European itineraries accounting for 50% of all recent website bookings. Growing appetite for picturesque landscapes heroes' destinations such as Lake Como, Provence, Paris, and the Douro Valley, underlining strong appetite for scenic European escapes that come into their own in the golden light of solstice.

U.K. travel distribution settles into a stable pattern as market hits record £56.6 billion

U.K. travel distribution settles into a stable pattern as market hits record £56.6 billion

The U.K. travel market reached a record £56.6 billion in gross bookings in 2025, driven by strong demand and Europe’s highest online penetration rate at 90%, according to a new report from Phocuswright. The findings come ahead of Phocuswright Europe, taking place June 15 to 17 in Barcelona, where global travel leaders will address the major forces shaping travel to and from Europe. Despite the growth, Phocuswright’s new U.K. Travel Market Essentials 2026 report finds that the country’s distribution landscape has settled into a stable pattern. Online travel agency (OTA) share has declined for three consecutive years, while supplier direct gains remain modest.

Visit Maldives Records Highest Annual Income in Eight Years at 2025 Annual General Meeting

Visit Maldives Records Highest Annual Income in Eight Years at 2025 Annual General Meeting

Visit Maldives Corporation (VMC) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 9 June 2026 at Meeruma Hall, reporting its strongest financial performance in eight years and highlighting a year marked by tourism growth, strengthened governance, and expanded international destination marketing activities. During the meeting, shareholders reviewed and approved the Corporation’s Annual Report and audited financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025.

Preferred Hotels & Resorts Unveils Two of Africa’s Most Anticipated Openings Of 2026

Preferred Hotels & Resorts Unveils Two of Africa’s Most Anticipated Openings Of 2026

This year, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest independent hotel brand, is introducing two of the continent’s most anticipated escapes for 2026: a barefoot-luxury eco-lodge on Zanzibar’s peaceful southeast coast and an intimate safari retreat set deep within Madikwe Game Reserve, one of South Africa’s most pristine wilderness areas.