Royal Caribbean International and GRAMMY-winning singer and songwriter Meghan Trainor rang in the vacation of celebrations, Utopia of the Seas, with a blowout summer party in Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida. Trainor, the godmother of the new vacation, marked the introduction of the ultimate short getaway in an official naming event on board with more than 4,000 partygoers, the legendary Rev Run and DJ Ruckus at the turntables, Royal Caribbean crew members and executives and more. The moment comes just days ahead of the final milestone, when Utopia debuts with the first of its 3-night weekend and 4-night weekday getaways on Friday, July 19.

The report by the European Commission and the European Environment Agency once again shows that the quality of bathing water in Croatia is among the highest in Europe and ranks first when it comes to coastal bathing areas. The bathing water quality was monitored at 22,081 bathing sites across 27 member states, as well as Albania and Switzerland.

For half of Brits, the weather is the number one deciding factor in picking a holiday destination - First Choice reports that last month people booked just 11 days before their trip, with many booking late to ensure sunny skies - First Choice offers a Weather Guarantee product, that will automatically pay out compensation if you’re let down by bad weather on your trip

Spanish Hotel Group Meliá Hotels International is building its presence in Southeast Asia with two new Thailand hotels, including the launch of the first Paradisus by Meliá-branded property in the region. The new hotels will come online as Meliá properties through an expanded partnership with Thailand’s leading integrated lifestyle real estate group, Asset World Corporation (AWC).

Civitatis, the world’s leading platform for Spanish-speaking travellers, has initiated a new campaign involving a competition to acknowledge the contributions of travel agencies in the tourism industry. Under the slogan “€20,000 in prizes for travel agencies”  the main objective of this competition is to reward travel agencies around the world that make bookings with Civitatis, thus encouraging their active participation and strengthening collaboration with the more than 29,000 agencies that are already part of the company’s network. As part of this, to 15 September the campaign will give travel agents around the world the chance to win various prizes.

Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. and Marriott Hotels, the signature flag of Marriott Bonvoy’s 30 extraordinary hotel brands, today announced the opening of the new Marriott Long Beach Downtown – an urban waterfront destination situated on the city’s iconic promenade. Evoking Marriott Hotels’ rich and trusted legacy, the hotel invites guests to explore Long Beach’s vibrant and thriving convention and entertainment hub, which encompasses abundant walkable dining and shopping options and miles of sandy shoreline as well as several world class attractions, among them the Aquarium of the Pacific, Shoreline Aquatic Park and the Queen Mary.