Ridership Tops $1.7 Billion In Ticket Revenue

Annual Amtrak ridership sets all-time record

WASHINGTON DC - Amtrak ridership in Fiscal Year 2008 increased to 28,716,407 marking the sixth straight year of gains and setting a record for the most passengers using Amtrak trains since the Nationa

South Africa

A cruise liner for Cape Town?

Without a multi-use cruise liner terminal, Cape Town is losing out on millions of rands in tourism revenue, say consultants appointed by the City of Cape Town to advise on a cruise liner strategy befo

NY

Report: Tourists spent $51B in NY in 2007

Tourism spending was up 9 percent in New York state in 2007, according to a new report by Empire State Development.

Governments Seek To Recoup Tax Money They Claim Is Theirs

Atlanta among U.S. cities suing online travel companies

The city of Atlanta asked Georgia’s highest court for permission to continue pursuing a high-stakes lawsuit that claims online travel companies are illegally pocketing millions of dollars in hotel t

Cruise News

High-end cruise lines stay strong

With holiday season now on the distant horizon, can the yearly vacation be far from people’s minds? We checked in with Zacks senior travel & leisure industry analyst Sean P.

Royal Caribbean Drops Visits

Sydney to lose cruise business

A cruise itinerary change by Royal Caribbean International because of high fuel costs will cost two Maritime ports hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue next year.

Gustav Aftermath

Airline industry takes hit from Gustav

ATLANTA--By disrupting travel to and from the Gulf Coast, Hurricane Gustav denied the airline industry some critical revenue over the Labor Day holiday weekend.

The Kangaroo Trail

Tourist bonanza in roo viewing reserves

Large mobs of big reds could be as lucrative as the big game of Africa, say the promoters of The Kangaroo Trail, a guide which aims to make watching the national symbol in the wild a flagship of Austr

Mexico wants its tourists back

Mexican border states aim to revive tourism

TIJUANA - Badly hit by declining tourism revenues, Mexico's northern border states are joining forces with Mexico's federal government in a plan to revive the region.

Revises Growth, Cuts Non-Fuel Costs, Reduces Employees, Increases Non-Ticket Revenue

Spirit Airlines attacks record fuel prices

MIRAMAR, Florida - Spirit Airlines attacks record high fuel prices by revising 2008 growth, cutting 15% of non-fuel costs, continuing to increase non-ticket revenue and continuing to expand to the Car

India

Hit by airlines, travel portals try new revenue options

NEW DELHI - Indian travel agents have begun reworking their revenue streams after a funds crunch forced three leading airlines to scrap their commission.

NYC

Manhattan waterfalls spur tourist revenue

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg established his credentials as an art aficionado early in his administration when, soon after his 2002 election, he threw the full weight of the city’s support

Number Of Foreign Tourists Increased More Than 24%

Tourism brings more foreign revenue to El Salvador

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador - Tourism earned El Salvador a total of US$399,565,060 between the months of January and May 2008, according to a report made public today by the Ministry of Tourism (MITUR)

Revenue Per Available Room Report

European hoteliers experience mixed bag

According to an STR Global HotelBenchmark Survey, European hotels got off to a slow start in 2008, with revenue per available room (revPAR) up by only 1.1% to €68 for the first four months of the year. Although hotel performance in general is static, there are still several success stories across the continent.

Egypt

UAE pumps US$4 billion in Egypt's tourism sector

The UAE has pumped US$4 billion into the vibrant Egyptian tourism sector, accounting for 30% of total Arab tourism investment in Egypt, a senior Egyptian official has disclosed.

SOS For SAS?

Bigger loss for Scandinavian airline SAS

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Scandinavian airline group SAS AB on Tuesday posted a first-quarter net loss of 1.08 billion kronor (euro115 million; US$181 million ), citing higher fuel costs and growing competition, and said it would slash 1,000 jobs to reduce costs.

The result was down from a net loss of 18 million kronor in the first quarter of ... read more

Egypt

Egypt eyes $12 bln in tourism earnings by 2011

CAIRO — Egypt hopes to boost its tourism earnings by 26 percent to 12 billion dollars by 2011, the official MENA agency reported on Saturday.

According to a plan launched by Tourism Minister Zuheir Garana, Egypt hopes to welcome some 14 million tourists in 2011, requiring a capacity of 240,000 hotel rooms, compared with 11 million in ... read more

Calyon Securities On US Airlines

Airlines to lose more than $1 billion in 2008

Calyon Securities said the U.S. airline industry was expected to lose more than $1 billion this year due to high fuel prices and likely fare cuts as a result of slackening demand, but added that liquidity for major airlines was sufficient for now.

Austria

Vienna convention tourism sets a record

Vienna convention tourism set a new record in 2007. The number of conventions and similar events increased by 19 per cent to 2,764 last year. Overnights linked to them rose by 23 per cent to 1,419,044, and value added to the city economy went up by 30 per cent to 760 million Euros.

Pakistan

Tourism revenue up despite bad law and order

ISLAMABAD: Despite worsening law & order in the country, income generated by the Pakistani tourism industry has increased by 6 percent, Caretaker Tourism and Youth Affairs Minister Muhammed Ali Saif said Sunday.