Twissen Editors' articles

A journey between Crotone and Tobruk to discover how archaeology, the spirit of the Lighthouse, and slow tourism can generate identity, sustainability, and peace in the Mediterranean

How tourism has contributed to the making of today’s global Far West by Fabio Carbone Researcher, senior lecturer, humanitarian activist (founder of ACADEMICS4GAZA). Global Ambassador of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism. And while we’ve been teaching our students—for over two decades now—the principles of sustainability, responsible tourism, and many other similar empty concepts,

Discover how international tourists are planning their summer 2025 trips to Europe: trip length, preferences, safety, food experiences, and long-haul travel trends.

In 2024, tourism drives growth and employment: the challenge is to balance economic value and inclusion through innovation and sustainability.

The 2024 Travel & Tourism Development Index analyzes 117 economies, highlighting progress towards sustainable and resilient tourism. Factors such as infrastructure, sustainability, and digitalization are crucial, with the United States leading the global ranking.

Brexit has pushed the EU and the UK to redefine their tourism strategies. The EU focuses on cooperation and digitalization, while the UK prioritizes tax incentives and visa simplification. Two different visions for the future of tourism.

In recent years, Russian tourism has been growing significantly despite the complex geopolitical context. In 2024, trips to major tourist destinations increased by 15.4%, with Turkey leading the way, followed by the UAE, China, and Thailand. China saw a remarkable 96.5% surge in Russian tourist flows, while interest in the Arctic is also rising, although supply remains limited. Travel to former Soviet Union countries is also increasing, with Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan experiencing strong growth. Discover the trends and new favorite destinations for Russian tourists.

Hospitality is evolving rapidly, with eight key trends set to redefine the industry by 2025: advanced personalization, hotels as retail platforms, flexible payments, AI for customer service, tailored experiences, gift cards for stays, self-service solutions, and greater booking flexibility. Balancing technology with customer focus will be essential for success.

WeChat and Weibo play a key role in Chinese tourism, influencing travel choices and tourist engagement. Although Italy is one of the most popular European destinations, it does not rank among the Top 10 most featured on Chinese social media. To stay competitive, strengthening its digital presence through targeted strategies, compelling storytelling, and influencer collaborations is essential. Discover how these platforms can help attract the Chinese tourism market and bring in more visitors.

Article curated by Caterina Ying Hong In recent years, Chinese tourism has undergone a significant transformation, with emerging trends focused on independent travel and personalized experiences. This shift is driven primarily by younger, tech-savvy generations seeking authentic and immersive activities, with a strong curiosity for Italian cuisine and wine culture. Growing Interest in Food and

By purchasing land in the metaverse and recreating their own environment and mood, hotels and tourist destinations can increase their visibility and attract new customers.

The Life programme celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, testifying to the solidity and continuity of European action in “bringing green ideas to LIFE”.

With the return of Chinese tourists, it is necessary to analyse the 2023 scenario by keeping five key aspects in mind

Recovery and Resilience Facility aims to act and mitigate the socio-economic effects of Covid-19 in European countries

The number of digital nomads is increasing and is expected to impact the hospitality industry even beyond the pandemic.

The Friuli Venezia Giulia Region published a call for proposals for the Interreg VI Italy-Slovenia Programme 2021-2027 with a deadline of December 20th

Erasmus+ acts in the fields of education, training, youth and sport, which are crucial for the full development of citizens

Luxury tourism has great potential that can be exploited by paying attention to sustainability and quality of services

Camping, especially in its glamour version, is expected to grow even after the pandemic. Comfort and tech need to be implemented.

From enhancing the customer journey to creating immersive experiences, the metaverse is expected to impact tourism in the long term.

With travel volume returning to a pre-Covid-level, airlines and hotels need to invest in tech and offer more tailored experiences.

Euromonitor shows that the ranking is dominated by Europe, but underlines the necessity to improve transport conditions to lower emissions.

Booking.com in the Sustainable Travel Report shows how sustainability is becoming a key issue, even on holiday.

Several factors undermine the recovery of tourism, including the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, with consequences for European markets.

The Just Transition Fund targets the consequences of climate transition by targeting diversification and reconversion

There is a strong return of bleisure travel, where travellers-workers combine work, fun and family.

The European Commission and stakeholders work together to draw up a new industrial strategy towards 2030.

REACT-EU has the largest budget within NextGenerationEU and it is one of the most influential instruments. It is an initiative arose from the Covid-19 pandemic

The fintech universe will be able to simplify, digitise and automate travel payments, providing customers with greater flexibility and security.

The China Tourism Academy report highlights the central role of rural destinations in enhancing safety perception for independent travellers.

According to the European Travel Commission, there are several possible scenarios for European tourism due to the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Natural Machines has created Foodini, the machine that prints food in 3D. And to create the perfect Tiramisu, he asked TWC for help

InvestEU, a new programme in the 2021-2027 budgetary period, aims to foster investment, support recovery and project the economy into the future

Tourists are ready to travel again, but after two years of COVID-19 emergency, Travel & Tourism is dealing with a big issue: staff shortages

“The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly”? Defining the war-related attractions’ role in the tourism-peace nexus: peace education, nationalist propaganda, or trauma porn?

Expedia Group study highlights tourism industry resilience and reveals how travel companies can adapt to gain a competitive advantage

The budget of Creative Europe, the European programme supporting the cultural and audiovisual sectors, rises to €2.44 billion for the next seven years.

With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, China’s tourism has been hit hard. In 2021 only 8.5 million international travellers were recorded, a number that is even lower than the 10 million recorded in the year 2000. However, this is still a 27% increase on 2020, a black year for Chinese outbound tourism, even if it represents only

As already reported, sustainability represents the guiding thread of new tourists’ behaviour and emerging trends. However, the willingness expressed by consumers to adopt a more sustainable travel behaviour has not always materialised. Recognising this, the European Travel Commission (ETC) published a report named “Sustainable Travel in an Era of Disruption: Impact of Covid-19 on Sustainable Tourism Attitudes”, which aims at supporting

Horizon Europe is the EU programme dedicated to research and innovation and has a total budget of €95.5 billion, including €5.4 billion for Next Generation EU, the plan for Europe’s recovery.   The programme is based on three cross-cutting pillars: Excellent Science, Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, and Innovative Europe. The key strategic orientations can be summarised as: digitisation, protection of biodiversity, environmental and economic sustainability, creating a resilient, inclusive and democratic society.  Within the Programme, the tourism sector can

Global tourism experienced a 4% upturn in 2021, compared to 2020 (415 million versus 400 million). However, international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) were still 72% below the pre-pandemic year of 2019, according to preliminary estimates by UNWTO. This follows on from 2020, the worst year on record for tourism, when international arrivals decreased by 73%. The

Many trends in the hospitality industry that we observed in 2020 reaffirmed also in the following year, forcing hoteliers to adapt their strategy to a situation still affected by the pandemic. Net Affinity and Hospitality Net published their 2021 roundups focused on the hotel industry, within which trends and predictions have been analysed and, in most cases, reconfirmed. We present the most

In the analysis of the report “Lessons Learnt” published by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), we have already talked about the importance of “collaboration and co-ordination” and of a human-centric approach in the tourism sector. Here we report three other fundamental elements for the recovery of the entire industry: 1. Health & hygiene are the new normal The pandemic has completely

As already reported, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) published the report “Lessons Learnt” which summarizes twelve “lessons” learnt during the pandemic. Along with the relevant role played by “collaboration and co-ordination” in crisis management, another key factor is the importance of “focusing on humanity”. Continuous lockdowns and compulsory isolation had such an impact on everyone’s daily life that, in order to

“Digital Europe” is a new Programme that is part of the 2021-2027 EU budgetary period, with the aim of bringing citizens, businesses and public administration closer to digitalisation.  The pandemic has accelerated the digital transition, and the European Union plans to allocate €7.6 billion for the following areas of interest: supercomputing (€2.2 billion), artificial intelligence (€2.1 billion), cybersecurity (€1.6 billion), advanced digital skills (€580 million), widespread use of digital technologies (€1.1 billion).  The tourism

The call for proposals “Covid-19 Recovery through Sustainable Tourism Growth and SME Support” under the EU’s Single Market Programme (SMP) is open until February 16, 2022 with a total budget of 12 420 000 euros.   Direct support to the tourism sector is aimed at fostering a more resilient, innovative and sustainable ecosystem. In this perspective, the overall objective is to monitor the sustainability performance

With the aim of helping tourism sector’s stakeholders and players deal with future crises, the World Travel & Tourism Council published the report “Lessons Learnt” which summarises twelve lessons learnt during the pandemic. The first key factor is “collaboration and co-ordination are integral for crisis management”.  Despite the incentives coming from relevant stakeholders, over the last year it has been noticed

Proposals under the first call of the “Interreg Central Europe Programme 2021-2027” must be submitted by February the 23th. The total budget for this first call is 72 million euros distributed over four axes, which envision a united central Europe cooperating in order to be smarter, greener, better connected and with a better governance. Source: Interreg CE-Terms-of-Reference Call 1  Eligible proposals must be

Smart working is gaining momentum in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, 16% of Italian workers will continue to work remotely. In America, 84% of those surveyed in favour of smart working say they are willing to accept a 5% pay cut to continue remote working. The benefits of remote working are many: improved work-life balance, more space for self-care, hobbies

Wine & food tourism has been growing steadily over the years and the quality demanded by tourists is also increasing, as they are becoming more active and participatory in their experience, attentive to safety and sustainability issues and more technologically inclined. According to the Report on Italian Food and Wine Tourism 2021, this sector has

The latest ETC’s market survey highlights the intentions of European travelers and the renewed propensity to travel between the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022. Here are some recommendations for destinations and businesses that want to adapt their strategic actions to the trends of a more optimistic scenario

Twissen interviewed Fabio Carbone, Ambassador of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism, analyzing the interconnection between Peace and Tourism e the future challenges

Twissen interviewed Fabio Carbone, Ambassador of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism, analyzing the interconnection between Peace and Tourism

How to improve the attractiveness of a tourist destination by exploiting the growth of the film tourism trend and encouraging film productions

The emergence of business opportunities related to space tourism leads to questioning the future of the sector and its sustainability

The European Travel Commission released a report to propose a common vision for European NTOs. Focus is on sustainability and digital transformation processes.

Hybrid Events: a solution for MICE sector’s recovery as well as an opportunity to increase audience, visibility and engagement

83% of global travellers think sustainable travel is vital: sustainability must be a pillar of hotels as well as services providers’ management strategy and, in order to be perceived, it requires an efficient communication targeting valuable travellers

3 emerging trends that with reshape the future of travel: health and wellbeing as a top priority; travel as a necessary getaway from the everyday life; travellers’ choices driven by flexibility and sustainability

The resilience of direct bookings gives the opportunity to hoteliers to redefine their distribution strategy by balancing direct and intermediary channels, aiming at building value for tourists as well as accelerating the post-Covid recovery

Innovative green practices, measurable benefits for the local community, transferability of the green transition strategy, long-term solution-based approach: these are the assessment criteria for destinations applying for The European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) initiative

Staycation, longer and customised holidays, campervans: 3 travel trends to monitor for summer 2021

Tourism policies and consumers’ decisions increasingly show us that sustainability cannot be part of a niche tourism anymore, indeed, it is the prerequisite for the recovery of the whole tourism system

Camping and outdoor activities become strong travel motivations for the post-Covid tourist: to seize new business opportunities, the outdoor industry must evolve and communicate its services keeping in mind the quality and the safety standards

Travelers are interested in flexible offers, lesser-known locations, personalised experiences, luxury amenities such as high cleanliness standards, culinary experiences, sustainable options, prioritizing brands whick support diversity and inclusion

If customisation is a key factor for the recovery of the travel industry, veganism should be identified as an opportunity for differentiation, especially now that sustainability and environmentally-friendly decisions are becoming always more relevant

Destinations and tourism attractions willing to target Chinese customers should promote themselves on WeChat and Weibo. Dragon Trail provides an analysis of European destinations’ performance on these two platforms.

New business models and options will redefine more than just the hotel and vacation rental industry: they are also challenging the basic assumption about the meaning of home and vacation, especially as regards the “workation” trend

ETC’s report shows Europeans’ desire to take their first trip before July 2021. Destinations and businesses should adapt their strategy to the new tourists’ demands, putting health, safety and sustainability first

Food and wine are widely recognised as key elements in the tourist’s travel decision. To benefit from this, DMOs must include food and wine tourism in their digital communication strategy.

Subscriptions are fast becoming a way for pandemic-hit industries to get enough cash flow to hang on and build customer loyalty

Combining teleconferencing with person-to-person meetings will be a prevalent trend for the future. Providing the tech services required for a hybrid event is an opportunity for hotels to differentiate themselves from the competition

Flexibility and customisation are the prerequisites to attract tourists in 2021, guests searching for safety, regeneration and work-friendly spaces

In the complicated future of travel, the role of travel agents will be invaluable.

Virtual meetings, smart working and sustainability issues define the new paradigm for business travel. Opportunity for growth will be provided by unmanaged travel.

Chinese banks will be financing 320 national cultural and tourism projects to promote high-quality development of the relevant industries. The projects were jointly selected by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and six banks, including the China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China. The projects are expected to receive a total investment of

In the last decades, the main objective of tourism destinations has been to address and mitigate the negative effects of phenomena such as overtourism and short-term stays, which have contributed to the development of unsustainable forms of mass tourism. In 2020, with the tourism sector in crisis due to the global pandemic, it is necessary

Ancillary services, which in recent years have proven to be a key source of revenue for OTAs and airlines, represent the opportunity to increase profits even for the hospitality industry, which should now develop a Post-Covid recovery plan.   Following the global pandemic, two core concepts have emerged in the hotel industry that must be kept in mind. On the one hand, the crucial role of an effective

It is widely acknowledged that contactless payments are enhancing the travel experience, especially with the growth of mobile usage. Moreover, safety measures following the global pandemic are accelerating the adoption of contactless technologies throughout the whole tourism industry. As revealed by a study of the agency Blackbox Research, 76% of respondents prefer destinations offering contactless experiences, such as the implementation

With smart working becoming more common during the lockdown, the world of tourism is now experiencing the emergence of the concept of workation, a term used to indicate the union between work and vacation.  The trend observed by CNN Travel fits into this context, according to which, starting from summer 2020, there has been an increasing number of long-term

Chinese tourists are ready to travel again after the strict lockdown, prioritising domestic travel

The latest document by the American strategic consulting firm McKinsey outlines 9 possible scenarios for the recovery of the world economy after the health emergency caused by COVID-19

The Deutsche Bank report suggests to the tourism industry what preventive measures to take in order to increase the level of security of travellers even during the Coronavirus emergency

Due to the Coronavirus emergency, Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) are adopting new internal strategies to address the challenges facing the travel industry

The survey carried out by the Chinese travel specialist, Dragon Trail Interactive, collects information on the prospects for the recovery of tourism in China and the future travel intentions and priorities of Chinese tourists

10 growing trends suggest what will have value and priority for consumers in a post coronavirus world

After a gradual downsizing of the Coronavirus epidemic in China and an initial easing of travel restrictions, the Chinese travel sector is showing timid signs of recovery

Travolution’s Innovation Report 2020 analyses the spending allocated by the tourism sector across the UK on information technologies in 2019, outlining the forecast for 2020

The last Quarterly Report from the European Travel Commission confirms tourism a constantly growing sector, but some external factors can change the outlook for 2020

American Travelers are increasingly looking for culture and quality during their travels in Europe and in emergent destinations. Among them, Millennials are the one who most relies on travel agents in order to plan their vacation.

Despite the global changes and challenges have affected many sectors of the global economy, the tourism sector is closely linked to a widespread globalization that makes it an ever-increasing phenomenon

The selection of the brand has to answer three important questions about the destination.

The Chinese market has been affecting the tourism sector and its policies for several years.

New technologies in the Travel & Tourism industry are changing the traditional business models of the sector.

Twissen interviewed Tripaneer, a company owning several portals which are focused on different activities and experiences.

Dowload the Report to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Report to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Report to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Report to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Report to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Report to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Report to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Report to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Report to know more about the trend.

Download the Twissen Season Report Winter 2017 to stay focused on the T&T trends.

Twissen interviewed HiJiffy, providing a chatbot to tourism accommodations which enables their guests to chat with them via Facebook Messenger.

Twissen interviewed Customer Alliance, a company which provides to tourist accommodations a software to manage and build web reputation.

Travel bookings are happening via online channels, with different characteristics depending on the industry’s sector.

An analysis on 60.000 researches underlines the preferences of tourists travelling to Veneto coasts.

New payments methods are increasingly being used in Europe in the Travel & Tourism industry.

Twissen interviewed itinari, a platform to promote destinations and activities and to create personalised travel guides.

Twissen interviewed Trip For Dog, which offers a metasearch to find the best pet-friendly facilities in Europe.

Dowload the Report to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Report to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Report to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Report to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Report to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Report to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Report to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Report to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Report to know more about the trend.

Download the Twissen Season Report Winter 2017 to stay focused on the T&T trends.

Twissen interviewed TrekkSoft, which offers a software to manage tours and in-destination activities.

Tech innovations provide personalisation of hospitality services, addressing the problem of the relationship between humans and robots.

Twissen interviewed BAGBNB, an innovative network of luggage rooms.

WeChat registers a 35% growth in 2016: Travel & Tourism industry is ready to renew payment methods.

Twissen interviewed Bikenbike, an online platform where demand and supply for cycling tourism meet.

A digital strategy applied to cultural sites could increase tourism flows.

Twissen interviewed Buforfun, an example of how transport service combines with experience.

Dowload the Twissen Season Report Fall 2016 to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Twissen Season Report Fall 2016 to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Twissen Season Report Fall 2016 to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Twissen Season Report Fall 2016 to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Twissen Season Report Fall 2016 to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Twissen Season Report Fall 2016 to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Twissen Season Report Fall 2016 to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Twissen Season Report Fall 2016 to know more about the trend.

Dowload the Twissen Season Report Fall 2016 to know more about the trend.

Download the Twissen Season Report Fall 2016 to stay focused on T&T trends

The Wi-Fi connection importance is highlighted in the report “iPass Mobile Professional Report 2016”, published by iPass. The report is built on a survey realised on more than 1700 mobile professionals in Europe and US. It is a fact that the majority of smartphones’ apps depends on Internet connectivity, including emails, maps and social medias.

Travel & Tourism industry micro-influencers result to be more efficient.

A research from the Observatory of Digital Innovation in Tourism from the School of Management of Polytechnic of Milan on 2.000 firms shows that overall expenditure for tourist purposes in Italy will reach 52 billion of Euro in 2016, with a +3% YOY and a +8% if considered only the digital component. Source: Observatory of

The role of robots in the Travel & Tourism industry is becoming more and more important. They allow personalisation and quickness of information. On the other hand, there are profitable segments of tourists that keep on preferring travel agents’ services.  Here you can find about: Brexit Olympic Games in Rio Ryanair in Italy Pokémon Go

This fusion creates a colossus of the hotel industry which has a big potential in negotiating both with OTAs and with single destinations. Here you can find about: Brexit Olympic Games in Rio Ryanair in Italy Pokémon Go and the augmented reality Flying to Cuba Sharing economy faces Spanish rules Safety influenced travellers ways Experts call for

Big hotels chains such as Marriott and Hilton launched direct booking campaigns in order to balance OTAs’ hegemony on hotel rates, promising cheaper prices. Meanwhile, European hotels are trying to face OTAs’ rate parity clauses. Read more on the rate parity. Here you can find about: Brexit Olympic Games in Rio Ryanair in Italy Pokémon

Venice is one of the most visited cities in the world and this summer residents demonstrated to be tired of some tourists’ behaviour. In order to protect their cultural heritage and their traditions, many European cultural cities have to deal with a problem of sustainability in tourism. Here you can find about: Brexit Olympic Games

Terrorism this year deeply affected the summer season. Some European destinations suffered from it, in particular France, Turkey and Belgium, recording a decrease in international arrivals. This facts are defining new paths in the travellers’ choices. Read more on Twissen about Europe and the terrorism issue. Here you can find about: Brexit Olympic Games in

Spain, in particular Barcelona, is tired of dealing with the practices of Homeway and Airbnb, and started to fine them. In order to guarantee a fair competitive scene, are other European countries going to follow it? Here you can find about: Brexit Olympic Games in Rio Ryanair in Italy Pokémon Go and the augmented reality

Friendly relationships between Cuba and the USA really changed the international tourism scenario, introducing new opportunities of investments. This could represent a threat for Europe, that has to deal with this new competitive perspective. Here you can find about: Brexit Olympic Games in Rio Ryanair in Italy Pokémon Go and the augmented reality Flying to

Niantic mobile game Pokémon Go was the big summer creation, introducing the augmented reality at a brand new level. Hotels, bars, tourist accommodation facilities and tourist boards caught the chance to lure customers. Augmented reality will impact on tourism destinations and businesses, leading people to discover different places.  Here you can find about: Brexit Olympic

This summer, Ryanair decided to invest on Italian destinations and to adopt different policies on UK routes, also after the Brexit referendum. This has been already causing impacts on fares and on European tourism flows. Here you can find about: Brexit Olympic Games in Rio Ryanair in Italy Pokémon Go and the augmented reality Flying

The Rio Olympic Games generated big tourism and investment flows in Brazil. The next Olympic Games in East Asia are expected to impact on the economy of the region and provide new business opportunities. Here you can find about: Brexit Olympic Games in Rio Ryanair in Italy Pokémon Go and the augmented reality Flying to

The Brexit referendum, voted on last June, 23th, has been having a strong impact on the Travel & Tourism industry. Quotations of pounds influenced on tourism flows and fares, and insiders expect new scenarios. Read more on Twissen about how Brexit influenced tourists’ habits. Here you can find about: Brexit Olympic Games in Rio Ryanair

Twissen Summer Season Report is now available! Here you can find about: Brexit Olympic Games in Rio Ryanair in Italy Pokémon Go and the augmented reality Flying to Cuba Sharing economy faces Spanish rules Safety influenced travellers ways Experts call for sustainable tourism Direct booking or not? The Marriott-Starwood deal Robot vs Travel Agents  

It is foreseen a growth up to $ 143,8 billion by 2022 for “travel across international borders with the purpose of availing medical treatment of some form, which may or may not be available in the travellers‘ home country”, namely medical tourism as defined by the Allied Market Research Report, released in the first quarter of 2016. Main motivations to travel

According to 2015 Resonance Report “Portrait of the US international leisure traveler”, nowadays the 27% of the international travellers coming from the USA is represented by “sophisticated explorers”. Their first motivation to travel is exploring new cultures and their traditions during leisure travels.” Most of them are interested in visiting cultural attractions (95%) and in