With mental health disorders expected to affect half of the world’s population in their lifetime, the need for innovative and accessible solutions is pressing. Organizations like Mind Over Mountains and Blackdog Outdoors in the UK, and Hiking My Feelings in the US, have responded by creating travel retreats that merge outdoor pursuits with mental health support. These retreats fill a significant gap in the wellness space, offering a supportive environment for participants to engage in open discussions about their mental health challenges. Mind Over Mountains hosts free well-being walks and low-cost weekend retreats in national parks and Areas of Outstanding...

Las Vegas Sands was recently recognized on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI), with placement on both DJSI World and DJSI North America for the fifth consecutive year. To learn more about Sands’ initiatives, I took a look at its latest ESG report that covers activities through 2023. The company’s commitment to sustainable development and operations is reflected in the People, Communities and Planet pillars that make up its corporate responsibility platform. For this blog I took a look at the progress Las Vegas Sands is making under its Planet pillar. Emissions & Energy Efficiency Compared to its 2018 baseline, Las...

Our guest blogger, James Samson, is a Cayuga Hospitality Consultants member and Samson Hospitality‘s president. As leaders in the food and beverage industry, we at Samson Hospitality are always on the lookout for emerging food trends that will shape the culinary landscape. The world of food is dynamic, with consumer preferences constantly evolving and new innovations transforming the way we eat and drink. We believe that staying ahead of these trends is crucial not only for meeting the demands of our customers but also for driving the industry forward. Here are the top 15 food trends we predict will define 2025, backed by hard...

PM Hotel Group, a leading hospitality management company, and Sightline Hospitality, renowned for its experiential travel and innovative property management, have announced a strategic merger. This partnership marks a significant development in PM Hotel Group’s growth trajectory, specifically within PM Hotel Group’s lifestyle hotel division Modus by PM Hotel Group, complementing and deepening the organization’s distinct verticals of lifestyle, unconventional hospitality and experiential travel. The merger expands PM Hotel Group’s footprint across the United States, positioning the newly combined entity to deliver unparalleled management excellence and redefine luxury and lifestyle, driving enhanced value for property owners while offering guests a...

The World Travel & Tourism Council recently released a report entitled, “Climate and Ocean: Quantifying coastal and marine tourism and protecting destinations.” The report quantifies the impact of global coastal and marine tourism. The following are some highlights from the report: Coastal and marine tourism contributed $1.5 trillion to global GDP through its direct activities in 2023 and $3.3 trillion when including its supply chain (3.2% of the world economy). This activity directly supported 52 million jobs and 100 million total jobs when including the supply chain. Its direct tax footprint totaled $820 billion and $1.3 trillion in total...

As leaders in the food and beverage industry, we at Samson Hospitality are always on the lookout for emerging food trends that will shape the culinary landscape. The world of food is dynamic, with consumer preferences constantly evolving and new innovations transforming the way we eat and drink. We believe that staying ahead of these trends is crucial not only for meeting the demands of our customers but also for driving the industry forward. Here are the top 15 food trends we predict will define 2025, backed by hard data and real-world insights. Ethnic Fusion Global flavors continue to influence menus,...

After nearly a century and a half of creating memorable stays in Rome, Bettoja Hotels is participating in a new initiative to help restore and display hidden pieces of Italy’s cultural heritage. Bettoja Hotels is part of “Art Out of the Museum” (“Arte Fuori del Museo”), a program developed to bring unseen artwork into the public eye. On October 15, 2024, Bettoja Hotels’ flagship property Hotel Mediterraneo unveiled the first restored work in its lobby to launch this exciting new collaboration. While travel has rebounded post-pandemic, museum budgets worldwide continue to lack the funding needed to operate, let alone restore work....

The golden age of wellness tourism has arrived, and FINN Partners is assessing the gleam on the epoch with The Future of Wellness Tourism 2025, a new report compiled by the agency’s Global Travel Practice that was released at the Global Wellness Summit in St. Andrews, Scotland. Available for download on FINN Partners’ global website, The Future of Wellness Tourism 2025 provides a deep dive into trends that will define wellness tourism around the world in the years ahead. The 42-page report is loaded with data, expert insights, and on-the-ground examples of innovations conceived to satisfy the growing desire of travelers to experience wellness. Those...

For the first time in history, the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) will focus on the tourism sector’s role in global climate action. The event, scheduled for November 20 in Baku, Azerbaijan, will see Tourism Ministers join the dialogue, highlighting the sector’s significance in climate action. This opportunity was facilitated by the combined efforts of the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism). It also reflects the shift towards a science-based approach in guiding the tourism sector on climate action, building on the Glasgow Declaration Initiative and the One Planet Sustainable Tourism...

In case you missed it, Wellness in Travel & Tourism (WITT), an independent organization composed of experts with over 125 years of combined experience at the intersection of hospitality, wellness, and travel, recently announced the launch of the industry’s first wellness certification for hotels and resorts. This groundbreaking initiative aims to transform the hospitality sector by providing prestigious certification criteria that sets properties apart in a competitive market, enabling them to enhance their wellness offerings and attract travelers. “The WITT Certified seal provides hotels and resorts with a significant advantage in attracting travelers by offering objective and rigorous audits of their wellness amenities and services,” said Robin Ruiz, WITT’s CEO and Founder....