Dawit Habtemariam

I cover what destinations around the world are doing to attract tourists and the top trends in global tourism. Prior to joining Skift, I covered corporate travel at Business Travel News.

Latest Stories

Tourism

Athens City Official: ‘Rapid Growth Has Left the City Exposed to Climate Change’

Athens has had infrastructure shortcomings for quite some time. Climate change and a tourism boom magnified the problems. The city's infrastructure chief hopes greener upgrades can be a solution.

Dawit Habtemariam | 3 weeks ago

Tourism

Edinburgh to Charge Scotland’s First Tourist Tax

Thanks to powers granted by the Scottish parliament, Edinburgh is leading the way on charging its visitors taxes on their hotel stays. We could see more tourist taxes pop up in Scotland, making the destination more expensive.

Dawit Habtemariam | 3 weeks ago

Tourism

Visit Florida on LGTBQ Travel Page Removal: ‘Our Marketing … Must Align With the State’

Visit Florida finally responded to a question about why it removed its LGTBQ Travel page. But there are still plenty of unanswered questions.

Dawit Habtemariam | 3 weeks ago

Tourism

U.S. National Parks Vs. Overtourism: 3 Steps to Stop Overcrowding

The new $100 million grant will boost the National Park Service's efforts to mitigate overtourism. It's going to need the help because there are no signs of a visitor slowdown.

Dawit Habtemariam | 4 weeks ago

Short-Term Rentals

Short-Term Rental Bookings Jump for Labor Day

Some travel companies have been reporting signs of a slowdown. But recent data – from AAA, the TSA and now, short-term rental bookings – suggest a strong holiday weekend.

Dawit Habtemariam | 4 weeks ago

Cruises

Viking Cruise CEO: ‘We Don’t See Any Sign of Weakness’

While other travel brands say they see signs of a slowdown, Viking executives see a boom and no signs travelers want to cutback on cruises.

Dawit Habtemariam | 4 weeks ago

Tourism

The Impact of Visit Florida’s LGBTQ Travel Page Removal

We don’t know why the page was removed and Visit Florida won’t say. But it could hurt already strained relations with the LGBTQ community and it doesn’t make sense from a marketing perspective.

Dawit Habtemariam | 1 month ago