Top Destination Travel News From April

The biggest destination headlines from April include new record-breaking projections and visitor numbers for destinations across the globe, creative ways that destinations are combatting overtourism, and new information on cruise tourism's growing popularity from Asia to South America. Curious to catch up on the stories you might've missed in April? Cllick through this slideshow to get the bite-sized stories, and click the links provided to read the full stories.

A new report by the World Travel & Tourism Council predicts 2024 to be another record-breaking year for the global travel and tourism industry. The organization predicted that the industry will generate one in every ten dollars worldwide, contributing $11.1 trillion, which is an all-time high. Additionally, it's expected to employ more people than it ever has, at 348 million.

Dubai is working with the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards to become a Certified Autism Destination. According to the city, the independent certification process typically takes destinations around 3 years to complete, but the city is nearing the end of its certification at just over one year. Over 13,000 people have received awareness training, with over 350 of the city's hotels participating in the training program. Over 30 attractions and locations across Dubai have already earned certifications from the IBCCES.

Hawai'i became the most recent destination in April to consider limiting the number of vacation home and apartment rentals in the state as housing prices soar. The Maui wildfires only exacerbated the problem, as it destroyed approximately 4,000 homes on the island. The housing crisis in the state is so bad that last year's census showed a new first: there's currently more Native Hawaiian people living on the U.S. mainland than in Hawai'i.

In April, Disneyland and Walt Disney World announced they'd be changing their Disability Access Service, which was created to support the needs of neurodivergent guests. Yet the parks say that using the service has tripled over the past five years, and is being taken advantage of. There'll be some new changes to the program in the coming months, including a re-application process for any current DAS guests.

On April 9, Brazil postponed the implementation of its visitor visa program for travelers from the United States, Canada and Australia. The visa program was postponed until April 2025, giving travelers with passports from these countries one more year to visit without extra paperwork.

Officials in Cambodia are launching an investigation into several YouTube influencers who were caught abusing monkeys on camera at the UNESCO-designated Angkor Wat complex. The recent investigation begs travelers to consider their interactions with wild animals, and how to be a respectful traveler to both people and wildlife alike.

Safaris are more popular than ever before, according to Go2Africa's annual State of Safaris report. The report found that interest in going on a safari has more than doubled worldwide in 2023, and that travelers are more willing to spend 25 percent more on their safari travel. Additionally, sustainable safari experiences have grown over 1,000 percent over the past four years.

Disneyland Paris announced a big new change was coming to the park: its Walt Disney Studios Park would be entirely renovated and renamed Disney Adventure World. The park experience will feature attractions from fan favorites, including a Frozen-themed world.

Colombia's tourism officials reported in April that the South American country expects a growth in cruise travelers during its 2023-2024 cruise season. It's predicting 214 cruise ships visits with over 329,000 cruise visitors. The country has been experiencing a growth in travel across the board, but especially so as a cruise destination. Its most popular port is Cartagena, which offers a UNESCO-designated historic fortified city center.

Malaysia is another country hoping to grow its tourism economy through cruising this year. The Southeast Asian country welcomed over 1,000 cruise ships with over 1.5 million passengers in 2023, which is an 85 percent growth from 2019. The country offers several ports for travelers to visit, including Langkawi, a UNESCO-designated World Geopark.

Japan hit a milestone this March: it welcomed over 3 million travelers in a single month for the first time. Additionally, the country reported that international travelers are spending more money than ever before. In the first three months of this year, they spent a record-breaking $11.3 billion.

Amsterdam is continuing to cut back on overtourism in the popular European city, this time implementing measures to reduce the number of river cruise ships allowed in the city. The proposed plan would cut back on river cruise ships from the 2,300 that docked in the city in 2023 to 1,150 by 2028. The projected loss in tourism economy would be around $78 million a year, and would reduce the number of tourists in the city by 271,000 a year.

Travelers looking to visit Yosemite National Park this spring and summer are going to need reservations planned in advance of their visits. These dates are April 13 through June 30 and August 17 through October 27. Reservations are required on the weekends and holidays for each of these dates, but are also required seven days a week between July 1 and August 16.

Amsterdam isn't just targeting river cruise ships: it's also banning new-build hotels in the city. The new rule allows new hotels to be built only when they're replacing ones that have closed, and they have to be either more sustainable or more modern than their predecessors. It's also meant to encourage more hotels to open outside of the city's congested historic center.

The National Park Service issued a notice for travelers in April, notifying them of expected summer traffic delays at Yellowstone National Park, due to two major construction projects going on this summer. The two projects could lead to traffic jams.

The scenic beach destination of Destin, Florida is enjoying newfound popularity after it was mentioned in a new Taylor Swift song published in her latest album in April. The city is expecting more Swifties to visit the city as an homage to their favorite artist, and they're already seeing more interest in the city's visitor center and via searches online.

In late April, Venice began implementing a pilot program charging travelers who visit the city during its peak travel season a fee of $5.35 as a way to alleviate overtourism. It requires travelers visiting on 29 peak travel days through the end of July to pay the tax. The funds will be dedicated towards improving living conditions for residents in the city.