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Oravel Stays, the parent of OYO, has rebranded to Prism to reflect its evolution into a diversified global hospitality and tech group ahead of its planned IPO.

Get ready for a big jump in Vienna’s tourist tax – from 3.2% to 8.5% of room costs starting December 1, 2025. This means visitors will pay significantly more for accommodation, especially during the popular holiday season.

Planning to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S.? Many fans may face hurdles – long consular waits, stringent visa requirements, and limited local resources could derail travel plans for attendees from certain countries.

The U.S. government will raise the ESTA application fee from $21 to $40 starting 30 September 2025 – nearly doubling the cost for travelers using the Visa Waiver Program.

Celebrity River Cruises has revealed five boutique stateroom categories – including skylight suites – and launched 33 seven-night Rhine and Danube itineraries, with bookings selling out in minutes.

Spirit Airlines has announced it will withdraw from 11 U.S. cities beginning October 2, 2025, as the carrier enters its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring in less than a year.

JetBlue has partnered with Amazon’s Project Kuiper to introduce high-speed, low-latency in-flight Wi-Fi starting in 2027 – becoming the first airline to embrace the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network.

United Airlines plans to resume direct service between Tel Aviv and both Washington D.C. and Chicago beginning summer 2026, expanding its Middle East network beyond New York.

Choice Hotels is growing the Everhome Suites extended-stay brand with seven new properties across the U.S., offering long-stay travelers modern amenities and competitive value in key markets.

Southwest Airlines will provide free in-flight Wi-Fi to all Rapid Rewards members starting October 24, 2025, through a partnership with T-Mobile, making it the largest U.S. airline to offer complimentary Wi-Fi fleetwide.

Ground-handling staff strikes are set to disrupt flights across Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Madeira, and the Azores from September 2025 through January 2026, affecting millions of travelers.

Accor is expanding its ALL PLUS subscription offering worldwide – including the ibis and Voyageur cards – providing year-round discounts, room guarantees, and fast-tracked loyalty status to frequent travelers across its global hotel network.

TBO Tek has acquired Classic Vacations for $125 million, gaining access to the U.S. luxury leisure travel market and positioning itself as a key player in high-end global travel distribution.

Ryanair is ramping up its enforcement of cabin baggage rules by increasing gate staff bonuses to €2.50 per oversized bag and scrapping the €80 monthly cap – from November 2025.

Spain’s tourism is booming – but September is now as busy and costly as the summer. Hotel prices, tourist spending, and holiday habits have shifted, erasing the traditional ‘bargain’ phase.