Events

📚 ICFF 2026 will be held at New York's Javits Center from May 17-19, featuring the theme "Common Ground" to highlight design's cross-disciplinary role. The event will host over 90 speakers, including designers and business leaders. Notable talks include "The Art of Making" by Jessica Gersten and "The Hospitality Effect" by Andrew Franz. The fair will transition to November dates in 2027, coinciding with BDNY, while still maintaining independent curation and identity.

⚽ 2026, in the United States, the administration has waived visa bond requirements for confirmed World Cup ticket holders. This change aims to facilitate international fans' attendance at the event. Geoff Freeman, CEO of U.S. Travel, highlights that such measures, including accelerated visa processing and efforts by the White House Task Force, enhance the U.S. as a top travel destination and ensure a successful World Cup experience.

🏨 Indonesia's luxury hotel occupancy hit pre-pandemic levels by March 2026, surpassing other classes by 5.5 percentage points. Hotel rates jumped over 40% since 2019. Bali's branded residences grew 30.3% year-on-year, reaching IDR 707 trillion (USD 40 billion) across 50,025 units. Indonesia's share is IDR 24.7 trillion (USD 1.4 billion) with 1,145 units. Bali hosts 70+ hospitality-managed developments, with Canggu/Berawa leading. ITX 2026, held at The Langham, Jakarta, drew 400+ leaders, focusing on tourism growth.

🏆 On 8 January 2026, FIFA named Marriott Bonvoy as the 'Official Hotel Supporter in North America' for the World Cup held from 11 June to 19 July across the US, Canada, and Mexico. With 3.5 billion football fans globally, the event includes 48 teams, 104 matches, and 16 host cities. Bonvoy members with a Visa card can secure final match tickets for just 1 loyalty point, offering 12 packages per match and a suite in the final's stadium.

🏨 Raffles Paris is spearheading Accor's ambitious Roland-Garros activation, running from May 18 to June 7. Notable transformations are occurring at landmark hotels in Tokyo, São Paulo, and Shanghai. The event includes immersive hotel experiences, a curated courtside lounge, and exclusive member auctions for final seats.

📅 June 16-17, 2026, San Antonio, Texas hosts HSMAI's Commercial Strategy Conference at Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, focusing on marketing, revenue optimization, sales, and distribution in hospitality. Events include keynote presentations, breakout sessions, and networking, with pre- and post-event workshops. The conference features 14 breakout sessions each day, exploring current challenges and strategies. This event runs alongside HFTP's HITEC. Sponsorship tiers include Premiere to Bronze partners, and registration savings apply for groups of five or more.

📅 May 13th, 1:00 PM EST, Online Zoom: Join HOTELS Magazine's webinar, “The Digital Layer of Procurement: Turning Spend Data Into Profitability.” Experts Debbie Shepard, Rachel Dabrowa, and Kirk Pederson will discuss enhancing hotel procurement through spend visibility, benchmarking, and guided insights. Topics include increasing contract compliance, reducing cost leakage, and making smarter substitutions. With profit margins under pressure, this event offers solutions to boost efficiency and profitability. Register for free!

📅 Skift Asia Forum 2026, set to take place, offers exclusive content including full session videos, Skift Takeaway insights, and presentation decks. Access is granted to Skift Pro subscribers and those registered for the event. To gain entry, participants must log in through the provided portal.

🏨 Imperia Spa at the Renfrewshire estate is shortlisted for Scotland’s Best Hotel Spa 2026 at the World Spa Awards.

🏕 2026 is set as a pivotal year for global tourism, driven by mega-events, according to Jungho Suh on Hospitality Net. These events will spike hotel occupancy, airline demand, and food-and-beverage spending, while boosting long-term destination visibility. Similarly, Bailey Schulz on Skift emphasizes "live tourism," transforming travel demand. The World Travel & Tourism Council and Reuters highlight these events as significant tourism growth stimulants, illustrating the broad influence of sports, cultural, and entertainment events on global travel.