CHIANG MAI, THAILAND—Meliá Chiang Mai has launched a two-night stay package that routes a portion of the proceeds to a food rescue foundation. The Sustainability Package includes two nights’ accommodation with breakfast and one three-course set dinner for two based on seasonal, locally sourced ingredients at MAI Restaurant and Bar on the 21st floor. The package supports Scholars of Sustenance (SOS) Thailand, a food rescue foundation established in 2016 to enhance the country’s food system. SOS Thailand aims to minimize needless loss of surplus food and improve food equity by redistributing quality surplus food on a daily basis from hotels, grocers, and...

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—The Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) has released its 2026 Adventure Travel Trends & Insights report, drawing on global survey data collected between January and March 2026 to reflect operator performance and sentiment from 2025. After years of rapid post-pandemic recovery, the adventure travel sector is entering a more measured phase, defined by resilience, recalibration, and strategic adaptation. Now in its 19th year, the report continues to serve as a benchmark for tracking the direction and performance of the global adventure travel sector. A total of 329 tour operators participated, representing businesses headquartered across South America, Europe, North America, Asia,...

If you do business in the European Union, you need to pay attention to the EU Empowering Consumers Directive (EmpCo). As concerns about greenwashing grow, EmpCo is introducing stricter rules for how companies communicate sustainability claims and use environmental labels. EmpCo targets B2C communication and strengthens consumer protection. The directive is designed to give consumers clearer, more reliable information about the environmental and social impacts of the products they buy. At the same time, it creates a more level playing field for brands making credible sustainability commitments. The directive covers all consumer-facing commercial practices, meaning it applies not only to packaging but...

SANTA ROSA BEACH, FLA.—Newman‑Dailey Resort Properties is celebrating Earth Day 2026 with a travel package that pays it forward in more ways than one. Guests who book a stay in April at Sanctuary by the Sea or Sanctuary at Redfish, located in Blue Mountain Beach along Scenic Highway 30A, may opt for the 2026 Earth Day Travel Package. The package includes complimentary daily beach service, $26 off the stay, and a $26 donation to the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (CBA) in support of Big Redfish Lake, one of the area’s rare coastal dune lakes. “For more than 40 years, we’ve managed vacation...

I have mentioned Give Kids The World Village several times before on Green Lodging News. For those of you not familiar with the organization, it is a Central Florida nonprofit that provides week-long, cost-free vacations to critically ill children and their families. I just learned that Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach (Fla.) and Davidson Hospitality Group have debuted guestrooms designed to benefit Give Kids The World Village, Guests booking these rooms will have a portion of the proceeds donated to the nonprofit. The Give Kids The World rooms feature partial views of the Gulf and Intracoastal waterways, specialty artwork and decor inspired...

NATIONAL REPORT—In 2026, sustainability is no longer a fringe concern, it’s a mainstream expectation. But while eco-consciousness is on the rise, price sensitivity is still top of mind for most travelers. This creates a tension that every hotelier must navigate: How do you promote your property’s green credentials without alienating budget-conscious guests? Fortunately, it’s not a binary choice. Today’s travelers want eco-conscious stays and budget-friendly hotels, so marketers must learn to balance low-cost actions with high-impact initiatives. And the hotels that strike the right balance will win loyalty, increase direct bookings, and elevate their brand. According to the 2026 TravelBoom Leisure Travel...

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—Survey results suggest that long-haul travelers visiting Europe are increasingly open to more responsible travel habits, including choosing greener transport options, engaging with local culture, traveling outside peak seasons and exploring destinations beyond traditional tourism hotspots. These are the key findings of the latest Assessment of Responsible Travel Behaviors of Long-haul Travelers to Europe, published by the European Travel Commission (ETC) and conducted by Kairos Future. The research combines a survey of 3,000 travelers across six key overseas markets (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Japan and the US) with analysis of online travel discussions and editorial media coverage related to travel to Europe. The...

BELIZE CITY, BELIZE—The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), in collaboration with the Belize Tourism Board, will host the Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development (STC 2026) from April 27-30, 2026, in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize. Now in its 17th edition, the Conference will convene regional and international tourism leaders under the theme: “Tourism in Full Color: Integrating Blue, Green, Orange and Beyond Economies into Sustainable Planning and Development.” “STC 2026 reflects the Caribbean’s commitment to reimagining tourism as a powerful driver of inclusive growth, climate resilience and cultural vitality,” said Dona Regis-Prosper, CTO’s Secretary-General and CEO. “By embracing a Tourism...

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA.—Whole Systems Hospitality™, a leader in systems-thinking design—seeing hospitality as an interconnected ecosystem, not silos—and Green Lodging News, the lodging industry’s leading environmental news source, have partnered with the Whole Systems Hospitality Podcast to educate and elevate future-focused conversation throughout the global hospitality community. United by a shared belief that hospitality needs clearer stories, stronger guidance, guest centered approaches and sustainability, the two organizations aim to inform, inspire, and help hotels, management firms, suppliers, associations, and destinations to make measurable progress in health and wellness, sustainability, regeneration, and community impact.  Green Lodging News and Whole Systems Hospitality’s combined...

NATIONAL REPORT—In the latest episode of Matt Talks Hospitality, Matt Welle sat down with Floris Licht—hotel general manager and founder of Hotels for Trees—to explore a deceptively simple question: do guests really need their room cleaned every day of a multi-night stay? This question opens the door to a broader conversation about how hotels can rethink housekeeping for a more efficient, sustainable and guest-centric future. The Hidden Opportunity Inside Stayover Cleaning Stayover cleaning has long been treated as the default. If a guest is in-house, the room is cleaned. Yet behavior is shifting. Many travelers don’t require daily linen changes or full servicing,...