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Wildfires tore through France and Spain this week, forcing mass evacuations near popular tourist destinations like Bordeaux and Madrid.

For much of the region, travel continued with few disruptions. Airports remained operational, although there were reported delays. Hotels within the immediate vicinity of the Bordeaux airport closed, but other hotels and restaurants in the region remained open. Uniworld Boutique River Cruises adjusted docking spots “out of an abundance of caution” but so far has not canceled cruises.

“We expect things to swiftly return to normal with plenty of visitors coming to Bordeaux to experience and enjoy the harvest,” Martin Hurst, co-founder of The Bordeaux Concierge, said Wednesday.

But Europe isn’t in the clear yet. Fires spread to Greece, killing three firefighters Wednesday and forcing hundreds of residents and tourists to evacuate, according to Reuters. Maria Zuber, who heads the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Center, said Italy faces heightened danger starting in August.

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Intelligence on the Caribbean

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“Tourism enablement is about creating the conditions for sustainable success. But technology is the enabler, not the experience. AI makes it easier to find; the human experience brings travelers back." — Donovan White, Director of Tourism, Jamaica Tourist Board. Learn more about how to attract travelers to the Caribbean in a new era of tourism.

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EDITOR’S PICKS

Europe’s Fires Haven’t Stopped Tourism Yet, But EU Officials Warn Risk Could Spread 

Wildfires in France and Spain forced evacuations near popular tourist destinations like Bordeaux and Madrid. EU officials say risks could spread to other parts of the continent.

Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Cites ‘Self-Inflicted’ Problems, Weak Outlook Into 2027

Demand pressures are expected to carrying over into 2027, but CEO John Chidsey says the company’s problems are largely "self-inflicted" and fixable.

Frontier’s Q2 Shows an Ultra-Low-Cost Carrier Can Raise Fares Too

Frontier Airlines saw record revenue in the second quarter on higher airfares and a readjustment in capacity following Spirit’s liquidation.

Sustainability Doesn’t Sell Itself — Sell It as an Experience Instead

Experience premiums are bankable; sustainability premiums are not. Both poll more than 70% on the question of whether they matter to travelers, but only one shows up in wallet share.

Mount Olympus Is Finally a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Managing a Tourism Surge Is Its Next Hurdle 

After a 12-year campaign, Mount Olympus and its wider area has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tour operators welcome the designation as a boost to tourism — and environmental protection. 

Who Owns Travel: The Sovereign Wealth Map of 2026

We mapped who owns travel's physical layer in 2026 and it came back sovereign, but the money is not as patient as it used to be, and after the Saudi-UAE rift, not as unified either.

China’s Outbound Travel Recovery Has a New Problem: Not Enough Planes

Chinese demand for outbound travel continues to grow in 2026 despite war and diplomatic fallout. What's holding the market back now isn't hesitation, it's a shortage of flights.

Google Is Leaning on Travel to Sell Its AI Ad Story

Retail and finance drove Google's search ad revenue this quarter. But Google chose travel — IHG for its newest ad format, Booking Holdings for cloud and AI-powered transactions — to show investors where its AI business lines are converging. 

Iran War Dents Royal Caribbean’s Revenue Forecast

Cruise line operators are underperforming the market for the first time post-COVID as war in the Middle East weighs on bookings.

Amazon’s Alexa+ Is Trying to Sell Trips Inside a Chat. Priceline Is an Early Test

Amazon is betting that stored payment credentials, new MCP support and 180 million Prime members can solve the problem that stopped OpenAI cold: getting travelers to complete a purchase inside an AI conversation.

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SKIFT PODCAST NETWORK

Hilton makes a rare move by cutting fees for its hotel owners as the market cycle finally turns, JetBlue posted a $247 million loss and its stock jumped 13% anyway, and Chinese outbound travel demand is surging with nowhere near enough flights to meet it.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Hilton's fee cuts signal a long-overdue shift in the brand-owner relationship, why investors are betting on JetBlue's turnaround plan despite six straight years of losses, and why the next wave of high-spending international travelers is coming from China as soon as the infrastructure can catch up.

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