Smart Travel: New Rewards Platform Could Revolutionize Travel, Air France Coming to Orlando, Hilton Furthers Mexico Expansion and More

Wish you could earn rewards while on an off-the-beaten-path journey in a remote destination? A new travel platform aims to majorly expand your options for racking up points. Live in Central Florida? That Paris trip you’ve been dreaming of is about to become even more enticing. Impressed by the myriads of ways AI is changing professional landscapes?

One country has become the first in the world to employ AI services when building its new nation brand. This week in Smart Travel, we cover all these updates, as well as Hilton’s next global move and a new study that reveals the major benefits of cruise travel to destination economies.

New Travel Rewards Platform Aims to Redefine Travel Loyalty

On Friday, new travel rewards platform Journey launched with a mission to redefine travel loyalty. Journey users are able to earn points and benefits from a curated network of independently operated properties, including both hotels and private rentals, in order to meet consumer demands of flexibility and personalization.

Brian Kelly, founder of The Points Guy, senior advisor and investor at Journey, said in a statement, “Travelers want to earn and redeem points for life changing experiences. Whether that’s a safari or a private vacation rental, many of the best lodging options don’t exist within the current loyalty landscape. That’s where Journey comes in—a game-changing platform that rewards travelers for staying at properties that they traditionally haven’t been able to earn points for. With Journey, travelers will no longer have to sacrifice loyalty when seeking bespoke and boutique travel experiences.”

Air France to Provide Services to Orlando in May 2025

Orlando will become the 18^th U.S. destination with Air France service in May of next year, with four direct flights a week on Airbus A350-900 aircraft linking Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to Orlando (MCO). The French airline will also be adding service to Kilimanjaro, Salvador de Bahia and Manila to its global network in preparation for summer 2025.

On Thursday, Air France was again awarded five stars in the official Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) global ranking of the best airlines. The ranking is based on feedback on more than one million flights by passengers who flew on nearly 600 airlines worldwide. This is the third year in a row Air France has received top billing in the survey.

Hilton to Further Mexico Expansion

On Wednesday, Hilton announced a franchise agreement to convert The Sens Cancun Adults Only All-Inclusive Resort into a Tapestry by Hilton property, one of more than 10 new deals Hilton has signed in Mexico in 2024. Mexico is one of Hilton’s fastest-growing international markets, with the brand hosting guests at more than 100 hotels and resorts across the country.

“Our rapid growth in Mexico is driven by a winning combination of strong partnerships with exceptional owners, local market expertise and award-winning brands which enable us to bring to life the hotels travelers demand in the destinations they want to visit,” said Pablo Maturana, vice president, development, Caribbean and Latin America, Hilton. “The signing of The Sens Cancun Adults Only All-Inclusive Resort, Tapestry by Hilton underscores our commitment to leading in Mexico with Hilton’s iconic hospitality and legendary service.”

Costa Rica Becomes First Country Ever to Use AI to Create Nation Brand

Costa Rica’s nation brand, essential COSTA RICA, has laid out its strategy for the next decade, which includes a focus on innovation by becoming the first nation brand in the world to use artificial intelligence to define its 2035 vision. In partnership with Bloom Consulting, an international firm that specializes in nation branding, essential COSTA RICA gathered data from four key areas:

Previous studies on the perception of nation brand as a digital identity and rankings
Strategic documents about Costa Rica, such as decarbonization plans
Global reports on future trends
Interviews with national stakeholders from various public and private sectors

Bloom Consulting and essential COSTA RICA then fed the data to an AI platform, which generated projections on media coverage, strategic global markets, emerging trends and many other top considerations when building a future nation brand. Sustainability was also a main focus; Adriana Acosta, director of essential COSTA RICA, said in a statement, “Costa Rica is already well positioned in climate change and environmental preservation, which is why with Strategy 2035—and thanks to the future scenarios analyzed with the help of AI—we are working to capitalize on what the country has built over decades with specific actions that help enhance its international image and promote the implementation of tactics that reinforce Costa Rica’s leadership in these topics.”

Study Reveals Record Cruise Tourism Expenditures in the Caribbean and Latin America

The Florida-Caribbean Association (FCCA), the trade group representing the mutual interests of the cruise industry and destinations and stakeholders in the Caribbean and Latin America, has announced the results of a new study by Business Research & Economic Advisors (BREA). That data shows that cruise tourism generated $4.27 billion in direct cruise tourism expenditures—about 27 percent higher than the record set by the previous study in 2018—along with over 94,000 jobs paying more than $1.27 billion in wage income in the 33 participating destinations.

“We could not be prouder of these results and what they mean for the lives and livelihoods of so many throughout the Caribbean and Latin America,” said Michele Paige, CEO, FCCA. “In addition to showing what cruise tourism brings to these destinations’ economies, many of the study’s findings will also serve as the foundation [for] building further mutual success between cruise lines and destination stakeholders.”

Key findings also include:

Destinations welcomed 29.4 million onshore visits from cruise passengers, with an average spend of $104.36, generating a total of $3.07 billion.
Destinations also welcomed 3.9 million onshore visits from crew, with an average spend of $58.78, generating a total of $229.5 million.
Cruise lines spent $968.3 million, an average of $29.3 million per destination.
Average per passenger spend increased for 26 of the 31 common destinations, and 14 destinations recorded average spend rates above $100 per passenger (up from 12 in 2018).

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