(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-TX, filed a new bill to bolster U.S. energy production, led by the Texas oil and natural gas industry. Cruz on Thursday filed a bill to repeal a tax on natural gas imposed on the industry through the Inflation Reduction Act. The IRA solely passed with Democratic…
“The outlook for 2025 remains robust,” Mark Calitri, president of the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau, said in an article posted by the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corp. “Elevated room rates and strategic event planning promise a positive trend, despite some uncertainties.”
Churchill Downs’ $100 million Owensboro Racing & Gaming facility, 460 Wrights Landing Road, is slated to open in February, he said.
And the 144-room Home2 Suites hotel across Second Street from the Owensboro Convention Center is expected to open next year.
Calitri said, both “promise to elevate Owensboro’s appeal to visitors.”
With the new hotel, he said Owensboro will have 1,489 rooms.
That’s almost back to the 1,565 the city had in 2002 when the old Executive Inn was at its peak.
He said that the Owensboro Convention Center “has reported strong bookings for 2025, promising a steady stream of business.”
Outdoor sports, Calitri said, are “a significant contribution to occupancy rates. It continues to thrive, bolstering weekend and seasonal stays.”
But, he said, outdoor sports are filling fewer hotel rooms than in the past.
“While the number of dates booked is strong, the number of teams has decreased and how far people are willing to travel has changed,” Calitri said.
He said corporate travel is growing.
Calitri said, “We have secured some key group travel conferences that will introduce Owensboro as a new destination for bus tours.”
The local hospitality industry struggled during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Local hotels saw occupancy rates slip to 36.9% in 2020.
But it’s made a strong comeback in the years since with a record-setting hotel occupancy of 59% in 2022 and 2023. The state estimates that tourists spent $250 million in Daviess County last year.
Of that, $31.9 million was spent at local hotels — a new record and $1 million above the 2022 mark, according to Smith Travel Research, a national company that tracks such data around the world.
January will see “several high-profile events, including the prestigious All A Boys and Girls Basketball Tournament, as well as the Kentucky Cattlemen conference and USA Archery,” he said.
September, Calitri said, may “set occupancy records with the combination of the returning Special Olympics softball state championships and new groups including Defenders Law Rally, Glidden Auto National Conference, Kentucky Ambulance Association, Kentucky League of Cities, and Kentucky Association of Professional Surveyors.
He said, “The primary uncertainty for 2025 lies in the addition of a new downtown hotel, which could introduce competitive pressures and potential disruptions.”
People aren’t booking rooms as early as they used to.
Calitri said, “The booking window for hotels continues to shrink, making it harder to project occupancies. This is a national trend that we will need to follow closely.”
More Kentucky business news here.
“The outlook for 2025 remains robust,” Mark Calitri, president of the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau, said in an article posted by the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corp. “Elevated room rates and strategic event planning promise a positive trend, despite some uncertainties.”
Churchill Downs’ $100 million Owensboro Racing & Gaming facility, 460 Wrights Landing Road, is slated to open in February, he said.
And the 144-room Home2 Suites hotel across Second Street from the Owensboro Convention Center is expected to open next year.
Calitri said, both “promise to elevate Owensboro’s appeal to visitors.”
With the new hotel, he said Owensboro will have 1,489 rooms.
That’s almost back to the 1,565 the city had in 2002 when the old Executive Inn was at its peak.
He said that the Owensboro Convention Center “has reported strong bookings for 2025, promising a steady stream of business.”
Outdoor sports, Calitri said, are “a significant contribution to occupancy rates. It continues to thrive, bolstering weekend and seasonal stays.”
But, he said, outdoor sports are filling fewer hotel rooms than in the past.
“While the number of dates booked is strong, the number of teams has decreased and how far people are willing to travel has changed,” Calitri said.
He said corporate travel is growing.
Calitri said, “We have secured some key group travel conferences that will introduce Owensboro as a new destination for bus tours.”
The local hospitality industry struggled during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Local hotels saw occupancy rates slip to 36.9% in 2020.
But it’s made a strong comeback in the years since with a record-setting hotel occupancy of 59% in 2022 and 2023. The state estimates that tourists spent $250 million in Daviess County last year.
Of that, $31.9 million was spent at local hotels — a new record and $1 million above the 2022 mark, according to Smith Travel Research, a national company that tracks such data around the world.
January will see “several high-profile events, including the prestigious All A Boys and Girls Basketball Tournament, as well as the Kentucky Cattlemen conference and USA Archery,” he said.
September, Calitri said, may “set occupancy records with the combination of the returning Special Olympics softball state championships and new groups including Defenders Law Rally, Glidden Auto National Conference, Kentucky Ambulance Association, Kentucky League of Cities, and Kentucky Association of Professional Surveyors.
He said, “The primary uncertainty for 2025 lies in the addition of a new downtown hotel, which could introduce competitive pressures and potential disruptions.”
People aren’t booking rooms as early as they used to.
Calitri said, “The booking window for hotels continues to shrink, making it harder to project occupancies. This is a national trend that we will need to follow closely.”
More Kentucky business news here.
Tourist arrivals broke the 4 mln mark last year, up from the previous record set in 2019, with the number of holidaymakers choosing Cyprus for their vacation rising by 5.1% to 4,040,200, from 3,845,652 the previous year.
The island’s transport minister said last month that 2024 was set to see a record 12 mln passengers traveling through the island’s main airports of Larnaca and Paphos.
Income from tourism is also set to record a new high, with the government’s monthly Passengers Survey showing that for the January-October period, revenue from tourism is estimated at €2.983,8 bln compared to €2.802,6 bln in the same period of 2023, an increase of 6.5%.
Cyprus welcomed a record 3.97 million tourists in 2019, smashing the previous record set in 2018 by a slender 1%. Against the odds, Cyprus recovered from airline closures and the collapse of UK tour giant Thomas Cook and increased competition from traditional competitors Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey.
After crashing in the aftermath of the Covid-19 epidemic, the Cyprus tourism industry steadily picked up from 2021 onwards, despite isolation issues, social distancing and strict measures in hotels and restaurants. By 2021, total arrivals were at 75% of the pre-covid record.
According to data from the statistical service Cystat, tourist arrivals in December last year increased for the eighth month in a row and rose to 133,063, up 7.6% year on year.
With the exception of a dip in January and April, 2024 saw an increase in tourist arrivals in the remaining ten months of the year.
Arrivals from the United Kingdom were the main source of tourism for December 2024 with a share of 23.7% (31,501 tourists), followed by Israel with 17.4% (23,168), Poland with 9.4% (12,473), Greece with 9.0% (11,969) and Germany at 5.7% of all arrivals, or 7,535.
Cystat said that for of 49.6% of tourists, the purpose of their trip in December 2024 was holidays, for 37.5% it was to visit friends and relatives and 12.7% declared business.
Returns of Residents of Cyprus
A total 168,022 residents of Cyprus returned from a trip abroad in December 2024 compared to 153,736 in the corresponding month last year, an increase of 9.3%.
Cyprus residents mainly returned from Greece with a share of 31.2% (52,344), the U.K. with 13.7% (22,995), and Poland with 5.3% (8,956). For 65.7%, the purpose of travel was holidays, business (16.3%), studies (17.6%) and ‘other’ (0.4%).
Tourist arrivals broke the 4 mln mark last year, up from the previous record set in 2019, with the number of holidaymakers choosing Cyprus for their vacation rising by 5.1% to 4,040,200, from 3,845,652 the previous year.
The island’s transport minister said last month that 2024 was set to see a record 12 mln passengers traveling through the island’s main airports of Larnaca and Paphos.
Income from tourism is also set to record a new high, with the government’s monthly Passengers Survey showing that for the January-October period, revenue from tourism is estimated at €2.983,8 bln compared to €2.802,6 bln in the same period of 2023, an increase of 6.5%.
Cyprus welcomed a record 3.97 million tourists in 2019, smashing the previous record set in 2018 by a slender 1%. Against the odds, Cyprus recovered from airline closures and the collapse of UK tour giant Thomas Cook and increased competition from traditional competitors Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey.
After crashing in the aftermath of the Covid-19 epidemic, the Cyprus tourism industry steadily picked up from 2021 onwards, despite isolation issues, social distancing and strict measures in hotels and restaurants. By 2021, total arrivals were at 75% of the pre-covid record.
According to data from the statistical service Cystat, tourist arrivals in December last year increased for the eighth month in a row and rose to 133,063, up 7.6% year on year.
With the exception of a dip in January and April, 2024 saw an increase in tourist arrivals in the remaining ten months of the year.
Arrivals from the United Kingdom were the main source of tourism for December 2024 with a share of 23.7% (31,501 tourists), followed by Israel with 17.4% (23,168), Poland with 9.4% (12,473), Greece with 9.0% (11,969) and Germany at 5.7% of all arrivals, or 7,535.
Cystat said that for of 49.6% of tourists, the purpose of their trip in December 2024 was holidays, for 37.5% it was to visit friends and relatives and 12.7% declared business.
Returns of Residents of Cyprus
A total 168,022 residents of Cyprus returned from a trip abroad in December 2024 compared to 153,736 in the corresponding month last year, an increase of 9.3%.
Cyprus residents mainly returned from Greece with a share of 31.2% (52,344), the U.K. with 13.7% (22,995), and Poland with 5.3% (8,956). For 65.7%, the purpose of travel was holidays, business (16.3%), studies (17.6%) and ‘other’ (0.4%).
By ELLYN LAPOINTE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 14:56 EST, 17 January 2025 | Updated: 16:07 EST, 17 January 2025
Editor’s note: The following text is the executive summary from “Democracy Playbook 2025: 7 Pillars to Defend Democracy in 2025 and Beyond.” Download the full report here. 7 Pillars to Defend Democracy—The Case of the U.S. This third edition of the Democracy Playbook updates its predecessor 20191 and 20212 publications of evidence-based best practices for reversing…
Sri Lanka has been named by the BBC as the ninth place to travel in 2025. In a list of “The 25 best places to travel in 2025” the UK based news giant lauded Sri Lanka for its hilltop tea plantations and roaming wild elephants to its ancient temples and rolling surfs.
From its misty hilltop tea plantations and roaming wild elephants to its ancient temples and rolling surf, Sri Lanka is a country that ticks lots of boxes. In April 2022, the former Prime Minister announced Sri Lanka’s bankruptcy, but a new President aims to rebuild the country’s fortunes after it was hit by a pandemic and civil unrest.
The resilient island nation is hoping to get back on its feet through tourism.
By Nuzla RizkiyaSri Lanka has been ranked among the top 10 destinations to travel in 2025 by BBC Travel’s inaugural guide to the world’s top travel spots.The island nation was ranked in the ninth spot on the list compiled by the global media giant, in consultation with its journalists and leading sustainable travel authorities such as the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, Sustainable Travel International and World Travel and Tourism Council.Sri Lanka was described in the travel guide as a welcoming country renowned for its misty hilltop tea plantations, roaming wild elephants, ancient temples and rolling surf, offering visitors a wealth of incredible travel experiences.“In April 2022, the former prime minister announced Sri Lanka’s bankruptcy but a new president aims to rebuild the country’s fortunes after it was hit by a pandemic and civil unrest,” BBC noted.
The guide went on to highlight several developments in Sri Lanka, including the construction of its first seven-star hotel in Kandy, a US $ 1 billion mega resort in Colombo and the launch of a new airline, which will connect Sri Lanka to far east Europe and Australia.The other attractions spotlighted included the 300 kilometre Pekoe Trail, which takes hikers through tea plantations and rural villages and the country’s new initiatives to promote sustainable tourism.“Visitors looking for a coolcation can take a legendary train ride into its mountainous interior or travel to Colombo and Galle to discover a new generation of mixologists putting their spin on arrack, a fifth-century drink,” the guide added.Additionally, it encouraged visitors to explore more of the ground island through an innovative start-up that allows travellers to self-drive tuk-tuks, with payments directly being made to the vehicle owner.
By Nuzla RizkiyaSri Lanka has been ranked among the top 10 destinations to travel in 2025 by BBC Travel’s inaugural guide to the world’s top travel spots.The island nation was ranked in the ninth spot on the list compiled by the global media giant, in consultation with its journalists and leading sustainable travel authorities such as the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, Sustainable Travel International and World Travel and Tourism Council.Sri Lanka was described in the travel guide as a welcoming country renowned for its misty hilltop tea plantations, roaming wild elephants, ancient temples and rolling surf, offering visitors a wealth of incredible travel experiences.“In April 2022, the former prime minister announced Sri Lanka’s bankruptcy but a new president aims to rebuild the country’s fortunes after it was hit by a pandemic and civil unrest,” BBC noted.
The guide went on to highlight several developments in Sri Lanka, including the construction of its first seven-star hotel in Kandy, a US $ 1 billion mega resort in Colombo and the launch of a new airline, which will connect Sri Lanka to far east Europe and Australia.The other attractions spotlighted included the 300 kilometre Pekoe Trail, which takes hikers through tea plantations and rural villages and the country’s new initiatives to promote sustainable tourism.“Visitors looking for a coolcation can take a legendary train ride into its mountainous interior or travel to Colombo and Galle to discover a new generation of mixologists putting their spin on arrack, a fifth-century drink,” the guide added.Additionally, it encouraged visitors to explore more of the ground island through an innovative start-up that allows travellers to self-drive tuk-tuks, with payments directly being made to the vehicle owner.