Skift

Try the AI Chatbot for the Travel Industry Episode Notes Saturday’s Champions League final, perhaps soccer’s most prestigious annual event, drew tens of thousands of visitors to Istanbul. But local officials believe the action on the field is secondary to the boost the game will give the city’s tourism industry, writes Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes.  While Dawes writes that visiting fans will surely inject a lot of money into Istanbul’s economy, he adds the event’s true value is the advertising power. Turkish Hotel Association President Muberra Eresin said this year’s Champions League final could enhance Istanbul’s reputation as a sought after destination for future events. The city has hosted several major sporting events in recent years, with Dawes noting that sports tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of tourism.  Next, spending by visitors to the U.S. in April surpassed that of Americans traveling abroad for the first time in seven months, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemar