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The Bench, organiser of the Future Hospitality Summit (FHS) series and the Branded Residences Forum, has announced strategic leadership appointments to support the company’s next phase of global growth and focus on investor engagement and the impact of in-person industry platforms.

Tripadvisor®, the world’s largest travel guidance platform, today announced its first Travelers’ Choice® Awards category for 2026: Best of the Best Destinations, celebrating the places that travelers around the world love most.

Luxury Scotland, the leading collection of exceptional Scottish hospitality experiences, has announced the addition of two new members to its carefully curated portfolio: Ardbeg House, the reimagined Islay retreat shaped by whisky heritage and island culture, and jetlogic, Scotland’s leading private aviation specialist, delivering bespoke jet and helicopter charter services worldwide.

Boeing and Aviation Capital Group LLC (ACG) announced today the airplane lessor has placed a new order for 50 737 MAX jets, including 25 737-8 and 25 737-10 airplanes.

Madrid once again becomes the focal point of global tourism as it hosts the International Tourism Fair (FITUR), organised by IFEMA MADRID from 21–25 January 2026. In its 46th edition, FITUR strengthens its position as the sector’s leading platform, highlighting both its international reach and its commitment to knowledge as a driver of industry transformation

Dusit International, one of Thailand’s leading hotel and property development companies, has achieved the strongest development performance in its history, recording an all-time high of 24 hotel signings in 2025 and significantly strengthening its global pipeline across key growth markets in Asia, the Middle East, and beyond.

Minor Hotels has appointed Amir Golbarg to Chief Operating Officer – Middle East & Africa, effective 1 January 2026. The promotion reflects Amir’s exceptional leadership and the region’s record year of growth, marked by strong performance across all key indicators, multiple new hotel signings, and expansion in core markets including Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, will launch a daily flight between Helsinki and Dubai from 1 October 2026, expanding its footprint in the Nordics. The new service introduces the only year-round, direct link between Finland and the UAE, and unlocking expanded opportunities for both international leisure and corporate travellers. The service will operate with Emirates’ newest aircraft type, the A350, bringing its latest products and highly acclaimed Premium Economy cabin to Finland, from the inaugural flight. 

Ennismore, the fastest-growing lifestyle hospitality company, is delighted to reveal its key openings for 2026 across its global ecosystem of hotels, resorts, and F&B destinations. The announcement of its 2026 opening lineup coincides with the group surpassing the 200th hotel opening milestone, representing more than a doubling of its network in only four years. This year’s openings mark several major milestones in the group’s global growth, with significant debuts across multiple regions.

The behavior of travelers attending major tourism events is undergoing a significant shift. On the occasion of FITUR Madrid 2026, RateGain, a global leader in AI-powered SaaS solutions for the travel and hospitality industry, analyzed hotel bookings in the Community of Madrid for the week of January 19–25. The analysis reveals a substantial change in booking patterns, characterized by longer booking lead times, higher spend per night, and longer stays.