Travel Industry

In a sign that the recession is cutting into Walt Disney Co.'s parks and resorts business, the company said Friday that it eliminated about 1,900 jobs at its domestic theme parks. The bulk of the cuts occurred at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., where about 1,400 jobs were eliminated. About 300 jobs will be cut from the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, with the remainder coming from corporate headquarters in Burbank.

Record fuel prices and a struggling economy aren't the only problems facing the $35.7-billion cruise industry these days. Victims of crime on cruise ships are loudly and persistently calling for increased government oversight -- and they're starting to get help from lawmakers.

Cruise ships would be required to install peepholes in cabin doors, increase guardrail heights and maintain crime report logbooks under sweeping legislation introduced Thursday by Sen. John F. Kerry. The Senate bill, designed to hold the $35.7-billion industry more accountable, mirrors legislation introduced in the House by Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) and comes days after Kerry (D-Mass.) led a Senate subcommittee hearing examining cruise ship safety.

The slumping economy is putting a crimp in a lot of things, but it doesn't look like it will stop holiday trips to Grandma's house. Indeed, most Americans who responded to an online survey for the Travel Industry Assn. said that in spite of the economic downturn, they planned to keep their holiday travel plans so they could maintain tradition with family and friends.

The number of international tourists visiting America should exceed pre-Sept. 11 levels this year for the first time since the 2001 terrorist attacks crippled the travel industry, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said Friday. In addition, Gutierrez said, the country collected a record $107.4 billion in travel receipts in 2006, a 5% increase from the previous year. An estimated 51.1 million tourists from other countries visited the United States last year, just short of the 51.

EVERY day you stay at a hotel, you may burn enough fossil fuels to release more than 33 pounds of carbon dioxide, the bad boy of global warming, into the atmosphere. But don't worry. Open your wallet, and all is forgiven, or at least that's the pitch of a growing number of programs. Among the latest is TravelGreen, announced in February by Sustainable Travel International, a nonprofit company in Boulder, Colo. It markets what it dubs Mini-Green Tags to hotels and guests.

Question: I booked two midweek nights at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and even received an e-mail confirming my reservation. Imagine my surprise when I arrived and was told that there was no room for me and that they were moving me across the street to Hooters. I told the desk clerk and her supervisor I would not stay there. After much arguing, they found me a room at New York New York. Is this a common occurrence?

Gasoline prices are astronomical and hotel rates are going through the roof, but that hasn't discouraged people from planning getaways this Memorial Day weekend. And summer travel -- especially within the U.S. -- is looking hot. Studies "show that the majority of consumers expect to continue to see high gas prices this summer, but they seem to be taking this much more in stride than they have in the past," said Suzanne Cook, senior vice president of research for the Travel Industry Assn.

Troubled by steep declines in international tourism, U.S. mayors are urging the federal government to spend more money on marketing the United States and to make the entry process friendlier and faster. Responding to a survey by the Travel Business Roundtable, mayors from the country's top travel destinations said tourism -- a driving force of the U.S. economy -- needed to be a top priority. The number of overseas visitors to the U.S.