Our Take: September 2026

Every Friday, our weekly bulletin rounds up the news that matters to travel brands, and tells subscribers what we make of it. Once a month, we bring the best of that commentary together here.

This month's four have one thing in common. The work that pays off in a crisis, a launch or a news cycle is the work done before it.

In brief

• The Nats failure was a bad week for airlines and a good one for travel agents, because the trade had its argument ready.
• Airbnb didn't discover "lore tripping". It named it, and naming is what gets a trend reported.
• Keeping the Visit Cornwall name is the smartest call in the county's tourism reset.
• Inverness Castle's new plan is sound. It just needed to come before the opening, not after.

From the bulletins of 11 and 18 September

What happened: A technical fault at National Air Traffic Services caused more than 2,000 cancellations and delays across the UK, with Heathrow and British Airways worst affected. It was the third significant Nats failure in three years. Because the fault counts as an extraordinary circumstance, compensation is unlikely. A week later, travel agencies were arguing that the chaos showed the value of booking through the trade. They pointed to emergency hotel stays they'd secured and holidays they'd rebooked. 

Our take: The trade didn't just comment on the failure. It used it. Within a week there were named spokespeople and hard numbers: 50,000 easyJet holidays customers affected, 10,000 at Tui and 7,200 at Jet2. There were also real examples of agents solving problems for stranded clients, which is exactly the mix a journalist needs to run a story. Advantage Travel's point that independent bookers were left to battle airline call centres alone is simple, specific and hard to argue with.

For hotels and operators, the lesson is that disruption is when reputations get set, and nobody has time to build a message mid-crisis. Decide now who speaks for you, what you'll say in the first hour and which proof points you can show. When the story comes, lead with what you did for a real guest rather than a statement about how much you care.

From the bulletin of 11 September

What happened: Airbnb says Gen Z travellers are "lore tripping", seeking out small US towns with unusual histories and local legends. In its survey, 90% of Gen Z respondents said under-the-radar destinations appealed for autumn. Searches for Twentynine Palms were up more than 50% year on year. 

Our take: Strip it back and this is a survey, a catchy label, three towns with a story attached and one search stat. None of it is complicated. What made it travel is the name. A named trend gives journalists a headline, an angle and a reason to write about it now. AI tools work the same way, because a named, well-sourced idea is far easier to repeat than a vague observation.

Most travel brands already have the raw material for this in their booking patterns, search data and the questions guests ask before they arrive. The work is spotting the pattern early and giving it a name people remember. There's a UK version of lore tripping waiting to be claimed, too. The same week, the Bayeux Tapestry went on display at the British Museum to a sold-out run. People will travel a long way for a good story.

From the bulletin of 11 September

What happened: Almost a year after Visit Cornwall went into liquidation, local tourism leaders have launched the Cornwall Visitor Alliance. It's an independent, not-for-profit body set up to champion the county's visitor economy. It plans to keep using the Visit Cornwall consumer brand under a licence from Cornwall Council, which owns it. 

Our take: The organisation changed, but the name didn't, and that's the right way round. "Visit Cornwall" has years of search history, press coverage and links behind it. It's the name travellers, journalists and AI tools already connect with the county. A new brand would have meant rebuilding all of that from nothing, just when Cornwall most needs to be visible.

For any destination or tourism business going through restructuring or funding changes, the brand's digital footprint is often the most valuable thing the old organisation owns. Keep the domain, social handles and listings live and in someone's hands, whatever else changes. They're far cheaper to protect than to rebuild. The industry-led model is worth watching too. The founding directors come from businesses including St Austell Brewery and the Eden Project, and it's a template for any destination rethinking how its tourism body is funded.

From the bulletin of 4 September

What happened: The Inverness Castle Experience opened in February after a £47m transformation. It's now forecast to lose almost £1.4m in its first year, with visitor numbers at about 55% of projections. Operator High Life Highland has cut staff and opening hours, and is developing a five-year strategy aimed at tour bus visitors. 

Our take: Going after coach tours is a sensible move. But group itineraries are planned and contracted well ahead, so it's a strategy that pays off slowly. It would have done far more work if it had started before the doors opened.

This isn't a story about heritage attractions failing. It's about sequencing. For any new opening, the audience plan, trade relationships and visibility work need to start well before launch. Visitor forecasts should be tested against real demand signals, such as search volume, trade interest and how comparable attractions perform. A beautiful building doesn't find its own visitors.