Tourism

Mackinac Island voters approved a charter amendment, Local Act 1 of 2026, by a wide margin, 465 to 42, strengthening the city's power to regulate ferry ticket prices, mainland parking fees and other access costs. The vote follows state legislation signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer allowing islanders to expand municipal oversight of ferry service. The measure targets Shepler's Ferry and Arnold Transit, both owned by the Hoffmann Family of Companies, which are locked in federal litigation with the city over regulatory authority.

The ferry operators argue existing franchise agreements, running through 2027, can't be altered by the new law and have already filed 2027 rate increase notices. Mediation and litigation, including a pending summary judgment deadline, continue amid concerns over island transportation access.

Orange County, Florida voters head to the polls Nov. 3 to elect a new mayor for the first time in eight years, choosing between Tiffany Moore Russell and Chris Messina to succeed Jerry Demings. Both candidates laid out economic plans focused on high-paying jobs. Messina proposed positioning the county as a space-tech hub and launching "Orange County Works," a $10 million skilled-trades education initiative modeled on Osceola County's Prosper program, citing a shortage of over 2,000 trades workers. Moore Russell emphasized strengthening existing industries—tourism, manufacturing, modeling and simulation, and Lake Nona's Medical City—while streamlining permitting and expanding workforce training through CareerSource to attract new businesses.

Orange County, Florida, Mayor Jerry Demings has proposed an $800 million spending plan funded by the county's 6% tourist development tax, to be considered by commissioners. The largest share, $400 million, would go to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, which had requested $750 million. Eatonville would receive $60 million for a museum of culture and history at the Hungerford property and $20 million for a heritage tourism district. The University of Central Florida would get $46 million to expand its soccer stadium and build a track facility. Other projects include a Winter Garden children's museum, a Camping World Stadium parking garage, and arts and ecotourism grants. The plan is not final.

Opposition from private landowners in Texas' Big Bend region continues to slow the Trump administration's $46 billion border wall project, part of a plan to build barriers from the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico. The administration aims to spend $7.5 billion fortifying roughly 500 miles through Big Bend despite historically low illegal crossings there and natural barriers like cliffs and desert terrain. CBP says it has built over 260 miles of new barrier nationwide since Trump returned to office, but a federal judge recently paused Big Bend construction after landowners sued, arguing Homeland Security exceeded its authority by waiving environmental and other protections; the government has asked the judge to lift the order while it appeals.

Many landowners are refusing to let surveyors onto their property, protesting at county meetings, pressuring local officials not to assist contractors, and preparing for eminent domain fights; the Justice Department says about 70 disputes have been referred for legal action nationwide, with 50 resolved and none going to trial, while CBP says it has reached agreements with dozens of other Big Bend landowners. Opposition spans party lines, with Republican ranchers, a county sheriff and Trump voters questioning the project's necessity. Critics frame the dispute as a broader test of federal power over private property, while CBP maintains the infrastructure is needed to prevent a shift in illegal crossings to the area.

A federal judge has temporarily halted construction of the Trump administration's border wall in Texas' Big Bend region, a win for landowners who have resisted the $46 billion national project. Plaintiffs argued the administration bypassed regulations in pushing forward; the government has asked the judge to set aside her order while it appeals. Customs and Border Protection says it has built more than 260 miles of barrier under the second Trump administration and plans to spend $7.5 billion fortifying roughly 500 miles of border in Big Bend, where construction began in September.

Ranchers and other property owners have refused survey access, protested at county meetings, lobbied officials against aiding contractors, and are preparing for eminent domain fights. Opposition spans party lines, including a Republican sheriff and Trump voters who say rugged terrain and low crossing numbers make the wall unnecessary there. CBP says it continues pursuing voluntary agreements and will compensate landowners regardless of how access is obtained, while also retaining eminent domain attorneys in anticipation of disputes. The standoff has become a broader test of federal authority over private land.

Across Arizona Tours, a Phoenix-based tour operator, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging higher national park entrance fees charged to international visitors. The suit, filed with representation from the Pacific Legal Foundation, argues the fees are "unprecedented and unlawful" because only Congress can authorize federal fees, and no such authorization exists for charging nonresidents more than U.S. citizens.

The nonresident surcharge, which took effect in January following a 2024 executive order from President Trump, adds $100 per person to the standard $20-$35 Grand Canyon entry fee, or $250 for an annual pass compared to $80 for U.S. residents. The company says the fees, along with residency-verification requirements some customers find invasive, have driven away potential international tourists and hurt its business. The lawsuit seeks to eliminate the nonresident fees and pass entirely. Supporters of the policy argue it ensures foreign visitors help fund park upkeep, similar to practices in other countries.

U.S. inbound tourism fell roughly 20 percent in 2026 compared to 2025, even as global travel grew 5 to 10 percent, according to U.S. Travel Association president Geoff Freeman. The decline would have been steeper without this year's World Cup, which drew large numbers of foreign visitors. The U.S. welcomed nearly 80 million visitors in 2019 and has not returned to that level since, a trend worsened by pandemic-era drops and now compounded by new pressures.

Freeman cited multiple causes: high costs, the war in Ukraine limiting flight paths for Asian travelers, political backlash against the Trump administration, and foreign press coverage of tourists detained by U.S. immigration authorities. Cases include British tourist Karen Newton, held six weeks over an expired visa, and Welsh backpacker Becky Burke, detained 19 days. Florida has been especially hurt by a steep drop in Canadian visitors and business travelers amid Trump's trade war with Canada, with Freeman warning the lost goodwill will have lingering economic effects on major tourism states like Florida, California, New York and Texas.

A guest log obtained by The Advocate | The Times-Picayune shows Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser's Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism repeatedly allowed politicians and other guests to use a state-owned apartment in New Orleans' French Quarter — the so-called Irby apartment in the Lower Pontalba Building on Jackson Square — for short stays between March 2024 and March 2026.

The unredacted log, which names guests Nungesser's office had redacted in its most recent state audit, lists more than 60 visits by dozens of people, including U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, Lafayette Mayor Monique Boulet, LSU Board of Supervisors chair Lee Mallett, and state Reps. Dustin Miller and Larry Bagley, along with former legislators, out-of-state officials, state employees and private visitors. Reasons given include museum events, LSU business, professional development, and law enforcement or prison-programming meetings.

The Louisiana Legislative Auditor has said since 2020 that such stays should directly benefit Louisiana State Museums; Nungesser's office maintains broader use is permissible. Museum director Rebecca Mackie defended the practice as supporting tourism-related work.