The thaw in relations between the U.S. and Cuba has led to a stunning 36 percent increase in visits by Americans to the island, including thousands who are flying into Cuba from third countries like Mexico in order to sidestep U.S. restrictions on tourism.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu officially opened Europe's first airport on an artificial island on May 22. The airport is opened as a morning Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul carrying 136 passengers touched down on its runway.

In January, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was one of the recipients of an open letter from the UNWTO and the WTTC. The letter was sent to heads of state around the world requesting that they publicly acknowledge travel and tourism’s economic importance.

The biggest hotel in the world is being built in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, offering 10,000 rooms, helicopter pads and convenience for the Masjid al-Haram.

The drought has already changed the habits of a tourism industry that includes the state’s signature theme parks, world-renowned golf courses, extensively manicured hotel and spa grounds and the abundance of natural wonders that make up a $57 billion tourism industry and employ nearly 5 percent of the state’s workers.

The number of Americans interested in travel to Cuba if all U.S. Government restrictions are lifted has increased slightly over 2014. Conversely, the number who indicated they have no interest in traveling to Cuba has decreased substantially since last year.