Matt Turner

New York

Editor at Luxury Travel Advisor

Editor at Travel Agent Central

Editor at Meeting Spotlight

Writing words that come to my brain. (he/him)

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Articles

Fora Travel Opens NYC Storefront, Receives $60 Million in Funding

1 week ago | travelagentcentral.com | Matt Turner

Fora Travel, “the modern travel agency”—known for its strong online presence and social media marketing—has opened a storefront in New York’s SoHo neighborhood this week. To mark the occasion, Fora is hosting a pop-up series throughout May. Travel Agent was on hand Thursday night as the agency celebrated the location’s grand opening party.
Rosewood Amsterdam Opens Doors After 10-Year Project

2 weeks ago | luxurytraveladvisor.com | Matt Turner

Rosewood Amsterdam—located within the historic former Palace of Justice—has opened its doors one month earlier than initially planned. Rosewood Hotel Group's CEO, Sonia Cheng, made the announcement on her LinkedIn, saying, "Today, I am thrilled to introduce Rosewood Amsterdam, our first property in the Netherlands."With the property, Rosewood marks its debut in the Netherlands, while also becoming the last new hotel development permitted within a monumental building in Amsterdam.
Week in Review: Air Ticket Sales Up; Travel Advisor Recognitions

3 weeks ago | travelagentcentral.com | Matt Turner

Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) this week released data showing U.S.-based travel agency air ticket sales reached $9.3 billion in March 2025, remaining steady compared to March 2024 and up 8 percent over February 2025’s total. March’s total passenger trips settled by ARC increased 6 percent year-over-year and 14 percent month-over-month, totaling 27.1 million. In fact, both domestic and international trips were up compared to last month and last year.
Column: Will the Good Times Keep Rolling?

4 weeks ago | luxurytraveladvisor.com | Matt Turner

In February at Forbes Travel Guide’s Summit in Monaco, I was speaking with PwC’s U.S. Consumer Markets Industry Leader Ali Furman, who said at the time that consumer confidence was “A Tale of Two Cities.” By this she meant that the luxury market was still going strong despite less confidence among the middle and lower classes.
Carnival Cruise Line Names Janet Wygert to Lead Trade Sales & Marketing

4 weeks ago | travelagentcentral.com | Matt Turner

Janet Wygert, a 37-year veteran of Carnival Cruise Line, has been named to lead the company’s trade sales team as senior vice president of sales and trade marketing, to succeed Adolfo Perez, whose upcoming retirement was previously announced. Wygert, the cruise line says, has dedicated her career to being an advocate for Carnival’s travel partners, holding positions across inside sales and business development, among others, and most recently leading the line’s strategic partnership sales team.
Week in Review: Tariffs, Advisor Training and a Sandals Sale

1 month ago | travelagentcentral.com | Matt Turner

Tariffs dominated the global conversation this week as the Trump administration enacted several new levies on trade partners on Monday, only to withdraw them a day later. Markets globally seesawed as a result. Somewhat surprisingly, in a flash study conducted by MMGY Global, more than eight in 10 consumers still said they intend to travel for leisure over the next 12 months. That's down just 4 percent from MMGY’s last “Portrait of American Travelers” study, which was fielded in mid-February.
Week in Review: Trump Tariffs, Travel Trends, New in the DR

1 month ago | travelagentcentral.com | Matt Turner

President Donald Trump this week issued a series of tariffs against 57 countries, in addition to a flat 10 percent tariff on all imports to the U.S. globally. The result has been further “retaliatory” tariffs from China, as well as promised reciprocation from the European Union, Canada, Mexico and others. Following the announcement, the U.S. stock market had its worst day in years. What does this mean?
Virtuoso's Hottest Travel Trends of 2025

1 month ago | luxurytraveladvisor.com | Matt Turner

Set-jetting, “cool-cations” and solo travel top the list of Virtuoso’s hottest travel trends for 2025. The data and insights come from the luxury consortium’s network of travel advisors, preferred partners and ultra-high/high-net-worth clientele. Here's what Virtuoso says is trending this year:Movie and TV-Inspired TravelVirtuoso dubs it “Reel Roaming,” we’ve heard the term set-jetting been used; whatever you want to call it, travel inspired by movies and TV shows are continuing to gain momentum.
How Will Trump’s “Liberation Day” Tariffs Affect Travel?

1 month ago | travelagentcentral.com | Matt Turner

President Donald Trump has deemed Wednesday, April 2, as “Liberation Day.” At 4 p.m. ET, he will, from the White House’s Rose Garden, announce sweeping global tariffs on a myriad of U.S. trade partners. The new tariffs—which are still under works as of this morning—will go into effect immediately upon announcement. The European Union, Canada, Mexico and Australia have all reportedly vowed to reciprocate any tariffs levied against them.
Week in Review: Earthquake Hits Myanmar, Recession Not Slowing Travel

1 month ago | travelagentcentral.com | Matt Turner

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar and Thailand Friday afternoon (local time), likely resulting in several dozen deaths. The epicenter was in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city with a population over 1.22 million. According to a report by Reuters, three people were killed in Thailand, along with at least 81 others who are being searched for after an under-construction skyscraper collapsed.