United’s New Destinations, Disneyland’s Price Hikes and Dubai’s Invisible Neighbor

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, October 11, 2024, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. 

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Episode Notes

United Airlines is adding eight new, off-the-beaten-path destinations to its summer 2025 schedule, betting that travelers will fly to less popular locations, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. 

United’s new destinations for summer 2025 include the capitals of Mongolia, Senegal and Greenland. Maharishi notes many of its new destinations are in contrast to American and Delta, two carriers with summer schedules that typically revolve around more popular routes.

However, United isn’t completely ignoring big-name destinations as it’s adding flights to Nice and Venice from Dulles International Airport. 

Next, Disneyland guests are paying more for the theme park’s attractions after the Walt Disney Company increased ticket prices on Wednesday, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. 

Prices went up for most single-day tickets under Disney’s tier system, with some increasing by as much as 6.5%. Most of Disneyland’s multi-day ticket prices increased by roughly the same percentage. Habtemariam notes the price hike comes as Americans are increasingly cutting back on travel spending in response to rising cost of living. 

Finally, Sharjah, one of the UAE’s seven emirates, is aiming to attract what one official calls “invisible” tourism — unlike neighboring Dubai, writes Middle East Reporter Josh Corder. 

Corder notes Sharjah is focused on becoming the national center of cultural tourism with plans to create camps and eco-resorts. Sharjah leaders are also working to preserve large portions of the emirate in its “Heart of Sharjah” project, which aims to restore historic structures. 

Sharjah is the most conservative of the seven emirates and the only one that still outlaws alcohol. This is in stark contrast to the rest of the country, which is becoming more and more Western, notably giving the green light for casinos earlier this month.

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