Trump Seeks Ways to Boost International Tourism to the U.S.

And more of today's top travel news stories.Today in travel, we have several stories that may have flown under your radar. Among them: a new fire is reported in northern Greece; Highway 1 reopens in Big Sur; three hurricanes are churning in the Pacific; and Trump hopes to lift international tourism. Dive into these and more as we examine the latest in travel news. Some or all of this article was crafted with help from AI. An editor reviewed and vetted this article before publishing. 1 OF 5 Highway 1 Partially Reopens in Big Sur, but Through Travel Remains Blocked An 11-mile stretch of Highway 1 in Big Sur reopened Thursday morning after firefighters made progress against the Timber Fire, restoring access from the north to much of the Big Sur community. The reopened section runs between post mile 56, just south of the Little Sur River, and post mile 45, near the Big Sur Post Office. Officials are nevertheless asking motorists to avoid unnecessary travel in the fire zone.Through traffic between the Monterey Peninsula and Cambria is still impossible. Highway 1 remains closed farther south from Pacific Valley at post mile 16 to the Monterey-San Luis Obispo county line because of the Plaskett Fire, and Caltrans recommends U.S. Route 101 as an alternate route.Tourist access also remains severely restricted. Point Sur State Historic Park, Andrew Molera State Park, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, and Limekiln State Park are closed until further notice. Evacuation orders and warnings also remain in effect in portions of the region. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Timber and Plaskett fires had burned more than 54,000 acres combined.Read more at the San Francisco Chronicle. 2 OF 5 Three Hurricanes Crowd the Pacific as Hawaii Monitors Powerful Lowell Three hurricanes are simultaneously churning across the Pacific between Mexico and Hawaii, including one storm that briefly reached the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale.Hurricane Lowell strengthened into a Category 5 storm south of Hawaii on Wednesday, with maximum sustained winds reaching 160 mph, before weakening to Category 4 strength. Forecasters say it remains too early to know exactly how close Lowell will come to Hawaii, although the National Hurricane Center has advised residents across the islands to monitor its progress.Farther east, Hurricane Karina is moving northwest across the open Pacific and is expected to gradually weaken. Hurricane Marie, meanwhile, is strengthening well south of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula and is forecast to remain offshore. The unusual configuration meant three named hurricanes were active across the eastern and central Pacific at the same time.Read more at The Washington Post. 3 OF 5 Wildfire in Northern Greece Prompts Evacuation Near Krystallopigi Residents near Krystallopigi in northern Greece were ordered to evacuate Thursday as a forest fire threatened homes in the Florina regional unit.The blaze began Wednesday afternoon in a wooded area and rapidly expanded. Authorities activated Greece’s 112 emergency warning system after flames approached the village, directing people in the Krystallopigi area to head toward Prespes using either the old road network or the Egnatia Odos highway.Firefighters are confronting particularly difficult terrain that has complicated access for ground crews. ERT reported Thursday morning that 42 firefighters, two ground teams, and 13 vehicles were involved in the response. A helicopter also began dropping water after daybreak.Read more at ERT (in Greek). 4 OF 5 Trump Meets Travel Executives as U.S. Pushes to Reverse Foreign Tourism Decline President Donald Trump met with leaders from major airlines, hotel companies, casino operators, and cruise lines Wednesday as the U.S. travel industry looks for ways to reverse a decline in foreign visitation.The FIFA World Cup provided a temporary lift this summer, helping travel spending rise 6.2% year over year in June. But Commerce Department figures cited by Reuters show that overseas visitation was still down 4.7% through July 2026, after the total number of foreign visitors fell 5.5% in 2025.The U.S. Travel Association wants the country to attract 100 million international visitors annually, up from 68 million last year. Industry officials have pointed to lengthy visa interview waits, expensive airfare, stricter immigration policies, tariffs, and travel restrictions as obstacles. The association has also criticized a visitor-bond program covering travelers from 50 countries; its president, Geoff Freeman, said arrivals from those countries have fallen 80%.The White House, meanwhile, pointed to changes intended to make airports easier to navigate, including relaxed shoe-removal requirements at security checkpoints and family screening lanes at some airports. The administration also plans additional biometric lanes for returning U.S. citizens and measures designed to speed transfers from international arrivals to domestic flights.Read more at Reuters. 5 OF 5 Moscow Airports See Hundreds of Delays as Ukraine Warns About Russian Airspace Hundreds of flights were delayed and dozens canceled at Moscow airports Wednesday as Ukrainian officials warned airlines about the risks posed by drone activity in Russian airspace.Ukraine has formally told the International Civil Aviation Organization that it considers Russian airspace unsafe, while President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged airlines and insurers to consider the increasing presence of Ukrainian drones over Russia. U.S. and European airlines generally no longer use Russian airspace, but carriers from China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries continue to operate there.Flight-tracking data cited by Reuters showed 235 delays and 21 cancellations at Sheremetyevo International Airport, along with 94 delays and 22 cancellations at Vnukovo. Pegasus Airlines canceled several Russia flights for what it described as technical and operational reasons, while flydubai said changing conditions could result in delays, diversions, or schedule adjustments.Russian authorities insist that civil aviation remains secure and operational. Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin said officials are coordinating with defense agencies to minimize disruption, while aviation regulator Rosaviatsia said Russian airports and airlines continue operating according to plan. Aviation-risk firm Osprey Flight Solutions, however, expects drone and missile attacks deeper inside Russia, including near Moscow and St. Petersburg, to continue through 2026.Read more at Reuters.