A First Look at NASA’s Newest Space Camp Facility
A First Look at NASA’s Newest Space Camp Facility
Tibrina Hobson
https://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/alabama/experiences/news/a-look-inside-alabamas-new-space-camp-facility
Sheeka Sanahori
An out-of-this-world experience awaits in Alabama.
The same VR simulator that astronauts and pilots use to practice parachute skills will now train the next generation of space enthusiasts attending Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
The new parachute simulators are part of a 47,079-square-foot expansion that also includes a 90-foot zip line, an indoor drone launch, a night-vision lab, and more. The new facility, which opened in May 2026, is called the Inspiration4 Skills Training Complex. Training in the facility will focus on lessons in robotics and space-related problem-solving.
The opening comes on the heels of the Artemis II mission’s success, in which four NASA astronauts made an unprecedented orbit of the moon’s far side. Registrations for Space Camp have doubled since the completion of the Artemis II mission in April.
To meet that demand, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center has added this new facility, with plans to launch more later, including a new Space Camp dormitory.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, who personally donated to the Inspiration4 Skills Training Complex, says the expansion excites the next generation about NASA’s ambitious plans over the next several years.
“Artemis III is already being assembled at Kennedy Space Center, with a lot of help here at Marshall Space Flight Center contributing. We’re going to launch that mission in 2027. That’s the setup for American astronauts to return to the moon in 2028, and, in parallel, we are building a moon base. We’re building an enduring presence that’s ultimately going to be the proving ground for where we go next,” Isaacman said at a press conference for the opening of the facility.
The new Inspiration4 Skills Training Complex is named after the 2021 Inspiration4 mission, which Isaacman commanded. It was the first all-civilian spaceflight to reach Earth’s orbit.
The U.S. Space and Rocket Center hosts overnight Space Camps for different age groups, including children, adults, and families who would like to attend together. Space Camp will begin using the new Inspiration4 Skills Training Complex in the summer of 2026.
Overnight camp includes on-site dormitory lodging at the Space Camp Habitat. For a more comfortable stay, book a room at the Huntsville Marriott at the Space & Rocket Center, which is on campus and within walking distance of all the Space Camp buildings.
Visitors can also tour the on-site museum, which includes NASA artifacts, such as the 363-foot-tall Saturn V rocket, which sent astronauts to the moon during the 1960’s and 70’s Apollo program. The museum also includes a planetarium, a craft room with 3D printers, and VR flight simulators.
Domestic travel is surging in 2026: What hotel search data across the G20 tells us
https://www.mylighthouse.com/resources/blog/domestic-travel-surge?
Jonathan Gough
Affordability pressure, geopolitical uncertainty and visa restrictions are pushing travellers toward domestic and short-haul trips. Lighthouse data shows the shift is accelerating, especially in North America.
For many major markets, the 2026 summer season is being shaped by staycations and domestic travel.
Consumers dealing with inflation, shrinking disposable income and geopolitical instability are looking closer to home, according to Lighthouse data and third-party sources.
Across G20 countries in Q1 2026, the share of searches for hotels made via Online Travel Agency (OTA) and metasearch platforms from domestic sources expanded by 3 percentage points Year-on-Year (YoY).
This trend appears to be accelerating into Q2 and is markedly more noticeable in wealthier markets, with North America seeing the fastest shift.
For hotels, the implication goes beyond marketing and segmentation strategies. Revenue management approaches need adjusting too, because alongside the move toward domestic and short-haul travel, spend per trip is also declining.
Note: This analysis covers G20 countries, excluding Russia, which is under sanctions, and China, which has its own separate digital ecosystem.
Key takeaways
- The share of G20 consumers searching for hotels in their own country rose 3.4 percentage points YoY in Q1, from 54.1% to 57.5%. By April 2026, 60% of G20 hotel searches will be domestic.
- North America is seeing the biggest shift: domestic search share rose 7% in the US, 10% in Canada and 13% in Mexico YoY in Q1 2026, despite all three countries hosting FIFA World Cup games.
- ETC data confirms declining long-haul travel intent across every surveyed market, with a 5% YoY increase in respondents reporting no intention to travel long-haul.
- Spend per trip is falling too: the share of European travellers budgeting over €1,500 dropped nine points YoY, and the booking window and average stay length continue to shrink.
Domestic hotel search share is rising across the G20
Across the data, there is a subtle but increasingly clear trend towards domestic travel and short-haul locations.
We pulled country-by-country and regional data on the share of hotel searches made on OTA and metasearch sites originating from within each country or from within the same region.
On both a country and a regional level, internal search share has risen in early 2026 and appears to still be climbing into Q2.
Taking an average across all countries in the analysis, the share of consumers searching for hotels in their own country rose 3.4 percentage points YoY, from 54.1% in Q1 2025 to 57.5% in Q1 2026.
Intra-regional searches for hotels also increased across the same period, although by a more modest 2 percentage points to an 84.9% share.
The trend also appears to be accelerating. In the early weeks of Q2 2026, domestic and regional search volumes are running noticeably ahead of 2025 and 2024.
By April 2026, an average of 60% of G20 hotel searches were for properties in the searcher’s own country.
European Travel Commission (ETC) data is aligned with this change. The Q1 Long Haul Travel Barometer found a decline in intention to take long-haul trips in every single one of the seven countries surveyed. Overall, there was a 5% YoY increase in respondents reporting no intention to travel long-haul.
ETC data that looks at just European travel consumers from March 2026 also showed intent shifting toward more localized travel. YoY there was a 4% increase in those saying they expect their next trip to be within Europe, and a 2% fall in those saying they intend to go outside the continent.
Wealthier markets are leading the shift, with North America furthest ahead
These percentage changes look modest in isolation, but at the aggregate level, they represent millions of trips shifting to domestic and short-haul destinations. They also mask significant variation at the country level, with wealthier markets showing the largest increases in domestic search share.
Australia, France, Japan, Turkey and the UK were all locations where the share of searches made internally rose by 5% or more YoY in Q1 2026 - with Turkey and the UK showing 9.2% and 6.8% positive increases in the share of domestic hotel queries.
But all of these fall behind North America, where the biggest shift is underway.
The share of domestic hotel searches has risen 7% YoY in Q1 in the US, 10% in Canada, and 13% in Mexico. The average share of searches made by consumers from each country stood at 74% in the US, 69% in Canada, and 57% in Mexico in Q1 2026.
The US Travel Association (USTA) noted that domestic travel and international travel were already heading in opposite directions in 2025, with domestic leisure travel spending up 2.1%, but international spend contracting 2.4%, while international visits declined 5.5%, led by a 21% decline in Canadian visitors.
Lighthouse and ETC data suggest there’s little reason to expect a major bounceback. The ETC found that the share of planning not to travel long haul had risen 7% YoY in Canada, with a 10% decline in the US since 2024.
Beyond North America, Visit Britain estimated that domestic tourism spending rose 11% YoY in Q3 2025, and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism noted a 16% leap in domestic visitors in Q1 2026.
In contrast, Brazil and South Africa experienced declines in the share of domestic searches made in Q1 2026, with the World Tourism Barometer noting that travel to Brazil grew by a world-leading 37% in 2025.
Closely linked intra-regional travel is also seeing a boost, most notably in Southern Europe and Northeast Asia. These are regions with reliable, low-cost flight connectivity and strong perceptions of safety. This results in growing demand for destinations like France, Greece, and Turkey in Europe, and Japan and South Korea in East Asia.
The ETC survey of European travelers found a 17% upsurge in those intending to travel to Southern and Mediterranean Europe for their next trip, which likely explains why France and Turkey have seen notable changes in the share of searches made by travelers in European countries.
In Q1 2026, there was a leap of 6.4% YoY in regional searches for France and 7.8% for Turkey. French Q1 overnight stay data provides further detail: the number of overnight stays from the US declined 0.6%, as did those from Asia and Oceania by 1.3%, but stays from German and British visitors soared 8.7% and 8.2%, respectively.
In Northeast Asia, South Korea’s decline in the share of hotel searches made by South Koreans (-3.6%) appears to be explained largely by the soaring popularity of the destination for regional travelers, rather than any decline in domestic tourism. Visitor numbers in March set records, with arrivals from China, Taiwan, and Japan climbing 29%, 37.7% and 20.2% YoY, followed by increases of 29.6%, 27.2%, and 17.9% in April.
Heading the other way, South Korean tourism into Japan is also on a steep upward path, rising 21.6%, 28.2%, and 15% YoY in January, February, and March, respectively, while Taiwanese inbound visits similarly grew by 17%, 36.7%, and 24.9% across these months. Chinese visits were the outlier, declining 55.9% in March. That drop stems from a diplomatic dispute between Beijing and Tokyo that started in late 2025; without it, the growth trend would likely have continued.
Shorter, cheaper trips are becoming the norm for travelers
The domestic shift isn’t the only signal. Ahead of this summer’s peak season, other trends point to a more cautious, budget-conscious traveller.
We have already noted in previous research that the booking window is becoming shorter, as is the average stay, which is part of a move toward less per-trip expenditure. ETC data for Europe found that the share expecting to stay six nights or fewer rose 5% YoY in Q1, while estimated budgets declined, as the percentage anticipating a trip spend of more than €1,500 fell nine points.
Another indicator is the more cautious accommodation pricing strategies being enacted for Q2 2026, with half of tracked destinations in Lighthouse data showing a decline in advertised prices, compared to the same point in 2025, when rates were heading upward in two-thirds of locations.
Across the wider consumer economy, spending patterns are shifting fast. Travel is no exception.
At the same time, airlines have been forced to respond to the conflict in the Middle East, with Middle Eastern carriers cutting capacity and raising fares, which impacts key long-haul routes the most. Add a more cost-conscious, security-aware traveller to that picture, and the conditions for a major shift in summer travel patterns are clear.
Hotels that rely on last year’s booking patterns as a guide for this summer will be caught off guard. If you haven’t already, now is the time to adopt a commercial strategy that evaluates demand based on forward-looking search signals.
This enables you to make proactive revenue management adjustments for shorter stays and smaller budgets. You can tailor marketing and promotional offer creation to target domestic and regional travellers and reassess where advertising spend is going, given the decline in long-haul inbound demand.
Lighthouse captures over 1.2 billion flight and hotel searches and 1.7 billion hotel rates every day. That’s the data behind the analysis in this post.
It’s the same data you can use to track how your market is evolving, where demand is coming from and when.
Hoteliers maximize the value of properties through strategic repositionings
Food-and-beverage, spa outlets are common targets for revenue growth
Hotel renovations, including preventative maintenance, have been a strategy used by hoteliers to increase rates and occupancy. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
https://www.costar.com/article/2098991376/hoteliers-maximize-value-of-properties-through-strategic-repositionings?
NEW YORK — Hoteliers are always looking for ways to push revenues and win in the margins. Strategic renovations and artificial intelligence are a few of the sources of extracting incremental value.
Panelists spoke about the strategies they've used during the "Driving alpha in uncertain markets: Maximizing hospitality value" session at the recent 2026 NYU International Hospitality Investment Forum.
Deanne Brand, senior vice president of strategy, enterprise analytics, risk, and treasurer at Host Hotels & Resorts, said the real estate investment trust invested $2 billion in return on investment back into its assets from 2019 to 2025.
"We strongly believe in transformational renovations," such as repositioning spas or food-and-beverage outlets, she said. "The types of resorts and hotels that we own, we want to leverage and really extract value from that fluid consumer."
Of the 21 transformational renovations that have stabilized in Host's portfolio, the hotels have gained 9 points of revenue per available room share index on average, which Brand said is "meaningful growth."
When Host is planning a renovation, the company underwrites and conducts a case study to determine the additional rates it can drive through a repositioning, she said. It also compares its pricing and product to competitors in the market to ensure the changes will stand out and drive business.
Andrea Grigg, senior managing director and global head of hotel asset management at CBRE, said there has to be a certain level of intention behind every hotel renovation. In addition to delivering a new experience to the guests, it also has to drive efficiencies.
CBRE recently led the renovations of two full-service restaurants into bars with live components at two luxury hotels. Grigg said the results have been that food costs are down while profitability is up. One of the restaurants went from losing significant money to breaking even.
"When you look at ROI, you do your homework, and the dollars that you're going to invest have to be driven by very thoughtful exercises of ROI that go beyond just increasing prices or increasing captures," she said.
Lana Yoshii, senior director of investments at Sonesta International Hotels, said the company similarly renovated an on-property restaurant, reducing the seating from 90 to 40 and converting the extra space into retail. The renovation resulted in an average daily rate increase of 10% along with a jump in occupancy.
The renovation "wasn't about the food-and-beverage profit on the front end; it's about, 'Hey, we have a much better overall hotel,'" Yoshii said.
Joseph Bojanowski, president of PM Hotel Group, said that coming into the year, the company’s focus was on value enhancement for the guest. This includes preventative maintenance to ensure each room works properly.
"That's a great guest experience that's also really efficient in the environment where electricity and other utility costs are going up significantly. And then charging for that value enhancement when you get it [through] ADR," he said.
In keeping the rooms in good shape from a functionality standpoint, guests will be more likely to contribute ancillary revenues by sticking around the property for a drink or considering a late checkout, Bojanowski said.
"Our objective there being to drive GOP margins primarily through revenue — ADR-enhanced third revenues — to translate that into EBITDA per available room, cash flow, and then ultimately value enhancement there, whether it's a refi, exit or whatever it might be," he said.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence will play a role in driving additional revenues, the panelists said.
For Host to invest in any technology, not just AI, it has to fit at least one of three components: improve operational efficiencies, drive incremental revenue, or enhance the guest and employee experience. It's important to have test properties that can run trials with new technology to validate the proof of concept before rolling out a widespread adoption, given the investment dollars at play, Brand said.
The shift from search engine optimization to generate operative optimization has already begun, Bojanowski said. PM Hotel Group updated its photos on its website and shifted to bullet-point-style information to increase the chances of its properties showing up in an AI search.
AI is changing how travelers are booking, and CBRE is doing tests on investments in AI platforms to increase recognition of its hotels, Grigg said.
"We are being very proactive on that front, really testing and investing in how we can get that visibility up. It's a very competitive market out there," she said.
The Real Reason Ambitious Professionals Burn Out in ‘Dream Roles”
https://ivyexec.com/career-advice/2026/the-real-reason-ambitious-professionals-burn-out-in-dream-roles/
Fabian Sandoval
The moment you land the role everyone around you admires, something strange can happen. You feel proud, validated – and quietly terrified. On paper, it’s everything you wanted: the prestige, the pay, and no more being on the lookout for better opportunities. You’ve made it!
Yet instead of feeling fulfilled, you feel like you’re sprinting through molasses. The meetings blur, your sense of purpose dulls, and before you even realize it, you’re Googling “symptoms of burnout” in between Slack pings. It’s a paradox that ambitious professionals rarely talk about: dream jobs often drain the very people who worked hardest to earn them.
☑️ The Invisible Contract Behind Prestige
High-prestige roles come with an unspoken agreement – one that isn’t written into your offer letter. You don’t just sign up for the work; you sign up for the image of the work. That validation loop becomes exhausting because it demands performance beyond performance – not just excellence in outcomes, but emotional labor, brand maintenance, and constant visibility.
Many professionals find themselves treating reputation as part of their job description. The more celebrated the company or title, the more invisible effort it demands: long hours that aren’t technically required but feel mandatory, overcommunication disguised as collaboration, and a low-level anxiety that never clocks out. The prestige becomes a mirror that magnifies every insecurity. You’re not just doing your job – you’re curating proof that you belong.
When burnout arrives, it doesn’t look like a collapse at first. It creeps in as self-doubt disguised as self-improvement. You think you’re pushing harder for growth when you’re really pushing yourself past capacity to meet an expectation that no one explicitly set.
☑️ The Identity Trap of the “Dream Job”
One of the cruelest tricks of ambition is how it fuses your sense of self with your work. The more passionate you are, the easier it is to believe your job isn’t just what you do – it’s who you are. Companies sell identity as part of the package: you’re not just a manager, designer, or consultant anymore – you’re a [company name] person. That sense of belonging feels intoxicating until it starts to shrink your world.
When your identity and performance are intertwined, failure doesn’t feel like a setback – it feels existential. A harsh review, a missed target, or even an unimpressed client can trigger a disproportionate sense of crisis. Professionals who once thrived on high standards start spiraling into perfectionism and fear-driven overcommitment. The job becomes a full-time defense of worthiness.
The irony is that this identity fusion is often celebrated as passion. You hear it in phrases like “live and breathe the brand” or “bring your whole self to work.” But in practice, it creates emotional dependence. When work becomes your primary source of validation, any misstep feels like losing part of yourself. That psychological load is what quietly depletes even the most capable professionals.
☑️ The Myth of Boundless Potential
Ambitious people are often told their potential is limitless – that hard work and talent will always open new doors. Dream roles weaponize that belief. They present themselves as the ultimate test of capability: if you can handle this, you can handle anything. But what about other things? You can instead devote that energy to investing money, learning new skills, or fulfilling a dream of yours.
The lack of such a mindset is how high performers self-destruct in environments designed to consume them. Instead of drawing boundaries, they treat boundaries as weaknesses.
They internalize dysfunction as a challenge to overcome. In extreme cases, burnout becomes a badge of honor – proof of commitment, proof that they can withstand the pressure others can’t. The irony is painful: the very drive that got them the job becomes the reason they can’t sustain it.
Organizations rarely intervene early because ambition masks suffering. The same qualities that make someone impressive – self-discipline, ownership, and initiative – also make them unlikely to admit they’re drowning. That’s why you have to take the reins yourself.
☑️ The Emotional Tax of “Doing What You Love”
The cultural obsession with “doing what you love” has created a strange hierarchy of meaning at work. If you’re lucky enough to love your job, you’re expected to tolerate conditions others wouldn’t. Passion is used to justify unpaid overtime, emotional labor, and the slow erosion of personal life. The logic goes: if you’re living your dream, you should be grateful – no matter how much it costs.
The problem is that passion doesn’t neutralize fatigue; it amplifies it. When you care deeply, every frustration hits harder. Every compromise feels personal. Professionals in dream roles often absorb organizational chaos out of loyalty, convincing themselves they’re protecting the mission. In truth, they’re protecting a fantasy – that loving your job should make it immune to disappointment.
The burnout that follows is particularly brutal because it feels like betrayal. You’re not just tired of work – you’re tired of caring and reconsidering the choice in the first place. What used to motivate you now feels manipulative. That emotional dissonance can lead to what psychologists call “moral injury” – the sense that your values have been compromised by the very system that claimed to honor them.
☑️ Reframing Success Before It Consumes You
Avoiding prestige-driven burnout isn’t about rejecting ambition. It’s about reclaiming it from illusion. Real success isn’t the absence of limits – it’s the presence of choice. Professionals who thrive long-term learn to separate achievement from identity and contribution from constant sacrifice. They evaluate roles not by how impressive they sound, but by how sustainable they feel.
The healthiest high achievers redefine what progress looks like. They stop chasing perpetual acceleration and start optimizing for endurance.
They understand that a title can’t love you back, and that protecting energy isn’t laziness – it’s longevity. Instead of treating rest as recovery from work, they treat it as preparation for impact. The shift is subtle but radical: from proving worth to preserving it.
Conclusion
Dream roles aren’t inherently dangerous, but they are seductive. They appeal to the part of us that wants to be extraordinary. The key is remembering that being extraordinary doesn’t mean being endlessly available to a system that thrives on your depletion. The real dream is doing exceptional work without losing yourself in the process.
In the end, burnout in dream roles isn’t caused by overwork alone – it’s caused by over-identification.
The sooner ambitious professionals unhook their identity from their title, the sooner they can find balance that doesn’t depend on anyone else’s definition of success. Because the dream worth chasing isn’t a role at all – it’s the freedom to build a life that doesn’t require escaping from it.
DUHC&S | Strategic Hospitality Consulting & Advisory
We transform hospitality and tourism businesses through strategic solutions, operational efficiency, and comprehensive renovation. With over 40 years of experience working with brands like Hilton, Hyatt, Sheraton, and Sonesta, we enhance asset value and profitability through:
*Operational excellence and brand standards (GSI +90%)
*Market penetration and commercial strategies
*Key partnerships and disruptive innovation
*Hotel openings and repositioning
Proven results :
✅ 48% GOP |
✅ +120% asset valuation growth
✅ Successful projects across 6 Latin American countries
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