New Inventory Lands in Safari and Phuket While a Familiar Excursion Supplier Stays in Court

A Delaware bankruptcy court has rejected an attempt by Dolphin Company's ousted CEO to dismiss the Chapter 11 case, keeping the operator of Dolphin Discovery and Dolphinaris under its current restructuring leadership. The ruling also keeps $10,000-a-day sanctions in place against the former executive over the fight for control. For advisors, this is the company behind one of the most commonly booked excursion add-ons for wedding groups and honeymooners across Cancun, Riviera Maya, Cozumel and Jamaica — dolphin encounters and marine-park experiences routinely bundled into group itineraries. The ruling doesn't shut anything down, but it confirms the instability is unresolved, not settled. Until the case clears, build in flexibility: confirm reservations closer to travel dates, keep an alternate excursion in your back pocket for wedding parties, and set client expectations that this add-on carries more uncertainty than usual right now.

Two openings this week hand advisors scarce, sellable private-buyout safari product just as honeymoon interest in East Africa keeps climbing. Great Plains debuted Zamara Private in Kenya's Maasai Mara — a six-suite, 12-guest residence built for full-property buyouts, suited to milestone honeymoons or small wedding parties wanting total privacy. Preferred Hotels & Resorts separately added its own new Maasai Mara camp to its portfolio, with a 2,500-point Preferred Hotel Rewards incentive attached to bookings made through the program. Both compete for the same affluent, low-volume traveler who wants exclusivity over an all-inclusive footprint, and both are new enough that availability is still wide open for 2026–2027 dates. For advisors building safari-honeymoon packages or post-wedding add-on itineraries, these are two fresh names worth having ready — particularly for clients weighing a private-villa safari against a traditional lodge stay.

Riu has confirmed Riu Palace Phuket will open this September, its next Asia-Pacific debut following recent launches in the Maldives and Dubai and timed to the brand's 10th anniversary in Sri Lanka. The Phuket property gives advisors a new Riu name to sell in Thailand, adding to a beach and overwater-adjacent portfolio that already spans the Indian Ocean and Gulf. For honeymoon itineraries, it's a concrete near-term inventory addition — a branded, all-inclusive option in a market where clients increasingly want Thailand paired with Maldives or Bali on multi-stop honeymoons. Advisors booking late-2026 travel should flag the September date to clients now: early-opening rate windows and preview promotions tend to move fast once a property confirms, and getting ahead of the announcement beats chasing availability once packages saturate.

Two new studies sharpen the case for advisors staying central to complex bookings even as AI tools reshape trip planning. Amadeus' Tailored Horizons research finds more U.S. travelers now use AI to research and plan trips, but trust drops sharply once money changes hands — travelers still want a human to confirm details and handle payment on high-stakes bookings. Separately, Rival Technologies finds Gen Z weighs online reviews and demonstrated value over hotel brand names when deciding where to stay. Read together, the signal for destination-wedding and honeymoon advisors is to lean harder into the trusted-closer role: let AI-curious couples do their own inspiration research, then position yourself as the one who locks logistics, room blocks and payments with confidence. It also argues for review-driven, value-forward marketing to younger couples rather than brand-name-first pitches.