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WHAT’S TRENDING
On Google:
Hawaii remains top of mind for travelers, with terms like “hawaii safe travel” and “hawaii” trending more than 110%+ in search trends.
“US Virgin Islands” trended +250% this week as news continued to come out surrounding vaccine travel; roughly 3% of vaccines in the region have gone to tourists.
#BoycottDelta is trending as the airline faces backlash for its role in the new Georgia voting restriction bill.
On Social:
TikTok star, Addison Rae, is facing social media backlash after her segment on Jimmy Fallon failed to credit the Black and POC creators of the TikTok dances she performed.
LinkedIn introduced new features including Creater Mode which allows users to better display content and increase visibility, and Cover Story which lets users add a short video introduction to their profile. Additionally, new career categories such as ‘stay-at-home-mom’ and other caretaker roles will be added to give those who had to temporarily leave the workforce during the pandemic more of an opportunity to seek jobs.
#Coachella, the music festival popular with celebrities and usually held the first week of April, is trending as fans share memories from the event that has been cancelled for the past two years.
Spotify has acquired L.A. startup, Betty Labs, and will soon offer new live experiences in a range of sports, music and cultural programming with hope to create a rival to Clubhouse.
With Media:
Staff at the New Yorker have voted to authorize a strike, after years of fruitless negotiation with the magazine’s publisher, Condé Nast, over contracts and compensation.
Drew Barrymore is debuting a new lifestyle magazine, ‘DREW,’ which will feature a travel vertical.
Conde Nast Traveler features heritage travel in its latest issue and puts an emphasis on planning family trips.
Consumer + Industry Insights:
New CDC travel guidelines will say fully vaccinated travelers can travel at low risk.
“Toe-dip trips” are the latest trend for people looking to ease back into travel that promotes COVID-19 friendly getaways like places close to home and in the outdoors.
As vaccine passports become a more widespread topic of discussion around the world, the Biden Administration has stated that a form of immunity passport will not be mandatory for travel.
New York has launched a new digital vaccine pass, Excelsior Pass, in hopes of reopening sports arenas, music venues, restaurants and other businesses in the near future.
Carnival Cruise Line has announced they have no plan of resuming sailing out of the United States and has not made a decision of vaccine requirements.
As lockdowns in the U.K. ease, new research shows that 90% of British travelers are ready to fly again with over 50% planning a trip in the next 12 months.
Thailand’s tourism industry is submitting a “Sandbox Tourism” plan to the government in hopes of a soft reopening to bring back international travelers.
Portugal’s new tourism campaign, #Can’tSkipTomorrow, emphasizes the need for sustainable travel to preserve the natural world.
Wildfires in South Dakota have forced over 400 homes to evacuate and closed Mount Rushmore.
Utah is opening two new state parks - Utahraptor State Park, named for the state’s dinosaur, and the Lost Creek State Park around the Morgan County reservoir.
Mexico is closing the famous Mayan Ruins at Chichen Itza over Easter weekend, following tourists not following the mask policy.
An eco-friendly floating hotel set to be built in Qatar has been designed with an estimated completion date in 2025, but it may be too ambitious and futuristic to achieve.
Sustainable travel is on the rise, but it can be hard to determine if hotels and resorts are setting up long-term sustainability programs or just following the trends. When researching hotels, activist group Responsibletravel.com recommends looking for their environmental report and consulting third-party organizations like LEED, Green Keys and Green Seal.
Google Maps will start to show eco-friendly routes first, in order to help combat climate change.
The Italian government announced they are banning large cruise ships from entering Venice’s city center. Instead they must dock in Port Marghera, 6 miles from where ships previously docked.
The Louvre has put its entire art collection online on two interactive platforms for people to view for free, complete with a map that lets users explore the museum room by room.
Airbnb has launched a collection of online travel experiences catered towards neurodiverse guests featuring excursions like street dancing and llama therapy to make travel more inclusive.
The Omni Dallas Hotel received backlash for committing to host a conference for the QAnon conspiracy group that helped instigate the Capital riots in January.
Best Practices:
The Good:
Orbitz’s new ad campaign encourages LGBTQ+ travelers to “travel as you are,” which includes new artwork, a manifesto, and resources for LQBTQ+ travelers.
Cadbury’s new campaign, “Donate your words” released limited-edition chocolate bars that replaced its branding with stories from the elderly to raise awareness about the isolation and loneliness epidemic of elderly people.
After Floyd Hayes went viral last year for trying to register his beer as an emotional support animal, Woodstock Brewing Company worked with him to create a Cirta IPA that features “Emotional Support Beer” on the front of the can.
U.K. broadcaster Sky is running a competition for agencies and brands to win the “Sky Zero Footprint Fund” towards ad time if they can promote positive behavior change toward its commitment to be net carbon zero by 2030.
The Bad:
Volkswagen is facing potential fallout with journalists after its announcement of renaming the brand ‘Voltswagen’ was found to be nothing more than an April Fool’s stunt.