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What’s Trending

01/ On Google

•   “Spring break travel destinations for families” trended 180%+ this week ahead of the 2023 spring break travel season. 

02/ With Media

• Sia Michel has been named Culture Editor of The New York Times. 

• This week, journalists were interested in the inspiring female leaders in travel, the best US spa resorts, the best places to stay this Easter, underrated spring break destinations, the best spring break travel deals, and more.

03/ In The Zeitgeist

• Despite having, what he calls, a low curiosity around traveling, Eugene Levy is starring in a new Apple TV series, “The Reluctant Traveler” visiting destinations including Finland, Utah, Costa Rica, Italy, Japan, the Maldives, Portugal, and South Africa.

• After recounting their islands, Japan discovered 7,000 new islands they had not previously known about based on a survey they used 35 years ago. This discovery stems from advances in surveying technology, the overall area of land had not changed.

• The Netflix show Outer Banks hosted a music festival and immersive experience in Huntington Beach transporting festival goers to the island where the show takes place, Poguelandia, with appearances from music artists Khalid, Lil Baby, the cast of Outer Banks, and more.

• TikTok announced that it will be enforcing a new change for users under the age of 18 enacting a  default 60-minute daily screen time limit on the app as a result of growing concerns surrounding security and the platform’s algorithm.

Industry Insights

• Canals in Venice are drying up due to varying environmental factors, resulting in intense drought. Since the city is famously roadless, the drought has caused many transportation problems, especially for emergency services. With the city sinking, many travelers wish to see it before it is gone, however, that comes with many obstacles like larger crowds, ticketing delays, and a smell from the drying waterways.

• The San Domenico Palace, where season two of the HBO hit show White Lotus was filmed, is currently offering 25% off certain rates and hotel packages for guests looking to stay in the Sicilian hillside of Italy. The hotel is currently closed in preparation for the opening of the spring season and will reopen on March 14, 2023.

• New York City’s iconic Central Park Boathouse is to reopen with a 10-year term this summer after its closing last year due to rising labor and costs of goods. Under its new operator, Legend Hospitality, plans for renovation and menu revamping are in effect.

• United Airlines introduced its Sustainable Flight Fund, starting with a balance of $100 million in order to support startups with hopes of reducing carbon emissions from air travel, as well as researching ways to make the production of technologies associated with aviation fuel sustainable.

• Taiwan announced a plan to start paying visitors to boost tourism numbers. The island will hand out NT $5,000 (or about $166) to 500,000 individual tourists along with up to NT $20,000 (or about $667) to 90,000 tour groups. This plan comes in hopes of increasing visitors to 6 million tourists in 2023 and 10 million by 2025.

• Kansas City International Airport to open its new $1.5 billion airport terminal this month. Featuring a sensory room, gender-neutral bathrooms, and a plane simulator for neurodivergent travelers, the terminal is a peek into the future of air travel.

• Life at Sea Cruises announced a three-year-long cruise around the world starting in November. This “hotel-at-sea” experience starts at $90,000 for the full itinerary traveling across several continents averaging around two nights per destination.

• In his State of the Union, President Biden urged other U.S. airlines to follow American Airlines' lead in eliminating family seating fees. The U.S. Department of Transport plans to propose regulations to prohibit airlines from family seating fees and will disclose which airlines have committed to not charging such fees.

• St. Lucia introduced a new entry requirement calling for travelers to fill out a digital form 72 hours ahead of arrival. Questions on the form include reasons for travel, as well as several health-related questions.

• Yosemite National Park closed indefinitely due to extreme weather conditions causing heavy snowfall which blocked major roads and hindered critical services. The park set a reopening date once it is safe for visitors to return.

• The Federal Aviation Administration announced a plan to provide $1 billion to 99 airports across the nation as part of the infrastructure bill aimed to help with the growing demands of air travel and improve the experiences of consumers.

Health-Related Updates

• Fiji is no longer requiring travelers to adhere to the pandemic-related entry requirements including providing proof of vaccination, or proof of travel insurance. However, they are still offering COVID-19 accommodations in case travelers get sick while staying at their resorts and hotels.

• Hong Kong ended its mask mandate after 945 days of strict enforcement, ending one of the world’s longest-running COVID restrictions and allowing the city to return to a sense of regularity. Masks will no longer be needed outdoors, indoors, or on public transport.

Best Practices

01/ The Good

• Nutritional snack brand Kind placed a hidden farmers market inside of a vending machine in West Village offering free fruits, vegetables, and more as an initiative to encourage people to indulge in fresh produce versus packaged snacks, including their own products. Coinciding with the company's launch of its limited-edition whole fruit and nut boxes, the vending machine is full of Kind bars, but when customers go to make a purchase, they find the vending machine opens up to reveal the farmers market.

02/ The Bad

• Lufthansa Group’s ad campaign about carbon emission reduction efforts was banned in the UK for greenwashing. The ad in question was released last May with the tagline: “Connecting the World. Protecting its Future. #MakeChangeFly.” as part of a campaign to promote the brand’s efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, including using more low-emission sustainable aviation fuels and buying a more fuel-efficient aircraft. The brand's ads were said to contain misleading claims and The Advertising Standards Authority decided the ad violates UK law for the claims not being “adequately substantiated.”

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