D/R DOWNLOAD 3.10

What’s Trending

01/ On Google

• This week ‘Mexico Travel Advisory’ trended up 350%+ as a result of the U.S. State Department issuing travel warnings amid an increase of crime amongst tourist destinations.

02/ With Media

• Hannah Yasharoff has been named Wellness and Celebrity Culture Reporter at USA Today.

• This week journalists were interested in summer Caribbean vacations, over the top cruise experiences, adult-only cruises, luxury travel, and more.

03/ In The Zeitgeist

• Disneyland Park banned actress Rebel Wilson for 30 days after taking a picture of herself inside a bathroom of the ultra-exclusive, members-only, Club 33. 

• The city of Glendale has announced their plans of temporarily changing their name next week in coordination with Taylor Swifts’ first concert of her national Eras Tour at State Farm Stadium. 

• After Arcadia Senior Living, a senior living facility in Bowling Green, uploaded a viral TikTok of some of the residents reenacting Rihanna’s iconic Super Bowl halftime performance, Rihanna and Jay-Z sent flowers to the ‘dancers’ to show their love.

Industry Insights

• This spring, the city of Amsterdam will begin a new campaign aimed at curbing the number of big groups of people coming to Amsterdam to party. Instead, city marketing will focus on Amsterdam’s culture and art prospects. 

• Visitors can now purchase a NYC Borough Pass which helps them explore the neighborhoods, cultures, and history of The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.

• Paris’ iconic gothic cathedral, Notre Dame, is expected to reopen to visitors by late 2024, with construction fully completed by 2025, following the devastating fire of 2019.

• The U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning for most states in Mexico, due to crime and kidnapping and to exercise caution when traveling. The warning includes popular tourist destinations like Quintana Roo where Cancun is located and Baja California Sur where Los Cabos is located. 

• Europe’s plan to introduce the European Travel Information and Authorisation System to begin charging visitors has been pushed back, originally slated to launch in May 2023, to 2024. 

• Southwest Airlines has partnered with Amazon Web Services, following a technological disaster during the holidays, canceling thousands of flights. The airline announced the partnership is meant to support their book systems through digital platforms and optimize flight operations. 

• Uber has launched in-app features that will direct you to the proper pick-up locations at the airport, guiding users with written directions and pictures. This feature has been launched for several major airport hubs with more to follow in the coming months. 

• The Department of Justice has sued to try and block JetBlue’s acquisition of Spirit Airlines. The lawsuit followed after the DOJ believed the acquisition will cause flight costs to rise and eliminate low ticket fares. 

• A couple filed a lawsuit against Sail Maui, a Hawaii-based tourism company, after they were abandoned in the middle of the ocean during an excursion and had to swim back to shore. 

• Singapore’s famous Changi Airport added a state of the art climbing facility for travelers of all ages in Terminal 3. Currently the airport has other attractions including a Disney exhibition celebrating Disney’s 100 year anniversary, a butterfly garden, and movie theater.

Health-Related Updates

• Windstar Cruises will no longer require the COVID-19 vaccinations for guests by June 1st. However, the crew members of the ships will still be required to have the vaccination and test upon arrival of the  first week on a cruise.

Best Practices

01/ The Good

• Ford Motor Company released an ad for International Women’s Day that honors women’s achievements in the auto industry for Women’s History Month. The ad features the “Men’s Only Edition Ford Explorer,” that lacks windshield wipers, heaters, turn signals, a rearview mirror, and GPS which were all introduced by women. 

• The Four Seasons has released their new ‘Based on a True Stay’ campaign, which tells the stories of real guests' experiences and how staff goes above and beyond to entertain guests during their stay.

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