D/R DOWNLOAD 4.14
What’s Trending
01/ On Google
“AI travel planner” trended 300%+ this week as ChatGPT integrated with Exepedia to help users find and book hotels.
02/ With Media
Travel + Leisure released their first digital issue, titled “The Family Travel Issue.”
Allison Faccenda has officially been hired as a commerce partnerships writer at Dotdash Meredith. Faccenda is now covering fashion, beauty, home, lifestyle, and more at InStyle, PEOPLE, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, and Real Simple.
Christen Johnson has been promoted to Lifestyle Editor of Cosmopolitan.
This week journalists were seeking information for sustainable Caribbean travel, where to visit in May, how travelers can connect with Indigenous & traditional culture in the Caribbean, the best destinations for book lovers, bucket list adventures to experience in the US, and more.
03/ In The Zeitgeist
For the first time, YouTube will live stream all six stages during both weekends of Coachella. Now, anyone anywhere can tune into Coachella’s YouTube Channel, select a stage, and watch the performance starting from April 14-16.
With the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Hollywood is finding more interest in the video game industry. According to Statista, the video game industry made about $320 billion last year—levels above what TV and movies, and estimates that the industry will be worth $482 billion in 2027.
Industry Insights
As a result of the Federal Aviation Administration’s sudden outage early this year, Verizon will now be the new technology provider for the FAA, updating the agency's technology to avoid issues in the future.
This summer, Bush’s Beans plans to partner with the National Park Foundation to give three lucky fans a three-day, two-night stay in Bush's “Camper,” a giant bean can on wheels parked near Big Bend National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Belmond Royal Scotsman Train partnered with Parfums Christian Dior to create the Dior Spa Royal Scotsman, a luxurious carriage dedicated to wellness. The new spa offers three tailor-made treatments devised by Dior’s wellness experts using products inspired by the Scottish landscape.
The Renwick Hotel in NYC announced a “weather guarantee” giving guests a reimbursement on their room if it rains during their stay, courtesy of a partnership with tech company Sensible Weather.
The bread company Sara Lee launched an all-expenses-paid vacation to Paris through their Artesano Brioche Buns “Bun Voyage” sweepstakes. For those that don’t win or choose not to participate, the brand will be hosting Parisian-themed brioche bun pop-ups in New York, New Orleans, and Santa Monica in April and May.
North America’s first zero-emission train, the Train de Charlevoix, is set to launch in Quebec this summer. The train will run solely on green hydrogen, as it makes the 90-minute journey between Parc de la Chute-Montmorency and the town of Baie-Saint-Paul along the St. Lawrence River.
With a proposed ban on TikTok, a recent study from the company MGH found that about 60% of surveyed TikTok users have become interested in a new travel destination after seeing a TikTok about it. A ban on the app for US users could mean less exposure to under-the-radar travel destinations.
Spirit introduced its new partnership with StatusMatch.com to give travelers that hold status with select airline and hotel loyalty programs access to its Free Spirit program, allowing travelers to receive perks like free checked bags and seat selection.
In January 2024, fans of The Real Housewives can enjoy a four-night themed cruise from Fort Lauderdale visiting Cozumel, Mexico featuring three housewives filled with Housewives-themed trivia, game shows, meet-and-greets, and more onboard Celebrity Silhouette.
NFL’s official hotel partner Courtyard by Marriott introduced the “Draft Inner Circle” allowing fans to get a VIP seat to cheer on their organization’s picks at the NFL 2023 Draft from the “Courtyard VIP Fan Zone.”
With a new update, Google Maps will now show entire routes for trails, give walking and cycling directions to the trailhead, and allow users to download a map of national parks. These updates will start rolling out this month ahead of National Park Week, April 22.
A brand-new Malibu Barbie Cafe experience will be coming to New York City and Chicago, where you will be transported to 1970s Malibu, California allowing guests to experience the ultimate form of Barbie-inspired dining.
Transatlantic flights soar despite the rising airfares and worsening economic outlook due to Americans' continued interest in Europe.
Health-Related Updates
President Biden signed a bill terminating the national emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic, which immediately ends the national emergency and public health emergency first declared on March 13, 2020.
Japan will be dropping COVID-19 testing and vaccination protocols for visitors on May 8, 2023. Tourists will no longer have to show a vaccination card to get through Japan’s borders.
Best Practices
01/ The Good
The American Red Cross partnered with the popular cartoon brand, Peanuts, to create an exclusive T-shirt featuring Snoopy. Since its release, the T-shirt has gone viral on TikTok and has significantly increased the amount of first-time blood donors and appointments being made for blood donations.
Visit Tucson launched a new online marketing campaign to attract Hispanic and Spanish-speaking travelers, making them feel welcome in Tucson, Arizona while encouraging them to explore the city’s culture, heritage, and multiculturalism.
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