D/R DOWNLOAD 4.28
What’s Trending
01/ On Google
“Hong Kong tourism free tickets” trended 300%+ this week as the destination began accepting national entries for its 500,000 free airline ticket giveaway on April 24, accepting international entries on May 1.
02/ With Media
Lindsay Schrupp has been named Editor-in-Chief of Thrillist.
Beth Luberecki has been named Editor-at-Large at Family Vacationist and TourScoop.
Previously the Luxury & Experiences Editor, Maya Kachroo-Levine has been promoted to Senior Editor at Travel + Leisure.
Christen Johnson has been named Lifestyle Editor at Cosmopolitan, covering topics such as home, health and wellness, travel, food, and more.
This week journalists were interested in culinary tourism in the Caribbean, offbeat destinations around the world, where to go in August, the best learning vacations, the best places for mid-life solo travel, and more.
03/ In The Zeitgeist
Researchers have found that several locations are at risk for dangerously hot weather due to climate change, but are not prepared and don't have the resources to cope. Locations include Germany, the Netherlands, China, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Honduras, and more.
Disney filed a lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis after a series of targeted measures, claiming “a targeted campaign of government retaliation.”
Industry Insights
In celebration of King Charles’ coronation, Uber announced an offering giving London residents the opportunity to ride in a “Coronation Carriage” on the days leading up to the Coronation, May 3 through May 5. The carriage resembles the coach the King will ride in on May 6 and will take passengers around Dulwich Park, a 76-acre park in southwest London.
Chip and Johanna Gaines from the popular show Fixer Upper plan to renovate a historic Texas hotel in a new spinoff series, Fixer Upper: The Hotel. The six-episode show will air on the Magnolia Network in November 2023, and the hotel is scheduled to welcome guests in October.
Sober tourism has grown in popularity, especially among millennials and Gen Z, with the global market for no-and low-alcohol beer, cider, wine, and spirits amounting to a $10 billion industry.
During the Travel Weekly Consumer Editors Roundtable held at Costa Rica's Nayara Resort, top editors from Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Afar, National Geographic Travel, Town & Country, and more discussed travel's current surge, changes in luxury, cannabis tourism, politics' influence on travel decisions, and more.
The world’s first 3D-printed hotel, El Cosmico, located in Marfa, Texas is set to open in 2024. The accommodations will include circular structures highlighting the West Texas desert landscape crafted with 3D technology.
Starting in 2025, the French space company, Zephalto, plans to fly 60 flights a year into the stratosphere on a six-hour ride in a low-carbon balloon. Each flight will contain six passengers and start at about $132,000 per person.
Air New Zealand and Qantas have begun utilizing AI-powered software to help planes make it to their destinations faster. The software determines the most fuel-efficient routes to prevent having to stop to refuel.
To combat overcrowding from tourism, the popular fishing village, Portofino, on the Italian Riviera will fine tourists $74 to $300 for lingering in newly established “red zones” to prevent obstacles and potential danger around the town’s harbor.
Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources now requires out-of-state travelers visiting Maui’s ‘Īao Valley State Monument to have advanced reservations to enter the park starting May 1.
The world's newest national park, Nilpena Ediacara, in Australia opened to the public for the first time on Thursday, April 27. Park visitors can see ancient fossils dating back 550 million years due to the region’s inhabitation.
Best Practices
01/ The Good
The Dove Self-Esteem Project partnered with Common Sense Media and Parents Together Action to advance the upcoming 2023 revision of the Kids Online Safety Act, supporting the design standards and safeguarding to protect kids online.
02/ The Bad
Italy’s tourism ministry faced ridicule for releasing a promotional video as part of a 9-million euro ($9.91 million) campaign that used footage of people in Slovenia drinking Slovenian wine. Critics and social media users mocked the video calling it “grotesque” and an “obscene” waste of money, as it was intended to attract tourists to Italy.
You might also like…
