D/R DOWNLOAD 6.16

What’s Trending

01/ On Google

• “Best Southwest destinations” trended 110%+ this week as SouthWest Airlines offered a fare sale in celebration of its 52nd birthday.

02/ With Media

• Antonia Depace has been appointed as Nantucket Magazine’s new Editorial Director.

• The 13-day strike at Insider ended after the Insider Union and management reached an agreement ending the longest strike at a digital media company to date. The new deal boosts the salary minimum for Insider staffers from $60,000 to $65,000 a year, includes a pledge to not lay off any more employees for the rest of the year, and offers an immediate 3.5 percent raise for most staff.

• This week journalists were interested in information about Alaska cruises, tours designed to teach travelers about climate change, travel deals for June, exciting summer festivals, the best resort pools in the US, and more.

03/ In The Zeitgeist

• Twitter is being sued by music publishers for $250 million due to copyright infringement on 1,700 songs and failure to rectify notices about 300,000 infringing tweets. In 2021, Twitter was in negotiations for licensing rights with Universal, Sony, and Warner, but those conversations stalled following Elon Musk’s takeover and attempt to reduce costs.

• President Biden urged industries from airlines to ticket sellers including Ticketmaster and SeatGeek eliminate hidden fees aimed to simplify the process of buying tickets.

Industry Insights

• Lawmakers are considering repealing a rule from the Obama administration that requires airlines to show the full airfare prices of a ticket upfront in advertising. The House bill will allow the “base airfare prices,” not including taxes and fees, to be advertised by airlines as long as there is a link to the total price or other disclosure.

• The collapse of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia caused by a truck fire resulted in a temporary closure of the highway. Though travelers have been given alternative routes to navigate around the affected area, the closure will have a months-long impact on travel.

• The United Kingdom announced that all travelers visiting the U.K. will require an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) beginning in 2024 to fully digitize the borders by 2025. These permits will cost approximately $12.50 and will be valid for two years after purchase.

• Apple’s iOS 17 update will simplify offline traveling, allowing users to download areas of the map to use in remote locations without reliable cell service like national parks on the Maps app. This update will include trail information such as trail length, difficulty, elevation gain, etc. for hikes in national parks as well.

• New travel platform LOVU announced the official BETA launch of the first-ever romance travel booking app. The app connects travelers with a curated selection of properties and travel advisors, making it easier than ever to plan a romantic trip.

• Silent Yachts announced plans to build a new set of 28 eco-conscious residencies at its new emissions-free luxury beachfront resort in Fiji. The property will feature solar-electric tenders, speedboats, and electric yachts available for guest use.

• MSC Cruises introduced the world's first net-zero greenhouse gas emissions ship, MSC Euribia. Powered by liquified nitrogen gas, MSC Euribia made its maiden voyage from Saint-Nazaire, France to Copenhagen, Denmark producing up to 19 percent less greenhouse gas emissions per passenger per day.

• The University of South Florida scientists released data showing that the Great Sargassum Belt, a 5,000-mile-long area containing a loose collection of patches of brown floating seaweed, located between West Africa and the Gulf of Mexico, has doubled in size in two months. These reports have travelers questioning their tropical vacations due to the risk of sea lice and stinging organisms that live in the seaweed.

• Brands including HotelTonight are taking advantage of the rising "Barbiecore" aesthetic ahead of the anticipated Barbie movie set to release July 21, 2023. The digital booking platform is offering last-minute deals on pink properties.

Best Practices

01/ The Bad

• Blind passengers Pam May and Jennie Bailie were asked to leave a P&O Cruises Ventura ship in May for “health and safety reasons”. P&O Cruises charged both May and Bailie a cancellation fee equivalent to the total cost of the cruise, and allegedly did not inquire about their individual abilities but instead made the decision to exclude them due to their blindness. P&O Cruises addressed the incident in a statement to Insider, expressing regret for the passengers’ inability to travel with them and offering a full refund for the vacation expenses incurred.