D/R DOWNLOAD 6.2
What’s Trending
01/ On Google
“Underrated summer travel ideas” trended 1,900%+ this week as more travelers flock to popular summer destinations.
02/ With Media
This week journalists were interested in information about luxury hotels around the world, Indigenous tourism, sustainability initiatives, brands supporting LGBTQ consumers, summer travel deals, and more.
03/ In The Zeitgeist
With the shift to remote work during the pandemic, recent research from the American Time Use Survey reported that remote workers have reclaimed 60 million hours of commuting time to focus on their well-being.
Industry Insights
Southwest Airlines launched its new Get Away Collection in partnership with apparel brand Fruit of The Loom where customers can buy a $200 limited edition Fruit of The Loom x Southwest Airlines sweat set, and get $350 in flight credits.
The Denver International Airport introduced the free "DEN Reserve" program allowing travelers to bypass TSA lines by making appointments to be screened up to an hour before their flight. Starting June 1, groups of up to 10 people are allowed to book under one appointment and proceed to Bridge Security at their appointment time.
Air New Zealand asks passengers to be weighed on a scale before reaching their gate. The airline says this voluntary and anonymous procedure is for “safety reasons” and the weights collected will be used as a reference over the next five years.
A recent study by OAG, a flight data analysis company, found that 20% of millennials prioritize eco-friendly options when traveling by air, compared to only 1% of baby boomers. Additionally, 17% of Gen Z and 10% of Gen X consider sustainability when making travel choices.
Uber introduced its new business travel option, Uber Business Comfort, allowing riders to have priority pickup over non-business travelers along with access to more legroom, new vehicles, and other benefits.
Travel search engine KAYAK launched its new "Best Time to Travel tool" to enhance travel planning. The tool incorporates predictive data from KAYAK's travel queries to forecast future flight and hotel prices, as well as provide weather and seasonality information to help determine the best time to travel.
The hotel loyalty program Marriott Bonvoy is offering a variety of celebrity experiences to its members for just one point in its new program: One Point Moment Drops. Members have the opportunity to drink the unreleased Dos Hombres mezcal with Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston, sitting in the Hot Ones seat with host Sean Evans, and more on a first-come, first-served basis.
Travelers are hesitant about AI being used to help plan and book trips. Only 49% of people who have utilized AI found it to be helpful. Even with the lack of trust, AI is still being implemented in the travel industry.
After more than 20 years of planning, the International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston, South Carolina, is set to open on June 27, 2023. The $100M building was designed to rest on top of 18 stilts to not touch the ground in a sign of respect for the enslaved people who once walked the land below, and will feature a permanent collection of 300 artworks and historical artifacts that tells the story of the Middle Passage.
Best Practices
01/ The Good
As several brands faced backlash for promoting LGBTQ+ topics in advertising, Verizon-owned brand Visible Wireless launched its Pride 2023 campaign comprised of a ’70s-themed game show called “No Straight Answers featuring LGBTQ+ creators, and the brand has also committed to donating $50,000 to SAGE, an organization that advocates for older members of the LGBTQ+ community.
02/ The Bad
Intrepid Travel’s ‘Planet-Friendly’ advertisement was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority for being perceived as greenwashing. The advert featured two women in front of the Giza Pyramids in Egypt with the text, “People and planet-friendly small group adventures since 1989”. The ASA received a complaint that the phrase ‘planet-friendly’ was misleading and considered the phrase “people and planet-friendly small group adventures'' to be “an absolute claim”, implying “that taking part in an Intrepid tour caused no environmental damage throughout its full life cycle”.
