D/R DOWNLOAD 8.12

What’s Trending

01/ On Google

• ‘Best fall destinations in the U.S.’ is trending by 110% this week, as travelers prepare for the autumn season.

02/ With Media

• Elite Traveler unveiled a revamped platform that includes a brand-new ‘World’s Finest’ section with ranked hotel suites, restaurants, private jet brands, and more. 

• Eater launched a new bi-weekly travel newsletter, ‘Eater Travel,’ showcasing the world’s best foodie destinations. 

• This week, journalists expressed interest in hotels near National Parks, west coast bachelorette destinations, castle hotels, U.S. cities for art lovers, Labor Day weekend trips, astro-tourism experiences, immersive travel experiences, and 2023 luxury hotel openings.

03/ In The Zeitgeist

• TikTok trends have proved to align on a ‘set calendar’ based on the internet season, with the app’s users' favorite summer aesthetic being ‘coastal grandmother’ style inspired by Diane Keaton movies and the month of August dedicated to ‘Bama Rush’ sorority recruitment at the University of Alabama.

• Death Valley National Park is closed to visitors following extreme weather that caused significant flooding, damaging the park’s roadways in a sporadic and 1,000-year historical event.

• After reopening in 2018, Maya Bay - one of Thailand’s most popular tourist attractions - is closing once again to improve the island’s infrastructure and give the protected area a break from the influx of tourists. 

Industry Insights

• Recently opened hotels all over the world are prioritizing sustainability as an integral part of their design and function. Among the list of celebrated new properties that embrace community-centered, socially responsible, and environmentally sensitive operations, are Sterrekopje in South Africa, Six Senses Shaharut in Israel, and Silky Oaks Lodge in Australia.

• Travel agency Cruise Planners announced the new ‘Romance Travel Specialist Certification’ created to educate travel advisors on how to optimize ‘romance travel’ experiences such as Honeymoons, anniversaries, and other celebratory vacations. 

• According to data from deal-finding platform Hopper, domestic airfare is expected to drop 40% in the early weeks of fall

• The United States Virgin Islands created a new territorial parks system to preserve tourism activities and protect more than 30 areas from commercial development.

• Graduate Hotels announced plans to launch a new program for short-term rentals. ‘Graduate Homes’ will be available in major college football towns across the country.

• The European Union’s anticipated new tourist reservation system, European Travel Information and Authorization System, is now set to begin November 2023. To strengthen EU borders, travelers from the U.S. and over 60 countries will be required to have EITAS authorization before visiting Europe. 

• The State Department launched a pilot program allowing the first 25,000 applicants this month the opportunity to renew their passports online. Travelers that are at least 25 years old and have a valid passport are eligible for this opportunity.

• Visit Ukraine launched new guided tours called ‘Brave Cities’, encouraging travelers to visit Ukraine and experience life amid the ongoing war with Russia. Tour groups will be limited to groups of ten and will be prepped on how to act in a critical situation by the tour guide.

• Similar to home-rental platforms, ‘Swimply’ is the first-ever pool-sharing platform that lets users rent access to homeowner’s underused backyard pools by the hour across the U.S., Canada, and Australia. 

• St. Regis is revamping its experiential offerings with new private champagne sabrage masterclasses across all of its northern American hotels and resorts. The exclusive classes will guide participants through the theatrical art of sabrage, before inviting them to try the ritual themselves. 

• Dior hosted its first beauty and couture pop-up in the U.S. this summer at the Gurney’s Montauk resort. The collaboration included a curated boutique featuring new designs from the brand and a spa experience inside the resort. 

Health-Related Updates

• The C.D.C. loosened COVID-19 guidelines, allowing unvaccinated individuals exposed to the virus to freely quarantine at home, school, or work, as well as easing up on social distancing, and surveillance testing, and contact tracing. 

• Samoa and Brunei have reopened their borders to travelers, and the Chinese gambling hub of Macao has eased all travel restrictions lifting a city-wide lockdown that lasted over a month. 

• Ocean cruises are easing COVID-19 restrictions. Starting September 3, 2022, fully vaccinated travelers, 12 years and older, will no longer have to test before boarding a ship on Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity Cruises. 

• The U.S. currently has the highest number of monkeypox cases across the globe, totaling approximately 10,000 confirmed cases. 

Best Practices

01/ The Good

• British wine retailer Majestic is looking to send a ‘Vintern’ to the Iberian Peninsula to test wine from its Wine Club By Majestics selections in the locations where they were created to test if the wine tastes better on vacation or at home.

• To celebrate the company joining TikTok, Booking.com is giving away seven trips to anywhere in the world to their TikTok followers using the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBOOKIt. The lucky winners will be selected at random and receive a prize vacation that’s valued at up to $10,000.

• Chipotle Mexican Grill is launching a ‘Burritos 4 Teachers’ campaign to recognize educators before the school year begins. The company announced they anticipate giving away more than $1 million of free burritos to teachers at 2,000 schools starting the week of August 15.

02/ The Bad

• Sesame Place continues to face ongoing backlash over recent viral videos of costumed characters at the park appearing to dismiss and ignore Black children. On Tuesday, the company announced diversity and inclusion training for all employees and other measures.

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