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What’s Trending

01/ On Google

• “Do tourists help or hurt local ecosystems?” trended +1,300% this week as travelers express an increased interest in traveling sustainably and responsibly.

02/ With Media

• This week the media were interested in fall getaways, beach vacations with holiday packages, unique leaf-peeping experiences, unique hotel lobbies, and the best solo travel guided tours.

• Fodor’s Travel has started a new series, called ‘Dear, Eugene’, spearheaded by travel writer Nikki Vargas, where the publication answers reader’s burning travel questions.

• CN Traveler debuts a new series named ‘Where Chefs Eats on Vacation’ where chefs deep dive into the meals they eat when getting away.

03/ In The Zeitgeist

• ‘Lazy girl jobs’ are trending online, prompting employees to set firmer boundaries in the workplace and take a stand against burnout culture. This movement, also known as ‘quiet quitting,’ strives to compete with the constant hustle and bustle of being overworked, and aims for employees to have a healthier work-life balance.

• Convicted con artist, Billy McFarland, made a 50-page plan to relaunch Fyre Festival in the form of Fyre Festival two, in which tickets are now available.

• According to a GQ column, the hype list says sailing on your lunch break in Barcelona, living out of stylist hotel lobbies, spending a summer vacation in a cooler area like Switzerland, and visiting Osaka over Tokyo are what cool people with great taste are doing right now

Industry Insights

• Frontier Airlines is offering to match the equivalent of select travelers’ student loan debt balance with airline miles.

• New study suggests that just thinking about vacation can be good for you. Those who went on recent vacations displayed an increased cognitive flexibility than their counterparts.

• The new and affordable Romer Waikīkī at the Ambassador which opens on October 1st will provide travelers with immersive neighborhood experiences with the help of curated maps and other insights into the local happenings of the destination.

• The airline industry has had an alarming number of close calls, more than anyone imagined which have led discussions of safety concerns and potential precautions.

• The surprise trips trend is becoming more popular among passenger railways, adventure tours and local travel companies. Companies are using the opportunity to spread the love among their vendors and lesser-known destinations as well as build trust with their guests.

• Southwest Airlines is now limiting their popular EarlyBird Check-In feature, which allowed passengers to check-in before the typical 24-hour time frame inorder to gain better boarding slots.

• Portugal launched a new unlimited monthly rail pass that allows travelers to get to nearby European countries like Spain and France for under 50 euros.

• Celebrity house-flippers Chip and Joanna Gaines are stepping into the hotel business with a new boutique hotel in their hometown of Waco, Texas. The building will be documented in a six-episode series, "Fixer Upper: The Hotel," to debut this fall.

• In efforts to create a more sustainable travel option, Amtrak announced its first-ever electric bus which will provide daily and mid-day service from Seattle to Bellingham with stops in Everett and Mount Vernon. This eco-friendly transportation replacement will save some 10,000 gallons of diesel and cut emissions by 109 tons per year.

The Good

• Spotify found that the number 1 search term globally for listeners 18-24 is “sad” including playlists titles “Sad Bops” and “sad hour”. The brand then launched a "Bummer Summer" campaign, advertising sad music and playlists for Gen Z listeners.

• Shake Shack is searching for a Chief Avocado Officer who can conceive ideas on how the brand can integrate avocados into everything. The winner will get $3,000 and free Shake Shack for a year.