D/R DOWNLOAD 9.22
What’s Trending
01/ On Google
Searches for fall-foliage color reports increased this week for cities across the country, as travelers began to look out for the peak of fall leaves.
02/ With Media
This week media were interested in the best luxury tours and places to travel in 2024, how companies are adapting to EVs, the post pandemic travel surge, and stories in honor of National Lobster Day.
Jessica Wynne Lockhart is the new Destination Editor at Lonely Planet. She was previously a freelance writer and a guidebook writer for Frommer’s.
03/ In the Zeitgeist
Elon Musk suggested the platform X (previously known as Twitter) may consider charging all of its users a small monthly fee.
Industry Insights
The Indian government announced it has suspended visas for Canadians. This decision followed a claim made by Canada, accusing the Indian government of involvement in the assassination of a Canadian citizen who supported a separatist cause, therefore escalating the dispute over Sikh’s killing.
Royal Caribbean cruise line has announced a new adults-only section called ‘Hideaway Beach’ on a section of their private island Perfect Day at CocoCay.
A result of wellness-focused travel continuing to trend, menopause retreats are now an offering on the incline. Spas and resorts have begun to offer programs that target the changes of perimenopause and menopause, and also help women connect with others in their same stage of life.
The European Union is planning to ban marketing that claims products as “climate neutral” by 2026, in hopes of reducing claims that scientifically based certifications are unable to validate.
A bear was spotted in Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida on Monday, causing more than half the park to be closed to visitors; the bear was safely captured and released into the wild.
Tour operator Intrepid Travel has calculated and announced the carbon emissions for 500 of its most popular trips, giving travelers a first-hand look at the environmental impact of their travels.
A new article by Jeri Clausing gives a full review of her sailing on Crystal Cruises, a luxury cruise line that has recently relaunched after going bankrupt during the pandemic.
This week, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially announced 27 new World Heritage Site designations, including landmarks in Cambodia, China, India, Europe, and more. To qualify for the list, a natural or cultural site must be of outstanding universal value.
After spending 2 million dollars last year on a North American marketing campaign to teach people how to pronounce its name, Hurtigruten Expeditions announced its expedition line's name will change to simply ‘HX.’
Airbnb has added a new feature that will help verify properties, in hopes of mitigating phony or misleading listings. Using a mix of GPS coordinates, live photos, and artificial intelligence, Airbnb listings will be granted a "confidence score” and will either be approved or looked into further based on the score.
Beginning in 2024, Singapore’s Changi Airport will be the first airport to introduce automated immigration clearance, which will allow passengers to depart the city-state without passports.
The Good
Condé Nast Traveler has released their list for this year’s ‘Bright Ideas in Travel’. The team defines this list as the “players, places, and projects moving the industry into the future,” such as brands moving towards increased inclusivity, companies migrating away from fossil fuels, and more.
The Bad
Amidst his divorce from his wife Sophie Turner, people feel Joe Jonas’ PR team is engaging in a “publicity battle” and attempting to spin the tabloids, but the public isn’t buying it.
