D/R DOWNLOAD 6.10

What’s Trending

01/ On Google

• Searches for ‘Southwest Fall40’ trended +2,850% as Southwest Airlines launched a summer and fall sale with 40% off savings.

02/ With Media

• Dawn Gilbertson is the new travel columnist at The Wall Street Journal. She spent the past four years at USA Today as a consumer travel reporter. Joshua Rivera is now the go-to travel editor at USA Today. 

• Journalists this week expressed story interest in over-the-top wellness and spa experiences, best outdoor summer adventures, and budget-friendly travel.

03/ In The Zeitgeist

• Apple announced the newest iPhone update iOS 16 that will let users to unsend and edit text messages as well as mark threads unread. Users will only have 15 minutes after sending a message to make changes, and the recipient will know if a message is edited or deleted. 

• Renowned oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle will lead the first Antarctic Climate Expedition in 2023. The invitation-only summit will gather academics and artists together to address the pressing issue of climate change.  

Industry Insights

• Travel inspo company Tripscout, launched a booking platform within Instagram, allowing users to get access to exclusive private rates and book rooms directly by sending a message to @Hotel.

• Up Norway, which plans immersive trips throughout the country, is asking travelers to book a mystery vacation. Travelers won't know the details before going but trips are curated based on guests' wants and needs as well as what type of vacation they're after.

• Snapchat is looking to connect travel advertisers with future vacationers using a new ad format that pulls from location data. The new dynamic travel ads will specifically serve hotels, airlines, tours, and online travel agencies, by building on the app’s location features.

• Kelly Clarkson has partnered with Norwegian Cruise Line as part of their Giving Joy initiative to send 100 teachers across the U.S. and Canada on a free sailing aboard Norwegian's newest ship, Norwegian Prima.

• German railway company Deutsche Bahn is working on a high-speed train that will take travelers directly between Paris and Berlin in 7 hours.  

• Based on a recent survey from American Hotel & Lodging Association, 69% of Americans who plan to travel this summer, are most concerned about rising gas prices and inflation, topping worries about contracting COVID. 

• Virgin Voyages canceled the launch of their third cruise ship, Resilient Lady and postponed the voyage until May 2023, promising refunds up to 200% to passengers. The company blamed the unorganized travel industry for their delay.

COVID-Related Updates

• The United States will lift the requirement for travelers to test negative for COVID-19 before entering the U.S. and is scheduled to go into effect at midnight on Sunday for international travelers. 

• Italy lifted all COVID requirements for travelers entering the country on June 1, which means visitors no longer need to show proof of vaccination or get tested. Other countries like the UK, Croatia, Sweden, Iceland and Ireland have also lifted their COVID travel restrictions.

Best Practices

01/ The Good

• The Pacific island nation, Palau, announced a new initiative called Ol’au Palau that rewards the island’s visitors with unique travel experiences based on how respectful they treat the island. Guests can earn points on the program’s app after doing things like offsetting their carbon footprint, eating sustainably sourced food, and more to “unlock” one-of-a-kind experiences usually unknown to tourists or explicitly reserved for locals.

02/ The Bad

• After a large amount of cancellations during Memorial Day Weekend, Delta Airlines received backlash after the official Delta twitter account responded harshly to a frustrated customer saying “Can you calm down and allow me some time to work please ??”

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