D/R DOWNLOAD 7.1

What’s Trending

01/ On Google

• ‘Companies paying for abortion travel’ is up by 4,900% this week, following the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade on Friday. 

  ‘Sky Cruise flying hotel’ trended +950% this week as renderings for a futuristic nuclear-powered flying cruise ship were released. 

02/ With Media

• Journalists this week expressed interest in the top U.S. state parks, the best international small towns to visit by train, luxury hotels, fun family stays, and more.

• Beauty and lifestyle publication Essence announced the addition of a new travel column. 

03/ In The Zeitgeist

• The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) asked Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their platforms, due to concerns over how the Chinese-owned video app harvests extensive amounts of personal and sensitive data. 

• The United States continues to see newspapers die at a rate of two per week along with 360 newspapers shutting down since the end of 2019, according to a recent report. Concerns for news “deserts” are growing with an estimation that 70 million Americans live in a county with either no local news organization or only one.

• ‘Scotch Whisky’ officially received a trademark in the U.S, which offers a greater degree of legal protection and makes it easier to battle against counterfeiters.

Industry Insights

• Starting May 2023, Americans between the ages of 18 to 70 will have to pay a $7.42 fee upon entering Europe. The European Travel Information and Authorization System (EITAS) plans to use the fees to increase security at European borders.

• Beginning January 2023, Venice will charge day-trippers a 3-10 euro fee to access the city. The change, due to unregulated tourism, stems from a new initiative to shift the city’s tourism industry to quality over quantity.

• Airbnb began permanently banning house parties at all rental properties. Unauthorized gatherings and failure to comply with regulations can result in potential dismissal from the app altogether. 

• Peninsula Hotels’ revamped turndown service now offers Subtle Energies Blissful Inhalation Sleep Patches, to enhance the brand's new wellness and sleep program. 

• Amidst the air travel chaos, 14 UK cruise lines are offering roundtrip no-fly cruises as a method of avoiding airline travel stress this summer with itineraries in the British Isles, Canary Islands, Canada, and the US. 

• TSA introduced credential authentication technology scanners to automatically program travelers’ IDs to flight manifests, eliminating the use of boarding passes. TSA has deployed 1,621 CAT scanners to 176 airports, and among those, 90 scanners are modified and equipped to verify digital identification already. 

• Ahead of the busy Fourth of July travel weekend, Delta Airlines issued a waiver, allowing all customers with flights booked from July 1 through July 4 to rebook their trips for free. 

• Air New Zealand announced its new ‘Skynest’ concept for economy class passengers which will include six full-length sleeping pods on select aircrafts, launching in 2024.

COVID-Related Updates

• According to recent CDC assessments, the Dominican Republic and Kuwait have been moved up to the Level 3: high-risk category. Colombia, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia have moved up to Level 2: moderate risk. Indonesia, India, and the Philippines have all moved down to Level 1: low risk. 

• The Cayman Islands eliminated pre-arrival testing for vaccinated travelers as well as lifted mask mandates for indoor public spaces. 

Best Practices

01/ The Good

• Indoor waterpark resort, Great Wolf Lodge will be offering a free night to 100 randomly selected families who tweet proof of their flight cancellations from the Fourth of July weekend on Twitter using the hashtag #GWLRescue.

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