D/R DOWNLOAD 9.12
What’s Trending
01/ On Google
“Plan a trip to Disneyland” trended +1,350% this week, amid buzz around upcoming 70th anniversary celebrations, seasonal events, and price changes driving families to book early.
02/ With Media
This week, media were interested in autumn and early winter off-the-grid escapes, hyper-specific hotel concierges, best food festivals across the U.S., travel experts on top family-friendly escapes, penthouse suites with amazing city views, and more.
Industry Insights
With over-tourism fueling protests from Spain to Mexico, “undertourism” is emerging — the idea of seeking out destinations that are welcoming but overlooked. Think Senegal’s beachfront Tama Lodge or Peru’s CIRQA in Arequipa, where authenticity thrives without the crowds.
Gen X is reshaping guided travel, favoring flexible itineraries that balance curated experiences with time to explore. Tauck and Globus are leading the charge, with Tauck’s Roam brand debuting in 2026 and Globus doubling Gen X sales over the past five years.
Apple’s new AirPods Pro 3 will feature real-time translation, letting users hear speech in their own language while the iPhone shows text back to the other speaker, a feature designed to bridge language barriers in real time.
Pickleball has overtaken more than 8,000 tennis courts and added 26,000 new courts since 2018, with cities converting parks and clubs to meet growing demand. The sport’s social, multigenerational appeal is drawing younger players and fueling local economies with tournaments and traffic.
Stadium food is getting a luxury makeover at the U.S. Open, where four MICHELIN-recognized chefs are adapting their signature styles for the masses. The results – like cochinita pibil tacos, Dungeness crab rangoons, and hand-battered chicken nuggets with caviar – are redefining how big crowds experience great food.
A plan that would have required airlines to compensate passengers for carrier-caused delays and cancellations has been scrapped, rolling back a consumer protection widely praised by travelers.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will bring 48 teams and more than 100 matches to 16 cities across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, culminating in the July 19 final at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. FIFA has launched phased ticket lotteries, with group-stage seats starting at $60 and finals climbing into the thousands.
Archaeologists in Peru have uncovered Peñico, a 3,800-year-old city of the Caral civilisation that shows how America’s earliest urban society adapted to a climate crisis — a peaceful survival story now reshaping our understanding of the continent’s history.
The Good
Carnival Cruise Line and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream are making waves with sunscreen-flavored ice cream, a quirky promo that’s drawing amused reactions online, though fans can’t buy it just yet.
Spotify partnered with TikTok for “Big on BookTok,” a hub that curates viral book recommendations as audiobook playlists.
