D/R DOWNLOAD 4.21

What’s Trending

01/ On Google

• “Bare necessities travel” trended 2,450% this week as Bare Necessities Tour & Travel’s Nude Cruises secured coverage on industry leading outlets.

02/ With Media

• Soon-to-launch news website The Messenger is gearing up to begin operations in May. They will cover entertainment, business, politics and sports.

• BuzzFeed News announced on Thursday that they have officially shut down.

• Insider announced they will lay off 10% of their staffers as a result of the current state of our economy. 

• This week journalists were seeking information for faraway vacation destinations, affordable cruises, summer travel deals, balcony cruises, private islands, sustainable boutique hotels and culinary tourist attractions

03/ In The Zeitgeist

• France’s constitutional court has ruled in favor of Macron’s reform to the French pension system, raising the national retirement age from 62 to 64, after months-long protests. 

• Coach has announced the launch of sub brand, Coachtopia which aims to be committed to sustainability and ethical production practices, while also using recycled and upcycled material to reduce waste.

• Over the past five years, India has lost its second-largest forest area. Between 2016 and 2021, India lost a total of 139,123 hectares of forest area as a result of deforestation causing significant environmental issues including soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, and more. 

• Elon Musk has stated that he wants to develop a new AI program called TruthGPT which he dubs as being a “maximum truth-seeking AI” designed to combat fake news and misinformation on the internet.

• Instagram has created a new feature which enables users to have five links in their bio sections, which combat the use of Linktree and other third-party tools. 

• The famed rotunda at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip will soon be demolished to make room for the upcoming Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, which will take place from Nov. 16-18.

Industry Insights

• Large airlines including Delta, American and United are putting measures into place to cut back on flights this summer due to an air traffic controller shortage.

• Cathay Pacific airlines is introducing their new onboard menu collaboration with Duddell’s, a star-rated Cantonese restaurant in Hong Kong, featuring luxury cuisine dishes like wok-fried lobster, steamed halibut and more.

• United is making the “largest South Pacific expansion in aviation history” by increasing flights from the U.S. to Australia and New Zealand by 40% this winter.

• London City Airport is using a new, innovative imaging technology that now allows passengers to bring full-sized liquids through security.

• On Tuesday, Southwest Airlines experienced technical difficulties to computer systems causing the grounding and delays of thousands of flights across the U.S.

• All Nippon Airways, which is a Japanese airline, sold business-class tickets at a 94% discount because they accidentally listed them at economy-class pricing due to a technical glitch on their website. 

• Marriott CEO announces the company's entrance into the all-inclusive realm as they prepare to open an adult only, all-inclusive W Hotel in the Dominican Republic come 2025.

• Hyatt has launched a new brand called Hyatt Studios which has now been approved to construct 100 new locations with apartment style rooms and the amenities necessary to accommodate long-term stays.

• Kayak is helping people plan vacations with their tax refund with a newly launched calculator which allows travelers to input their 2022 tax refund and turns it into a flight they can afford. 

• New York’s Rockefeller Center is planning to convert part of an office tower into the complex’s first hotel, occupying 10 vacant floors above NBC Studios.

• High pollution levels in Chiang Mai, a northern city in Thailand, have caused disturbances in tourism as hotel bookings in the city have dropped to 45% occupancy, amid government officials urging residents to avoid outdoor activities. 

• Visitor’s could now be fined up to $300 for loitering in certain areas in Portofino, Italy which will remain until October 15 and enforced every day until 6 pm. 

• Disneylandis hosting its first ever Pride Nite for two nights in June during Pride month in opposition to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and allies.

Best Practices

01/ The Bad

• Bud Light is receiving backlash from consumers who feel the brand did not adequately defend or protect transgender activist/influencer Dylan Mulvaney after receiving thousands of negative and hateful comments following their collaboration with the brand.

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