Alphabet Archives - The Travel Vertical

Three Things That Just Happened in Washington: Funding, Testing, Antitrust

July 28, 2020 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

Funding

U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued a statement on Senate introduction of the next phase of coronavirus relief, which includes a measure to extend Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) eligibility to 501(c)(6) nonprofit or quasi-governmental tourism marketing organizations, which includes most DMOs.

...the bill wisely expands coronavirus relief to destination marketing organizations (DMOs), which are economic development agencies that perform vital work to drive visitors to local and regional businesses, large and small.“ — U.S. Travel Association on PPP eligibility change

Testing

U.S. Travel Association‘s Roger Dow joined 13 travel industry executives in signing a letter addressed to the president and congressional leaders stating that more and better Covid-19 testing is an indispensable component of pursuing an economic recovery.

They urge a stepped-up federal role in making effective testing more widely available as a way to revive the country’s struggling travel sector.

“In short,” they wrote, “there can be no broader economic recovery without a recovery in travel.”

Testing enables reopening. Testing enables rehiring. Testing enables recovery.” — Travel CEOs urging federal action on Covid-19 testing

Read the full letter here.

The letter was co-signed by:

Heather McCrory of Accor North America, Inc.
David Kong of BWH Hotel Group
Pat Pacious of Choice Hotels International, Inc.
Chrissy Taylor of Enterprise Holdings, Inc.
Chris Nassetta of Hilton
Jim Risoleo of Host Hotels & Resorts
Mark Hoplamazian of Hyatt Hotels Corporation
George Markantonis of Las Vegas Sands Corporation
Elie Maalouf of InterContinental Hotels Group
Jonathan Tisch of Loews Hotels & Co
Arne Sorenson of Marriott International
Sean Menke of Sabre Corporation
Geoff Ballotti of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Antitrust

GAFA: The Gang of Four:

A rare public showdown between Congress and the CEOs of tech’s biggest companies will take place on Wednesday, July 29 at 12 p.m. ET. The ongoing antitrust investigation titled, “Online Platforms and Market Power, Part 6: Examining the Dominance of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google,” will hear testimony as the four answer questions about company practices amidst lawmaker’s concerns that anti-competitive behavior is having an impact for the worse.

Amazon chief Jeff Bezos is making his Capitol Hill debut in the form of an appearance before the House antitrust subcommittee. Apple’s Tim Cook will be there too, also making his first appearance, along with Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google’s Sundar Pichai, who have both been to this rodeo before, writes AdAge.

Alphabet to Zoom: Essential & Non-Essential Industry News, Latest Consumer Surveys, People

April 28, 2020 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

U.S. Travel has announced a new city and dates for IPW 2021 due to the cancellation of IPW 2020. Las Vegas, scheduled to host this year, will host on May 10-14 next year. Chicago, which had been slated to host in 2021, agreed to step aside and will instead be the host city in 2025. The cooperation between these two cities is being applauded by the travel industry. Other future host sites—Orlando in 2022, San Antonio in 2023, and Los Angeles in 2024—remain unchanged. President & CEO Roger Dow: “Cancelling #ipw20 was a difficult, though clearly necessary call, and our future host cities came together to achieve a win-win outcome for the future of the event.”

*The road to recovery will not be a straight one*

Enlightening research, insights, surveys, data, blogs from the experts. Find out what American travelers are thinking. On weekly surveys, the next wave of American consumer sentiment is in.

Adara	COVID-19 Resource Center
Arrivalist	Daily Travel Index
Destination Analysts	Update on Coronavirus’ Impact on American Travelers
Entrada Insights	Five Indices for DMOs to Track for Recovery
Longwoods International	Covid-19 Travel Sentiment Study
MMGY Travel Intelligence	Travel Intentions Pulse Survey (TIPS): Impact of Covid-19
Simpleview	Covid-19 Resources
Sojern	Covid-19 Travel Industry Updates
Sparkloft Media	Changing Social Media Behaviors During Coronavirus Pandemic
Streetsense	Covid-19 Resources
TripAdvisor	Covid-19: Resources for Tripadvisor Partners
TTRA	Covid-19 Travel and Tourism Research Resources

Longwoods International findings in summary by Amir Eylon, President & CEO: “…intent to travel seems to have stabilized after heading back up from the low point three weeks ago, clearly reflecting a hesitancy to travel despite the pent-up demand. A lot of mixed messages in the media last week with talk about re-opening the economy in several states and countered by stories about the potential risks of re-opening too soon is likely helping to feed this hesitancy. One bright spot in this week’s results, the percentage of those surveyed who indicated that the coronavirus pandemic would “greatly impact” their decision to travel in the next six months has trended slightly downward in the past four weeks, from 67% to 61%, though still far above the 35% on March 11.”

App Annie, an analytics firm, indicates Zoom downloads rose 740% over the past month. Zoom claims 300 million daily participants, up from 10 million before the pandemic. Others want a piece of the action, reports The New York Times. Facebook unveiled its expansion with video group chats for as many as 50 people on Facebook Messenger, up to wight people on WhatsApp video calls. Google made Meet video chat app more accessible through Gmail. Cisco is promoting Webex teleconferencing as more secure compared with Zoom. And Verizon is acquiring BlueJeans Network, a videoconferencing service.

In a webinar for members of SATW (formerly Society of American Travel Writers), editors shared the latest on the destination-related content that travel publications are planning for in the coming months. Managing editors from Travel & Leisure, American Way Magazine, Departures, Travel Weekly, Miami Herald and Atlas Obscura mentioned: National Parks, state parks, big outdoor spaces, domestic road trips, hikes near airline hub cities, smaller cities, Canada (when the border re-opens).

United Airlines became the first large U.S. airline to make it mandatory for flight attendants to wear face masks. Flight attendants will have the option of wearing their own face coverings or use the ones United provides. Air Canada requires passengers to wear face masks as well. San Francisco International Airport has imposed face masks for passengers. And Italy-based airplane seating company Aviointeriors is looking at more potential solutions for further personal in-flight protections. For a roundup of the latest airline and airport-related news (as of 4/25/2020), visit SFGate.com.

And in breaking news, JetBlue is the first major U.S. airline to require all passengers wear face masks effective May 4.

In other airline news, JetBlue has asked the U.S. Transportation Department for approval to suspend flights to more than two dozen U.S. airports where they say demand has fallen by 95%. JetBlue wants to halt service through Sept. 30 to including Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Dallas and Detroit, among others.

Delta wants to suspend flights to nine airports: Lansing, Flint and Kalamazoo in Michigan; Worcester, Massachusetts; Hilton Head, South Carolina; Pocatello, Idaho; Brunswick, Georgia; and Melbourne, Florida.

Barry Diller, Chairman of Expedia Group, (which has landed a $3.2 billion financing package), announced Peter Kern is the new CEO. Kern has been a member of the board since 2005 and became Vice-Chair in 2018. Eric Hart is CFO. Diller said, “We are unable to make any predictions as to when travel will rebound but we emphatically believe that it will, for….’if there’s life, there’s travel.’”

Diller shared some thoughts on social distancing during a CBS “Face the Nation” interview last weekend. He said removing the middle seat on airlines is “absurd,” adding, “I don’t think that makes any sense,” calling it “a myth” that social distancing could be effective in airplanes, restaurants, theaters and other such places. Watch the clip here.

“Google and Alphabet are not immune…” said CEO Sundar Pichai in last week’s memo to staff. Google is expected to slash its marketing budget by about 50% for the second half of 2020, a deeper cut than reported one week earlier. Directors have been warning of a freeze on hirings. “Last year, it increased its headcount by at least 15%, the annual report shows. In addition, there was an increase in advertising and promotional expenses of $402 million,” reports CNBC.

Tripadvisor is reducing its staff by 25%, shedding 900 jobs, of which 600 are in the U.S. and Canada. The announcement spoke of the need “to seek significant cost savings that will help Tripadvisor get to the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The message to employees came from Steve Kaufer, CEO and Co-Founder, as seen here.

Cunard luxury cruise line has cancelled sailings for its three queens. Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria through July 31. For the ship Queen Elizabeth, the cruise line has cancelled its entire Alaska season and all departures up to and including September 8, 2020. Holland America Line and Princess Cruises have also called off their Alaska cruise season. “Sadly, all sectors of Alaska’s tourism industry are having to make challenging decisions right now,” said a statement from Sarah Leonard, president and chief executive of the Alaska Travel Industry Association.

“Hawaii Travel Authority paying for visitors to return home” is the attention-grabbing headline in Travel Pulse. And The New York Times reports, “Visitors who break Hawaii’s 14-day quarantine rule may get an unwelcome gift: A free flight home. ” According to Hawaii’s Department of Health, the agency has provided the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii (VASH) with $25,000 to pay for the return flights. So far in April, VASH has sent at least 20 visitors back to their airports of origin…” Turns out, the initiative isn’t new. “We’ve been helping victims of crime or other adversity they may have experienced in Hawaii for the past 23 years,” VASH President and CEO Jessica Lani Rich said in a statement.

The International Nightlife Association (INA) was founded in 2012 in Barcelona, a nonprofit member of the UNWTO with the goal of promoting the best clubs and the practices in nightlife. Now, INA has issued a “Sanitized Venue Certification” to reflect COVID-19 protocol. It’s known as International Nightlife Safety Certified (INSC), designed and implemented so venues can gain the trust of clients.

The New York Times Sunday print edition (circ. 918,000) has suspended its travel and sports sections. Executive editor Dean Baquet told employees the Travel section of the newspaper is being replaced with a new section called At Home beginning April 26. Skift reports a comment from editor Amy Virshup who moves from travel to the new home section, indicating that travel will publish content online as “news, service and more essayistic or creative pieces, rather than destination coverage.” Read more from Cheddar here.

The American Bus Association, representing its 1,000 motorcoach and tour company members in the US and Canada, has launched a task force for recovery after the COVID-19 crisis. They’re working through safety, cleanliness and best practices led by ABA Chairman Don DeVivo of DATTCO, Inc. in New Britain, Conn., ABA Board Member Terry Fischer of Transportation Charter Services in Orange, Calif., plus motorcoach industry safety professionals.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has formed a Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery. Its 80 members will focus on reviving the economy in the nation’s most populous state. Billionaire Tom Steyer, a former presidential candidate, will chair the task force that includes former California Govs. Gray Davis, Jerry Brown, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Pete Wilson. Other members include Bob Iger, Walt Disney Company executive chairman, Janet Yellen, former head of the Federal Reserve, Apple chief executive Tim Cook.

Coverage: Bob Iger on what’s needed to re-open Disney Parks

Casey Burdsall, most recently sales director – tourism for Adara, has joined Bandwango as part of their growing sales team. Describing herself as, “Tourism lover, supporter, dedicated salesperson and friend,” she is currently based in Portland, OR.

Washington Tourism Alliance announced the appointment of David Blandford as its interim executive director, effective May 4. Blandford was previously senior VP – public affairs at Visit Seattle. Blandford was part of the group that launched the Washington Tourism Alliance in 2011, formed in Washington State Tourism Office folded.

In Georgia, Kathy Tilley has moved from her position as interim president of the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce to a new role as president & CEO of Visit LaGrange. Tilley spent years focused on destination marketing and has a background of almost 20 years focused on it at Callaway Gardens.

In Maryland, Visit Annapolis and Anne Arundel CEO and President Connie Del Signore is on paid administrative leave while she is being investigated for an internal personnel matter. Del Signore has served as Visit Annapolis’ president and CEO since 2003 after she served as president of the Reading & Berks County Visitors Bureau in Pennsylvania.

Hear from travel industry PRs. Skift is hosting a webinar on Thursday, April 30 at 11 a.m. EDT. How can brands help the rebound effort from a communications perspective? What key strategies are PRs providing their clients and what has been most effective? What ways can brands inspire travel without encouraging it? Will travel PR return to status quo or will we see larger shifts in the way communications are handled? Register here.

Alphabet & Google CEO Speaks Out: ‘No Question’ AI Needs Regulation

January 20, 2020 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

There is “no question in my mind” that artificial intelligence needs regulation, wrote Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai in a Financial Times opinion piece, “Why Google Thinks We Need to Regulate AI.”

Taking his first big public position since being appointed as Alphabet CEO last month, Pichai highlights the dangers that technology such as facial recognition and deepfakes can pose. He wrote, “…the only question is how to approach it,” while stressing that any legislation must balance “potential harms … with social opportunities” for artificial intelligence.

Now there is no question in my mind that artificial intelligence needs to be regulated. It is too important not to. The only question is how to approach it.“

Note: A European Commission draft whitepaper was recently leaked, indicating consideration of regulation to include a ban on facial recognition.

More on facial recognition in the U.S. from The New York Times:

“Communities across the United States are starting to ban facial recognition technologies. In May of last year, San Francisco banned facial recognition; the neighboring city of Oakland soon followed, as did Somerville and Brookline in Massachusetts (a statewide ban may follow). In December, San Diego suspended a facial recognition program in advance of a new statewide law, which declared it illegal, coming into effect. Forty major music festivals pledged not to use the technology…”

Pichai’s editorial and a speech in Brussels received immediate worldwide media attention as global leaders and CEOs gathered in Davos, Switzerland for the 50th World Economic Forum.

Edible Coffee Cups on Air New Zealand and Other News Bites

December 10, 2019 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

Edible coffee cups have landed. Air New Zealand serves coffee to millions every year and now the airline wants you to eat your coffee cup instead of throwing it in the bin. Twiice is the innovative packaging partner for the award-winning carrier, 2020 Airline of the Year, which frequently leads the way in strategy and customer service that gets excellent passenger feedback. Watch the video here.

Streetsense, the experience-focused strategy and design collective, announced three major tourism industry web design awards for its “Begin at Bothell” website for Bothell, Washington. The website uses the CrowdRiff platform to leverage UGC for visually dynamic stories.

“Visual storytelling and personalized experiences are critical elements of impactful destination marketing and some of the most powerful ways to connect with potential customers,” said Josh Collins, director, Destination Activation + Marketing. Graphic Design USA recognized the website with its 2019 American Web Design Award for “Best Website – Small Budget.” At the 20^th Annual eTourism Summit in October, the project was recognized with an eTSY Award for “Best Destination Website.” The website also received a SEE 2019 Award for “Most Innovative Use of CrowdRiff,” recognizing its integration of innovative technology into destination and travel marketing.

>> If you’re near Streetsense HQ in Bethesda, Maryland, register for “20 Digital Trends for 2020” over 9 a.m. breakfast on Friday the 13th.

Katie Cook, Director of Digital Marketing and an 18-year veteran of Visit Austin, has announced she will join the digital team at Simpleview beginning in January 2020.

Craig Davis, the new CEO of VisitDallas, will have to sell the organization to city hall before selling the destination, reports The Dallas Morning News. “The city council will decide early next year if it wants to renew its contract with VisitDallas, which expires in September, or start over.” Davis departs as CEO VisitPITTSBURGH where the annual operating budget is around $11.8 million for VisitDallas with $40 million under scrutiny since an audit earlier this year. Read more here.

Portland has unanimously approved a deal that uses tourism dollars to battle homelessness. The plan moves some of the dollars collected through hotel taxes and rental car fees into a fund that, as reported by Willamette Week, “dedicates $2.5 million to ‘livability and safety and supportive services for people experiencing homelessness, or at risk of experiencing homelessness.'” Oregon Public Broadcasting explains, “The money, paid by visitors to Multnomah County, has previously gone toward expanding Providence Park, renovating the Oregon Convention Center and building a hotel there. But the tax base has grown with Portland’s popularity, prompting local leaders to look for new uses.” Read more here.

In San Diego, hotel and tourism leaders have launched a campaign to expand the Convention Center, fund homeless services and repair deteriorating roads with a hotel tax increase. The ballot measure would raise the existing 10.5% lodging tax anywhere from 1.25% to 3.25%, depending on how close hotels are to downtown. Allocations would be $3.5 billion for the convention center project including maintenance and marketing. Another $1.8 billion would be for addressing homelessness, and $551 million for road repairs. Going to the voters in March 2020, this is the fifth attempt in 15 years to raise the hotel tax.

Mark Okerstrom and Alain Pickerill have stepped down as CEO and CFO of Expedia Group in a leadership shakeup. Chairman Barry Diller and Vice Chairman Peter Kern take on day-to-day operations and management while the board discusses its next steps. The family of brands includes: Brand Expedia®, Hotels.com®, Expedia® Partner Solutions, Vrbo®, Egencia®, trivago®, HomeAway®, Orbitz®, Travelocity®, Hotwire®, Wotif®, ebookers®, CheapTickets®, Expedia Group™ Media Solutions, Expedia Local Expert®, CarRentals.com™, Expedia® CruiseShipCenters®, Classic Vacations®, Traveldoo®, VacationRentals.com and SilverRail™. Read Expedia Group’s press release here.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin, co-founders of Google, have now turned over parent company Alphabet to CEO Sundar Pichai. As human resources and anti-trust issues are looming, coupled with slowing growth, analysts say that multi-billionaires Page and Brin aren’t keen to be involved. The portfolio includes “Other Bets,” the separate companies exploring health and science projects and research like self-driving cars, smart cities, and human longevity. Read the “Letter from Larry and Sergey” here.

At United Airlines, CEO Oscar Munoz will be replaced by President Scott Kirby in May 2020. Munoz transitions to executive chairman of the board of directors. “Munoz has faced his share of criticism, most notably the customer service and public relations disaster involving a Kentucky doctor, David Dao, who was dragged off a flight in 2017. The airline reached a financial settlement with Dao,” writes USA Today.

Noreen Henry has been appointed Chief Revenue Officer at Sojern to oversee all global sales and account management teams servicing 8,500 travel clients in more than 100 countries. According to the press release, Sojern recently announced several new solutions to continue fueling the company’s growth, including a new Digital Co-Op program for destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and the acquisition of a Facebook and Instagram marketing partner.

MMGY NJF is named as the domestic public relations and social media agency for Travel Texas. Leveraging the state’s new “Let’s Texas” marketing campaign, they’re responsible for developing earned media and social strategies to drive increased awareness and visitation across the state in alignment with the mission to enhance and extend local economic development. MMGY NJF will open an Austin office.

Simpleview, a leading provider of CRM, CMS, website design, digital marketing, revenue generation, and mobile technologies for DMOs, and Threshold 360, a leading platform for 360º virtual tour creation and delivery for the hospitality and tourism vertical, have announced a new partnership to simplify delivery and integration of 360 content for Simpleview customers. Destinations such as Visit Austin are already using Simpleview and Threshold 360 together to deliver 360 virtual tours on the website. Read more about the strategic partnership here.

Every December, designers, decorators and stylists eagerly anticipate Pantone‘s selection for Color of the Year. This year, it’s Classic Blue [19-4052]. Pantone says, “Instilling calm, confidence, and connection, this enduring blue hue highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.”

Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute said, “It’s a color that anticipates what’s going to happen next.” Clearly, such comments have prompted political musings. (Anyway, Living Coral is so 2019.)

Uber found more than 3,000 allegations of sexual assaults involving drivers or passengers on its platform in the U.S. last year, part of an extensive and long-awaited review in response to public safety concerns.

It’s not every day that destination leadership and bluegrass intersect. Founded in 2003, The Crooked Road, Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, encompassing 19 counties, four cities and 54 towns along the 330-mile route is seeking a new executive director. (Source: Bluegrass Today)

Tourism Ireland invited Fred and Lisa on holiday wearing a camera connected to a heart rate monitor to scientifically measure the creative campaign with data. “Fill Your Heart With Ireland” sets out to prove how emotional connections to the destination experiences. For 2020, the DMO secured a 10% budget increase (hello, Brexit…) and launched a three-year plan focused on its digital strategy to make the entire suite of Ireland.com websites “best in class” in the 2020s. Get the backstory on the heart monitor technology here.

Travel + Leisure has published a global list of “50 Best Places to Travel in 2020” and these destinations made the list: Asheville, Boston, Hawaii (Big Island), California’s Central Coast, The Great Lakes, Maine, Oklahoma City, and New Brunswick, Canada.