- Wordle: Talk about traction! According to The Wall Street Journal, just 90 people played Wordle on Nov. 1 , 2021. Two months later, 300,000 people played on a single day. By late January 2022, the word game had 1.8 million players. Last week, it was acquired by The New York Times from its creator, Josh Wardle, who invented it for himself and his partner to play. The Brooklyn software engineer sold for a price tag “in the low seven figures.” — Source: The New York Times
- SeaWorld, which also owns the Busch Gardens parks as well as Sesame Place, is said to have made a $3.4 billion takeover bid for Cedar Fair in Ohio, which owns 13 amusement parks including Knott’s Berry Farm in California. If the deal goes through, SeaWorld becomes the nation’s leading operator based on the number of physical locations. Source: Associated Press
- Destination Toronto, in partnership with Destination Canada is featured in ABC’s 26th season of “The Bachelor.” Weekly episodes feature destinations as “home” as the series moves around. Clayton Echard and the women vying for his heart visited Houston and Toronto got the spotlight on Feb. 7. Here’s the show’s Travel Guide to past destination partners. Who’s next? — Source: PR Newswire
- Australia will reopen its international borders to all double-vaccinated international travelers on February 21.
- Yellowstone National Park turns 150 years old on March 1, 2022; an array of activities are planned. Park Superintendent Cam Sholly said, “We also want to use this anniversary to do a better job of fully recognizing the many American Indian nations that lived in this area for thousands of years prior to Yellowstone becoming a park.”
- Licensed health care professionals in four Canadian provinces can now prescribe nature to their patients. Because time spent in the national park system can boost people’s mental and physical health, Parks Canada is collaborating on a program called Park Prescriptions. Source: GlobalNews.ca
- Tripadvisor reaches a milestone: One billion contributions from its community of travelers in the form of reviews, tips, photos, likes, comments, and forum threads. Source: Tripadvisor
- Tourist fees are a widening trend outside the US. Popular locales are slapping on a charge to step foot in the place as a visitor. Some charge before entry, some on departure with a sliding scale depending on the airline class of service. Others, like Venice, adjust according to crowd conditions. The rundown — Thailand: $9; Japan, $9; Venice, Italy: up to $11.50; Quintana Roo, Mexico: $11; Baja California Sur, Mexico: $18.50; Belize, $18; Maldives: $30 – $90; Norway, $9 – $25. — Source: Travel Pulse
- Hawaii is plagued by plastic. Noting that a single hotel chain uses millions of bottles every year, Honolulu’s KHON2 news reports that lawmakers are considering a bill that would order hotels to provide toiletries in bulk dispensers instead of single-use plastic bottles. — Source: SFGate.com
- Delta Air Lines is doing a trial to reduce the number of carry-on bags by giving passengers the opportunity to check a carry-on bag for free instead of stowing it in the cabin. Although the airline earned $1.03 billion in checked bag revenue in 2019 (Bureau of Transportation Statistics), the $30 bag fee causes more flyers to bring carry-ons aboard, slowing the boarding and exit processes and leading to longer aircraft turnaround times. Note: A 2008 report from Boeing showed that shaving off just 10 minutes’ turn time on 2,000 trips per year could mean 300+ more hours available for additional flights. — Source: The Points Guy
- Denver-based Frontier Airlines and Miami-based Spirit Airlines are planning to merge in a $6.6 billion cash-and-stock deal, with the smaller Frontier acquiring majority share in the larger Spirit. Together, the two low-cost carriers would create the fifth-largest US carrier by revenue passenger miles. This is the first airline merger since American and US Airways hooked up in 2013. — Source: CNBC
- Visit Florida received an eight year extension from the Florida Senate, which voted overwhelmingly to extend the life of the DMO. By postponing its sunset date from October 2023 to October 2031, the rolling, two-year renewal cycle was removed. Visit Florida is currently funded at $50 million. — Source: FloridaPolitics.com
- Florida’s Sports Coast now has an official pie. All hail the kumquat. Pasco County Tourist Development Council says, “It’s fun to say and a tasty little treat. Some call it nature’s sweet-tart. Explore all things kumquat at the annual Dade City Kumquat Festival.” (Bad news, gotta wait a year…the kumquat festival was on Jan. 29.) — Source: @FLSportsCoast on Twitter
- State of Washington Tourism, previously known as the Washington Tourism Alliance, is undergoing a major facelift. The organization announced this month a new name, logo, videos and photos, a travel website, and a national marketing campaign. — Source: 425 Magazine
- Reno National Bowling Stadium is known as the “Taj Mahal of tenpins.” Opened in February 1995, there are 78 bowling lanes. The stadium is often used as a filming location for bowling scenes in movies.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics’ January employment report confirms that 10% of pre-pandemic leisure and hospitality jobs remain lost due to the impact of COVID-19. That represents a whopping 61% of overall jobs in the U.S. that have been lost on account of the pandemic. “There are nearly 800,000 more job openings than there are available workers in leisure and hospitality.” — Source: U.S. Travel Association
- Facebook lost $251 billion in a single day last week. During its first-ever quarter to lose user, the company wiped away 26% of its market value. Facing an “unprecedented level of competition” (hello, TikTok), CEO Mark Zuckerberg has told staff to focus on a pivot to video (again!) Apple privacy features have slammed Facebook and the social network may finally have run out of people to add. — Source: Bloomberg
- Amazon doesn’t just sell stuff. The company disclosed advertising revenue for the first time on last week, saying its ad business grew 32% in the fourth quarter of 2021 for a total of $31 billion last year. By comparison, Microsoft ad revenue exceeded $10 billion; Snap came to $4.12 billion; Pinterest was $2.58 billion. — Source: CNBC
- Ticketmaster has teamed up with Redeam, a technology provider, to bring live events, sports fames, concerts, theatre and more ticketed events to the global travel ecosystem. Event organizers can create special packages and promotions for travelers to combine with other experiences as they book their trip. Redeam then shares these offers across hundreds of travel sites in its global network, including Expedia, Viator, TUI Musement, GetYourGuide and others. — Source: LinkedIn
- Queen Elizabeth II and the British monarchy have hit a milestone. Accession Day marked the queen’s Platinum Jubilee, 70 years since her ascension to the throne on the anniversary of the death of King George VI on Feb. 6, 1952. At age 95, the nation’s longest reigning monarch is the longest still-serving sovereign in the world. — Source: royal.uk
