The Travel Vertical

Weekly stories curated exclusively for digital tourism marketers

We Won’t Say ‘Pivot,’ But How About ‘Curveball’?

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But Will There Be Fans in the Stands? Two days ago, The Boston Globe reported that Major League Baseball proposed a one-month delay to the start of spring training and the full season. The following day, MLB issued a statement saying, that was a good idea but actually we won’t do that because the Major League Baseball Players Association wouldn’t agree to it. So, MLB is set to start on time subject to an agreement on Covid-19 protocol. At least, we think this is accurate reporting.

Last week, several curveballs were thrown in the latest inning of Covid-19 vs. Travel Industry.

Now it’s required that all inbound US air travelers provide proof of a negative coronavirus test before boarding. [Note: Scrambling to get into position, airlines are creating new apps and some hotels and resorts are setting up their own testing facilities as a perk or an ancillary revenue stream.]

In Wash., D.C. last week, Roger Dow, President & CEO of U.S. Travel Association, delivered the annual State of the Travel Industry address via webcast from the National Press Club. He described “Travel’s Next Great Chapter” following the challenges of the pandemic that cost the travel industry 4.5 million jobs in 2020—more than any other U.S. industry.

During a press conference, Executive VP of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes said that the high cost and low availability of testing in parts of the U.S. “would make it quite unworkable.” She added, “A domestic testing requirement would hamper not only the mobility of the country but put a huge further dent into the national economy.”

U.S. Travel supports Covid-19 testing for international arrivals and the mask mandates. However, the association reiterated opposition to quarantine for international arrivals and mandatory Covid-19 testing for domestic air travel, a possibility that the CDC is “actively looking at.”

At CNBC, an interview with American Airlines‘ CEO indicated caution about the rate of that recovery while the carrier continues its 2020 Q4 burn rate at $30 million a day. Boeing‘s CEO said some carriers will not survive the crisis.

Looking north…

As new variants emerge, now more than ever, Canadians should be staying home. For their health and that of their loved ones, Canadians should only be considering travel if it is absolutely essential. With school breaks around the corner, I take this opportunity to remind Canadians that under no circumstance should anyone be planning travel for leisure.” — The Honourable Marc Garneau, Canada Minister of Foreign Affairs

Canada was the number-one source market for inbound U.S. travel, with nearly 21 million Canadians visiting the United States in 2019.

Last Friday, a frosty but firm Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced new rules on international travel on top of the existing ones. In addition to requiring a negative 72-hour pre-arrival molecular Covid test, Canada has suspended flights to and from Mexico and the Caribbean. As soon as possible in the coming weeks, all other Canadian-bound air travelers must reserve a room in a Government of Canada-approved hotel for three nights at their own cost, and take a COVID-19 molecular test on arrival at their own cost. Effective Feb. 3, 2021, Transport Canada allows flights to funnel into only four Canadian airports: Montréal, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver.

Closed, open, closed again, re-opened…the Covid-era restaurant scene is super confusing.

Cozy and romantic New York City restaurants say reservations went wild when Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced they could re-open for indoor dining at 25% capacity as of Valentine’s Day. Meantime, NYC’s record-breaking Restaurant Week (to go) is a $20.21 meal deal that will stick around through February 28.

More innovation from hotels: Ghost kitchens, also called digital kitchens, are cooking facilities that only produce food for delivery or takeout. The concept is not consumer-facing, has flexibility on locations, provides lower costs and faster delivery. With cities bouncing from one lockdown to the next, this model has found its stride. Ghost kitchens had already been catching on when Covid-19 hit, reports Restaurant Business, and the pandemic has only accelerated their development. Euromonitor, a London market research firm, predicts ghost kitchens will become a $1 trillion industry over the coming decade.

Don’t Drink and Drive: Now Uber is showing us that it can also turn on a dime, strategically-speaking. They’re pouring $1.1 billion into booze via the acquisition of an online liquor store platform called Drizly. The service that delivers alcohol to doorsteps (Has anyone used Drizly? Do they use unmarked boxes? Do they ring the doorbell?) in 1,400 cities is an 85-employee company headquartered in Boston.

Have you got a curveball response to share?

Americans’ Thinking, Airplane Tickets, Airplane Toilets…and Budweiser Loves Utah

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How American Consumers View Travel

The latest field research findings, released this week by Longwoods International, indicate that a “lack of clarity causes concern for personal safety, which causes hesitancy to travel…”

  • The inconsistent and ever-changing travel restrictions and health protocols across cities and states is causing American travelers to be hesitant about traveling in the U.S. 
  • About half of U.S. travelers (52%) are aware there are different restrictions regarding travel in various destinations they might visit, but they are unclear exactly what those restrictions are. 
  • About four in ten American travelers are aware that different destinations have instituted individual health protocols (mask and social distancing requirements, etc…), but they are confused about the precise protocols for destinations they are considering.
  • One in four American travelers aren’t even sure they would be welcome in the destination they are interested in visiting.

Silver Linings:

  • Stabilization continues along most key sentiment indicators. 
  • Travelers economic concerns about impacting decisions to travel remain low.
  • A positive uptick occurred in those feeling comfortable dining and shopping locally (essential to getting people moving again).

“Incredibly disappointing,” commented U.S. Travel Association. ASTA, the American Society of Travel Agents, says Congress needs a “one-way ticket back to D.C.” Negotiations on the next relief package stalled and it is likely that Congress won’t return to vote on a relief package before September. “We must continue to call on Congress and the administration to act quickly. We need Congress and the administration to come back to the table and resume negotiations on the next coronavirus recovery legislation—it simply cannot wait any longer…Our entire industry needs relief, protection and stimulus—now. Please help make our voices heard >> A link: SAVE TRAVEL NOW. If you have sent an alert before, thank you! We ask that you please send one again,” says U.S. Travel.

(photo: Don Graham / flickr 2.0)

“Tensions between Lake Tahoe locals and tourists that have been simmering since the start of shelter-in-place are boiling over this weekend. Shelter-in-place mandates and tourism marketing campaigns urging outsiders not to travel to the Lake Tahoe area haven’t been enough to keep away the mobs of tourists this summer.” – SF Chronicle

“Residents of Lake Tahoe are irritated about tourists leaving trash behind and not wearing masks, so many of the residents of the lake will be gathering at roundabouts in five different locations to make their frustrations known Friday and Sunday. The Tahoe Daily Tribune reported mobs of tourists are crowding beaches, trails and roads, not wearing masks and leaving piles of garbage behind.” — Reno Gazette-Journal

The backstory: Last year, Utah made it legal to buy 5% alcohol by volume (ABV) beer at grocery and convenience stores, overturning a prohibition era rule that capped the alcohol content at 4% ABV. Budweiser‘s Clydesdale horses led the celebration parade. Now, Bud says they’ll be “Utah’s State Beer” and produce a series of cans to illustrating Utah landmarks from the Great Salt Lake to the Arches—but only if they get 84,899 (that number represents the state’s square mileage) tags and retweets for #Bud4Utah by Sept. 13. Game on!

Museums and cultural institutions in New York City can open beginning Aug. 24 per Gov. Cuomo. New rules: 25% occupancy and timed ticketing with pre-set staggered entry and controlled traffic flow are required. Face masks are mandatory.

Also in NYC, this years’s annual 9/11 Tribute in Light has been cancelled. The illuminated remembrance consists of twin beams shining from dusk to dawn to suggest where the Twin Towers stood in Lower Manhattan. The risk involved the large crew required to stage the memorial that requires mounting 88 lights, each one about the size of a refrigerator. The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is partnering with NYC & Company and buildings throughout the city to light up their facades and spires in blue. on this 19th anniversary.

No summer concerts, so at Pier 17, Seaport District, they’re getting creative with the rooftop, installing 28, mini lawns of 14-by-14 feet with cabana-style lounge chairs, umbrellas, Yeti coolers, free Wi-Fi, and USB ports for a little slice of a suburban backyard. There’s bocce, cornhole and giant Jenga plus a 32- foot wide LED screen to watch sports and movies outdoors.

Chicago’s Navy Pier is shutting down after Labor Day, at least through spring 2021. No reopening date is set. Since the reopening on June 10, the attraction welcomed 500,000 visitors rather than 4 million during the same high-season period in 2019.

Airbnb is the comeback kid. “It’s a remarkable rebound from the depths of the pandemic when Airbnb was forced to lay off nearly 25% of its workforce. Since then, it’s seen a boom, as travelers opt for drive-to, leisure destinations.” — Adweek

Chekitan Dev, hospitality branding professor at Cornell University, said “Airbnb just got lucky because their business model is particularly suited to our brave new hyperlocal world, offering guests the option of lodging alone.”

Uber and Lyft say they may suspend operations throughout California this week due to a court order that requires that they make all drivers employees after Aug. 20, 2020. The matter of AB5 has been hotly contested and the next opportunity will not come until November when Proposition 22 asks voters to permanently classify ride-hailing drivers as independent contractors. 

(credit: Wendover Productions)

“The Economics of Airline Class” is a fascinating look at where the revenue is generated. With nearly 9 million views on YouTube, it offers good insights in 11:37 minutes.

“The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) is highlighting the negative impact of the U.S. Republican and Democratic national conventions switching to largely virtual conventions over the next two weeks for the host cities of Charlotte, North Carolina and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Both cities were anticipating a positive economic impact of US$200 million, now wiped out by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to AHLA, which says the canceled conventions are just a microcosm of the hundreds if not thousands of major national and regional events that have been canceled since March.” — hotelsmag.com

(photo: Haeco.com)

What will the touch-free airplane lavatory look like? (We want to know: Will they get rid of the ear-splitting roar of the flush?) The rest of the details are rather obvious if still being engineered: handsfree door opening and closing, raising and lowering of the lid, infrared sensor-based waste basket lid, automated soap, hand sanitizer and water dispensers, automated wastebasket lid, an electric foot pedal for the flush mechanism. More from CNBC here.

Brightline has broken off its two-year affiliation with Virgin Group and will not be rebranding as Virgin Trains USA. Operations were suspended in March on high-speed service between Miami and West Palm Beach, but it continues to lay track for its planned expansion to Orlando and theme parks set for 2022. Brightline is also working on a connection between Southern California and Las Vegas. The date for service resumption has not been announced. – Travel Weekly

Marsha Walden has been named president and CEO of Destination Canada. She joins from Destination British Columbia where she has served as president and CEO since 2013.

David Holder, CEO, and Tina Valdecanas, president, have announced the launch of Clarity of Place. Holder is a former president & CEO of the Syracuse (NY) CVB and Valdecanas is a former executive at Greater Raleigh CVB. They say, “Blending our experience in destination and economic development…our innovative community input management and monitoring system helps place-based organizations facilitate change, optimize program performance and impact, and amplify their community brand.”

In Utah, Park City Chamber/Bureau appointed Jennifer Wesselhoff as president & CEO. She is currently in the leadership role at Sedona, Arizona’s Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau. She succeeds retiring Bill Malone, in the position for 22 years.

New job listing — A research and data analyst for Visit York County, South Carolina.

Visit Baltimore – Publicist.

Hotel Henry Urban Resort Conference Center: Buffalo, NY – Digital marketing specialist.

Ch-ch-changes, New CEOs, Some Partial Re-openings, What Consumers Are Saying

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Job alert: Experience Scottsdale is hiring a Social Media & Digital Marketing Specialist. See LinkedIn for details.

Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau has named Gregg Caren as the new president and CEO.

Mr. Caren has more than three decades of experience in the industry, including convention center management and hotel sales. Most recently, he served as executive vice president of sales and business development for ASM Global, which operates more than 350 venues worldwide. Caren has held board and leadership roles with the International Association for Exhibitions and Events, the National Association of Consumer Shows and the International Association of Venue Managers. He holds a degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management from Penn State.

Caren is replacing Julie Coker, who served as CEO for more than five years and is headed to lead the San Diego Tourism Authority. 

Royce Chwin has been appointed President and CEO of Tourism Vancouver, a 117-year-old organization. Mr. Chwin joins from Travel Alberta where he was appointed CEO in 2014 following an earlier role as CMO. Under his leadership, Travel Alberta has been recognized for several best corporate culture awards and multiple global marketing awards for the “Remember to Breathe” campaign. Chwin held leadership roles at Destination Canada (known as Canadian Tourism Commission) and has extensive business experience in the private sector with marquee brands.

In Michigan, Holland Area Visitors Bureau has announced the departure of Executive Director Sally Laukitis. During her tenure, Laukitis was the founder of the Visitor Industry Planning Initiative, served as president of both the Michigan Association of Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Tourism Industry Coalition of Michigan, and as Chair of the Michigan Travel Commission. The CVB’s Linda Hart will fill the role on an interim basis.

Former Gov. Carl Gutierrez has been tapped to lead the Guam Visitors Bureau for at least 90 days. GVB has put together a presidential search committee following the departure of President and CEO Pilar Laguana from May 30. A board member stressed the importance of finding someone who has experience with the Asia-Pacific region.

Kevin Mayer, the chairman of Disney’s direct-to-consumer streaming division, has resigned from the company to lead TikTok as CEO of the social video app. The streaming division is the only Disney growth area during the pandemic, says Adweek. During the quarantine, there’s been new interest in TikTok, which allows users to shoot and edit short videos set to music. Comscore says the app brought in 23.2 million mobile unique visitors in February and 28.8 million in March before skyrocketing to 39.2 million in April.

Rebecca Campbell, a 23-year Disney veteran who was most recently president of Disneyland and Resort, will immediately succeed Mayer as chairman of direct-to-consumer and international. The division has operational control of Hulu and has seen Disney+ surpass 54 million subscribers in five months.

Josh D’Amaro is named Disney Parks, Experiences and Products chairman. D’Amaro will oversee Disney’s travel and leisure businesses, including theme parks in the U.S. and abroad; Disney Cruise Line; vacation ownership program Disney Vacation Club; and tour operator Adventures by Disney. He will also oversee consumer products, print publishing, Disney store locations and e-commerce.

Disney World has canceled all reservations for the first week of June after previously accepting bookings. The Orlando resort had been accepting new reservations for dates starting June 1, stoking rumors that a reopening was imminent, but bookings for June 1 through June 6 have now been canceled, reports People magazine. The park and resort are now taking future reservations for travel dates July 1 and later. Read more here.

Good news from Colorado as lawmakers revive the state’s tourism marketing budget that had come under threat earlier this month. The Colorado Sun reports, “The tourism industry rallied last week after committee staff recommended eliminating 87% of the state’s tourism budget. The industry pointed to the 1990s, when Colorado eliminated tourism marketing and the state lost as much as $2 billion a year in visitor spending. On Friday, the beleaguered committee approved about a 47% cut in funding for the tourism office. The proposed budget needs approval from state lawmakers who convene later this month.” To get the facts and figures plus comments from Cathy Ritter, director of Colorado Tourism Office, read more here.

NYC & Company has created a 24-member tourism and hospitality coalition of leaders to steer the city, focusing on messaging, marketing and promotion to restore New York City’s brand locally and beyond. President and CEO Fred Dixon said, “It will be hyperlocal to begin with. We want to re-engage New Yorkers with their own city. Doing so will send a message to the world that New York has reopened itself to tourism.”

Mall of America announced it will reopen retail stores beginning June 1. The largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America will partially reopen in compliance with Minnesota’s new safety protocols, operating at maximum 50% of capacity. Bloomington Convention & Visitors Bureau has more details here.

Utah’s “Mighty 5” National Parks are re-opening in phases. Bryce Canyon National Park and Capitol Reef National Park are open. Zion National Park began its partial daytime only re-opening last week. Visitor Centers remain closed and shuttles are not running, so entry is limited to the number of parking spaces available, while some trails with handrails remain closed. Arches and Canyonlands will follow on May 29. Information is updated daily on the Travel Utah website. A status rundown of all 62 U.S. national parks is found here.

Several takeaways from this week’s wave of American consumer sentiment on travel.

Longwoods International tracking study indicates 52% of Americans say their first trip will be to visit friends and family domestically, when it’s appropriate to travel again. Americans are still very much divided about welcoming visitors back: 31% in favor and 45% against. And only about a third of Americans indicate they feel comfortable dining in restaurants, while almost half say they are not comfortable in doing so.

MMGY Travel Intelligence on behalf of the U.S. Travel Association found just 36% of U.S. travelers intend to take a domestic leisure trip in the next six months; 57% of travelers say that following the pandemic they are more likely to book travel to U.S. destinations. Also, travelers continue to feel safest when traveling by personal vehicle (68%), and when visiting outdoor destinations such as parks (34%) and the beach (26%).

Destination Analysts find that American travelers are opening back up to attending conferences and conventions, with 64.5% expressing trust the host organizations of these events to look out for their health. Travel planning responses show 64.1% of American travelers who have one or more trips at least tentatively planned this year, seven-in-ten have taken some deliberate action towards their very next trip. Marketing could be effective in swaying travelers to choose a specific destination as over half are still not fully decided on where they will go on their next trip or weekend getaway.

Sparkloft Media has found that online conversations continue with a focus on the economy, employment and unemployment. People have been most concerned by their personal livelihoods and providing for their families. Americans are reverting back to tactics seen during historic recessions to save money, to become more independent from institutions and to entertain themselves during difficult times. 

Related: 20/20 Vision: Q&A with Martin Stoll, CEO, Sparkloft Media

Air Canada will lay off at least 20,000 workers, more than half of its 38,000 employees on June 7. Management wrote, “…it is our current expectation that it will take at least three years to recover to 2019 levels of revenue and capacity. We expect that both the overall industry and our airline will be considerably smaller for some time, which will unfortunately result in significant reductions in both fleet and employee levels.” Next quarter, the company will reduce its booking capacity by 85%.

Uber will close 45 offices and cut 3,000 jobs in a second round of layoffs, less than two weeks after slashing 3,700 positions. Additional cuts mean that about a quarter of its positions have been eliminated in less than a month. Reports indicate that Uber’s bookings have plunged 80% from one year ago. 

From May 18, drivers and riders must wear face masks and coverings in an effort to stop the spread of the disease. Unlike riders, drivers are be required to verify that they’re wearing face masks before accepting a booking. Also, riders are required to sit in the back seat.

Miami-based Royal Caribbean says no more buffets when operations start up again. RCL is currently under a CDC mandate of an indefinite no-sail order for ships with more than 250 passengers and crew.

The world’s largest cruise company, Carnival Corporation, incorporating Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Seabourn, and Princess Cruises, has announced hundreds of layoffs in Florida, California and Washington. The cuts are said to total nearly half its entire workforce.

The Miami Herald reports, “When combined with furloughs announced at Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. last month, some 2,000 jobs have now been shelved in the region’s $6 billion cruise industry. And the job losses are likely to have a ripple effect…thousands of secondary-industry employers that work with cruise companies, including caterers and cleaning firms, are likely to be affected.”

Condé Nast will pink-slip about 100 employees in the U.S. and is putting another 100 on unpaid leave for several months as the pandemic crisis cuts into the media company’s business. The group’s titles include CN Traveler, New Yorker, Wired, Vogue, Vanity Fair and GQ, for about 6,000 employees worldwide in 2020 BC* [*before Covid].

A reminder: Zoom has launched version 5.0 as an upgrade to combat security flaws that resulted in “Zoombombing” incidents. The partial company statement: “System-wide account enablement of AES-256-bit GCM encryption will occur on May 30, 2020. and only Zoom clients on version 5.0 or later, including Zoom Rooms, will be able to join Zoom Meetings starting that day.”

World Federation of Advertisers says the timeframe for deferral of ad campaigns is increasing; delays are likely to last much longer than previously planned. Research indicates 52% of large multinationals surveyed say they will now hold back ad spend for six months or more, compared to just 19% taking similar medium-term action in March.

Research indicates 52% of large multinationals surveyed say they will now hold back ad spend for six months or more, compared to just 19% taking similar medium-term action in March. The squeeze will be felt during the first half of 2020, projections are: TV (down 33%), print (down 37%), out of home (down 49%) and events (down 56%). In digital: online video (down 7%), online display (down 14%). Other channels: radio (down 25%), point of sale (down 23%) and influencer (down 22%).

Facebook says Giphy will become part of the Instagram team, making it even easier to send GIFs and stickers in Instagram stories and direct messages.

Why did Facebook acquire Giphy? Some say it isn’t about the large library of animated images known as GIFs, but that it is about peeking deep inside competitors. Giphy is integrated into some of the internet’s most popular apps and services.

Following last week’s $400 million acquisition, user privacy and antitrust alarm bells have been ringing because social media and messaging services like Twitter, Tinder, Slack, Signal, Pinterest, Reddit, TikTok and iMessage already have Giphy integrated into their apps or rely on Giphy’s API for supplying them. Now Facebook gets the data on those API calls, which gives them insight into what people are using beyond Facebook.

A bonus? Since 50% of Giphy’s traffic comes from the Facebook family of apps, including Instagram, perhaps Facebook made the acquisition to prevent anyone else from getting a look inside its own ecosystem. (P.S. Could these platforms simply switch to Tenor? Hmm, Google owns Tenor.)  

The Latest: Data, People & Jobs

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Staying with the waves of American traveler consumer data, here are the key findings from several research reports and surveys with links to read more:

Longwoods International –

• Americans are clearly divided about getting back to travel again…
• Americans are also very evenly divided about welcoming visitors back to their communities
• On a positive note, the downward trend slowly continues for those saying the pandemic will greatly impact their decision to travel in the next six months.
• Economic concerns hold steady at a low level…
• Pent up demand seems to still run into the wall of fear and regulation, though, as intent stays flat around 69%

Destination Analysts –

• Impact on their personal finances and national economy is at an 8-week low. However, optimism that coronavirus will get better in the U.S. in the next month dipped to a 4-week low.
• Over half say they miss the very act of planning travel. However, the vast majority still say they will approach travel with trepidation as they think about starting again.
• 36% of travelers report having one or more trips planned between now and the end of August and 45.3% estimate they will take their next road trip in this same period; 20.1% their next air trip
• Americans estimate the distance of their next road trip to be 423 miles on average, although 43.2% report it will be under 200 miles. 
• 56.3% say the most recent travel ad they saw made them feel happy.


Sojern is now providing daily travel insights to help hotels, attractions, and tourism boards understand travel behavior and plan for recovery. Free and unlimited access via the Sojern website is a service previously only provided to clients. and partners. The dashboard is updated daily at 10:30 p.m. UTC.
Arrivalist Daily Travel Index measures US travelers who moved at least 50 miles from home and spent a minimum of two hours on their journey. The index is the relative daily volume of travelers compared to the average number of daily travelers in February 2020.

Related: Latest Consumer Surveys and a List of Covid-19 Resources

Facebook and Google tell employees they can work from home for the rest of 2020. Twitter says, actually you can work from home forever. Read more from Bloomberg here.

Marriott International announced future leadership changes, including plans for Executive and Board Chairman Bill Marriott who will transition to chairman emeritus in 2022. He is expected to be succeeded by his son, David Marriott, who currently serves as president of U.S. full-service managed properties. Bill Marriott, 88, was Marriott International’s CEO for 40 years from 1972 to 2012. His father, J. Willard Marriott, was the founder of Marriott Corporation, which became Marriott International in 1993.

Brett Hart, currently United Airline’s chief administrative officer, will take the position of president on May 20, the same day that Scott Kirby’s title changes from president to CEO under a succession plan announced in December. Current CEO Oscar Munoz will transition to a one-year term as United’s executive chairman. 

Discover Kalamazoo is making plans to guide the transition that will include hiring a permanent CEO/president following the recent resignation of Greg Ayers after 12-plus years.

The Guam Visitors Bureau board is considering its options in selecting a new president after the recent announcement by GVB President and CEO Pilar Laguaña that she will retire at the end of the month. GVB board Chairman Sonny Ada said the president search committee has met twice recently and again on May 11.

Uber is taking a massive slice out of its global workforce, eliminating 3,700 positions, or about 14%, mostly in customer support, operations, and recruiting teams. The company is offloading its bike and scooter business, Jump, to a company called Lime in which it is investing $85 million. Uber Eats meal delivery business grew 53% and news reports suggested that grocery delivery could be a part of Uber’s future in the U.S. Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO, is giving up his $1 million salary for the rest 2020. Uber’s announcement came just after Lyft laid off 17% of its workforce and Airbnb cut 25%of its workforce.

Hyatt Hotels Corp. will lay off 1,300 corporate employees worldwide in a restructure of management effective June 1. The cuts include about 350 people in Chicago, roughly one-third of the HQ staff, reports the Chicago Tribune. “COVID-19 has thrown our industry into unknown territory,” Hyatt President and CEO Mark Hoplamazian said in a written statement. The portfolio of the global hospitality company, founded by the family of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, spans 20 brands that include 900-plus hotels and resorts in 65 countries.

Bandwango, the destination marketing and commerce platform, welcomes Jason Manges as sales director. He had previously had a role as sales director for more than six years at Sojern and for two years at Madden Media.

Adam Stoker, host of the Destination Marketing Podcast and president/CEO of the Relic agency in Provo, Utah, has posted a new search for a full-time Account Manager to join the team.

Related: Meet HTTA.US: A New Jobs Recovery Registry for our Community

SearchWide Global confirms that these positions are still accepting and screening candidates, including a few that may be on hold for hiring at the moment.

  • Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau – President & CEO
  • Visit Santa Clara – President & CEO
  • Discover Lancaster – President & CEO
  • Visit Topeka – President & SVP of the Greater Topeka Partnership
  • Meet AC – President & CEO
  • Port Aransas & Mustang Island Tourism Bureau and Chamber of Commerce – President & CEO
  • Galesburg Area Convention & Visitors Bureau – Executive Director
  • Saugatuck Douglas Area Convention & Visitors Bureau – Executive Director
  • Spartanburg Convention & Visitors Bureau – Chief Tourism Development Officer
  • Explore St. Louis – Vice President of Sales
  • Destination Ann Arbor – Vice President of Sales
  • Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau – Senior National Accounts Director (in D.C.)
  • Visit Denver – Convention Sales Manager (in D.C.)
  • Visit El Paso – Director of Convention Development
  • Travel Marquette – Group Marketing / Sales Manager

Hooray! Brand USA is Renewed and More Industry News

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Just in the nick of time, Brand USA benefited from a congressional re-authorization measure included in a broader end-of-year spending package. Brand USA now has its future secure through 2027.

The American travel community widely applauded the move that enables Brand USA to build on its record of adding 52,000 jobs annually and $47.7 billion in total economic impact to the U.S. economy since 2013.

Click here for the video announcement by Christopher L. Thompson, President & CEO of Brand USA.

Holland isn’t anymore. (Talk about major re-brands!) Beginning in 2020, The Netherlands has decided to banish “Holland” as an alternate moniker for the entire country. Technically, since “Holland” only refers to two of the country’s 12 provinces, it’s been incorrectly used. The Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions had previously used the symbol of a tulip and the word Holland but will now have a new logo that combines the initials NL with the national flower. See the tulip in the new logo?

OMG. “Oh My Greece” digital campaign has earned over 5 million views. “Without any advertising support, the campaign went viral within the first 48 hours of its launch, marking 600,000 organic video views and 8,500 shares,” said Marketing Greece, a nonprofit, private sector alliance. Sojern collaborated to deliver 40.3K searches in France and the U.K. over four months, a CPV 40% better than target, and 3.3K confirmed travelers. More here.

Facebook will become a Super Bowl advertiser for the first time. Wieden + Kennedy worked with Facebook on the 60-second spot, part of the company’s ongoing “More Together” campaign that focuses on Facebook Groups. The ad is a star-studded spot, with Sylvester Stallone and Chris Rock making appearances. Fox, the network airing the 2020 Super Bowl, sold out its advertising slots months ago, selling 30-second slots for more than $5 million, Variety reported in November.

Virgin Atlantic pays it forward. Inspired by Jack, a passenger who recently gave up his upper-class seat to Violet, an 88-year-old stranger, the airline rolled out a lookalike marketing ploy. “This tale of Jack and Violet has warmed all our hearts this Christmas, and inspired us to spread the festive love,” the airline tweeted on Christmas Eve. “On behalf of us and @RichardBranson, complimentary upgrades will be offered to the most ‘seasoned’ customer on board all our flights from today until 1st Jan 2020.”

Sometimes, the least expected headlines appear. This is one: “Disney Characters Say Tourists Inappropriately Touched Them.” From Orlando, the Associated Press reports that Walt Disney World employees who portray Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck each filed police reports in December 2019. A man was arrested after an employee portraying a Disney Princess told investigators he groped her breast while getting a photo taken. Read more here.


That was quite a ride. Ten years after it began, Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick is all done. He was bounced as CEO in 2017 and over the past couple of months, he’s been shedding his shares, a $2.5 billion Christmas gift to himself. Kalanick will now spend his time building a new start-up, CloudKitchens, which creates and oversees centralized kitchens to cook meals for food delivery apps that’s enjoyed a $400 million investment from Saudi Arabia. Kalanick departs the Uber board on Dec. 31, 2019.

Japan is shrinking, demographically-speaking. A loss of 512,000 in population this year is attributed to a declining birthrate, with the number of births at its lowest since 1874. Deaths are up. This is the world’s grayest nation: Almost 28 percent of its residents are over 65. As young people move to the cities, entire villages are vanishing. “The government estimates that the population could shrink by around 16 million people — or nearly 13 percent — over the next 25 years.” – The New York Times

In the United States, population growth flatlined to its slowest pace in decades in 2019. A sharp decline in new immigrants coupled with fewer births and older Americans.

For the fourth straight year, New York lost population as did New Jersey and Connecticut plus seven other states. The top five states in percentage population gain were Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Texas.

Those interested in population trends will note that California‘s population is growing at the lowest rate since 1900. “The state has lost more than a million residents to other states since 2006.” – The New York Times

Twitter announced it has implemented a new system that retains the quality of an uploaded JPEG at 97% instead of diminishing it. The platform now also supports Live Photos, a feature that works with iPhone 6S and later, capturing three seconds of movement that shows in the image when you press the screen. Previously, a Live Photo uploaded to Twitter would appear as a still image. Now, upload it as a GIF, and it will play over and over. More here.

Nobody ever gave a shout out to icy slopes. So, “Powder Alert” is New Hampshire‘s newest digital message, appearing when snow conditions warrant it. The state is launching its winter advertising campaign, via social media and billboards, in early January, targeting the New England markets of Boston; Hartford, Connecticut; Portland, Maine; and Providence, Rhode Island, as well as New York, Toronto and Montreal.

How long will the buffet lines get? Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has released its 2020 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook report. It forecasts record highs in the new year, predicting more than 32 million passengers will set sail in 2020. They’ll sail on 278 ships, 19 of which will be new, and they’ll spend about $101 in every port they visit. The full CLIA report is found here.

On Christmas Day in 1990, the World Wide Web was first tested. Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau set up communication between a web browser and a server via the Internet. Thirty years later, for the first time, the internet in 2020 will account for more than half of both U.S. and worldwide ad spending, reports AdAge.

Staff

Laurie Jo Miller Farr, Editor
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