Renewed LGBTQ Travel Is Focus of Travel Advisors But Not Destination Marketing

Landaa  / Zoom Vacations

From left: Joel Cabrera, Chief Travel Officer and co-founder of Zoom Vacations, walking with his boyfriend Matt on the beach in the Maldives. Landaa / Zoom Vacations

Skift Take: It’s obviously tremendous for the tourism industry that LGBTQ travelers have been enthusiastic about hitting the road this summer. Imagine how much more revenue destinations could earn if they did a better job of marketing to that community.

— Rashaad Jorden

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Britain’s Travel Industry Turns Out to Protest Government Restrictions

Jason Clampet  / Skift

The travel industry gathered at Westminster in London to protest on June 23. Jason Clampet / Skift

Skift Take: A united front came together for a “Travel Day of Action” — but it’ll take an extremely loud voice to convince policy makers to fast forward the proposed July 19 reopening date and pry open wallets for more cash handouts.

— Matthew Parsons

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Switzerland Hopes Europeans Can Fill Gap Left by Absent Asian Tourists

Manuel Hodel  / Unsplash

The Alpine region, known for the Matterhorn mountain, expects to welcome 15 percent more Germans and 20 percent more French guests this year. Manuel Hodel / Unsplash

Skift Take: The pandemic has been a wake-up call for the Alpine region, which now needs to rethink future marketing strategies to attract a broader base of visitors.

— Matthew Parsons

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British Tourists Return to Magaluf Despite the Caution of Locals

Chris  / Flickr

A Magaluf resort. The addition of the area to the UK’s travel green list means tourists from the area’s largest market are returning to the island. Chris / Flickr

Skift Take: Throughout the coronavirus lockdowns industry leaders asked the question “how will this crisis change travel habits?” For tourism-reliant destinations such as the Balearics, the answer is likely “not much.”

— Jason Clampet

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Meet New York City’s Director of Nightlife — Yes, That’s a Job

mehmet canli  / Flickr

The lights of the Big Apple are shining a little brighter these days with the prospect of a lot of tourist night owls returning. It’s Ariel Palitz’s job to ensure New York remains a nightlife capital of the world. mehmet canli / Flickr

Skift Take: New York City’s nightlife industry has always had a tough reputation filled with liabilities. Through the city’s official Office of Nightlife, Ariel Palitz is helping navigate the department through a viral pandemic and building the sector’s future by preserving its past.

— Dana Givens

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Canada’s Indigenous Tourism Branding Serves as Model for the Americas

Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada  / Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada

Canada’s hard-hit indigenous tourism sector is looking to Canadian travelers this summer to help businesses recover. Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada / Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada

Skift Take: At a time when travel demand for inclusion is on the rise — not to mention a global reckoning on racial equity — the Canadian government’s neglect of its once-robust indigenous tourism sector is clearly short-sighted. Will a new campaign find Canadians heeding a different call instead this summer?

— Lebawit Lily Girma

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Ryanair to Fight Italy’s ‘Illegal Aid’ to Alitalia Successor

Ralph Orlowski  / Reuters

A Ryanair aircraft stands on the tarmac at Frankfurt-Hahn Airport Germany, September 12, 2018. The airline will mount a fight to block Italian government funding of the airline poised to succeed Alitalia. Ralph Orlowski / Reuters

Skift Take: In a spat with parallels to U.S. airlines several years ago objecting to governmental aid to Gulf carriers, Ryanair will face the uphill fight of trying to block the Italian government’s funding of a new airline, Italia Trasporto Aereo.

— Dennis Schaal

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Airlines Double Down on Push for UK-U.S. Travel Corridor

hildgrim  / Wikimedia

Airlines are pushing the UK and U.S. governments to reopen travel this summer. hildgrim / Wikimedia

Skift Take: Faced with the prospect of a second lost summer across the North Atlantic, major airlines are doubling down on their push for the U.S. government to reopen transatlantic travel. First up is a renewed effort for the much talked about UK-U.S. travel corridor.

— Edward Russell

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