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Editor’s Note — TRO wants to remind its Travelgram readers the articles presented here are meant to assist you in remaining informed and prepared to discuss travel news of the day with clients.
Destinations
Postcard from the future: I will lose myself in Marrakech
I have never thought of myself as someone who loves crowds, but one day, when this is truly over, and we have rebuilt what we can, I will go to the souks in Marrakech. I plan to walk past sacks of spices and dyes, piles of green mint as high as a door lintel, and sweet fried bouchnikhas, and find a place to stand with my back against the wall, out of the way of bicycles and the madly…
— The Guardian
The healthiest countries to live in
The fight at the frontlines of Covid-19 is being waged in clinics and hospitals around the world. But the success of that fight has, in large part, depended on the effectiveness of the healthcare systems in each country. So far, there’s been a noticeable correlation between a country’s ability to contain the virus and previous rankings of its healthcare system to provide positive health outcomes.…
— BBC
Tours and Activities
How a road trip with a senior dog taught me to slow down
My husband Mike waved a stick in my face, pulling my attention away from the icy tide creeping toward my feet and back to the very important task at hand. "It's your turn," he said, laughing. As I looked up, I saw our dog Bagel's amber eyes commanding to make the next move. From our first encounter, Bagel's stare has said everything her inability to speak could not. Twelve years later,…
— CNN
In Kenya, an Epic Photographic Safari Through Some of Africa's Most Dramatic Landscapes
One evening last spring, a group of visitors to Kenya was parked by a dry riverbed on the Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy, drinking gin and tonics on the roof of a converted Land Cruiser while watching the sun set. Suddenly, monkeys could be heard crying in alarm — the pulse-quickening sound that typically signifies a predator’s approach. Fifteen minutes passed, during which the travelers…
— Travel+Leisure
America's Most Overlooked State Is About to Become a Craft Beer Destination
Cool repurposed building? Drekker brews in an 1880s locomotive repair facility, a 14,000-square-foot labyrinth of worn brick, fire-scarred beams, and ultra-modern brewing gear. Boozy hazy IPAs and bittersweet juicebox ales come in colors evoking Skittles more than beer, with playful names like Ectogasm and Wheez the Juice. Labels recall heavy-metal album covers, as does a full-wall…
— Thrillist
Cruise
Carnival Announces Enhanced Support for Travel Agents
Carnival Cruise Line has announced enhanced support for travel agents that includes an increase in commission and other measures to support and sustain them during this unprecedented pause in operations. The enhancements include an additional 1% bonus commission on new retail bookings made through GoCCL.com or other online booking tools through June 30, 2020. The line will…
— Cruise Fever
Norwegian Cruise Line Includes All 'Free at Sea' Amenities for Every Booking, Scales Back Dining Offer
Norwegian Cruise Line has tweaked its "Free at Sea" promotion, including all five amenities for every booking, regardless of cabin category booked. At the same time, the line has scaled back the dining portion of the promotion to reduce the number of included specialty dinners by one, for most cruises. "Our Free at Sea program has proven so popular that we have extended it to include all…
— CruiseCritic.com
Transportation
Coronavirus travel upside: More airlines banish the dreaded middle seat
More airlines are temporarily banishing one of the most dreaded aspects of modern air travel: being assigned a middle seat. To further the goal of social distancing and stem the spread of the coronavirus, some airlines are no longer assigning passengers to the middles in coach. In good times, leaving a third of the plane's seats unfilled would be considered financial suicide for airlines. But with few…
— USA Today
Update: Canadian Airlines Suspend International Flights And Reduce Domestic Travel Due To Coronavirus
Airlines in Canada continue to cope with ongoing travel restrictions and bans as governments around the globe try to minimize the impact of the coronavirus. Here’s what Canada’s major airlines are doing about international and domestic flights in response to continuing coronavirus travel bans. Recently, the airline announced that it would extend the suspension of international flights, as…
— Forbes
Lodging
Are Hotels Still Open During COVID-19?
With few people traveling, are hotels still open while the world quarantines? Many hotels are maintaining a barebones staff for first responders, family members visiting loved ones and truck drivers. However, not every hotel is open during this time. Like the airlines cutting capacity up to 90%, hotel occupancy rates are a fraction of what they usually are. Hotel brands contemplate closures on…
— Forbes
California secures over 15,000 hotel rooms for homeless during pandemic: gov
California has acquired over 15,000 hotel rooms to shelter homeless people during the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Saturday. Newsom said a new agreement with the Motel 6 hotel chain will provide an additional 5,025 hotel rooms at 47 locations in 19 counties. “Today marks an important milestone for our efforts to protect very vulnerable homeless individuals from COVID-19, and…
— New York Post
Other and Odd
A Lost Viking Mountain Pass Has Melted Out of the Ice in Norway
Climate change has exposed an ancient Viking mountain route in Norway that is littered with hundreds of archeological artifacts left by travelers over a period of more than 2,000 years. The high-elevation path is located at Lendbreen on Lomseggen ridge in the Jotunheimen mountains, and was a “focal point” for regional travel with a history that dates back to the Bronze Age, according to…
— Vice
Will Travel Change After Coronavirus? Here's What Experts Have to Say
The outbreak of coronavirus and its rapid spread around the world have had an unprecedented impact on the travel industry. Though some airlines are still flying, including rescue flights to repatriate people to their home countries, many carriers have all but shut down for the time being. Hotels are laying off employees by the hundreds of thousands. After several ships were stuck at sea for weeks,…
— Travel+Leisure
Today in History
The Mariel Boatlift
On April 20, 1980, Cuba's Fidel Castro unexpectedly announced that any Cuban desiring to emigrate to the U.S. could do so. At the port of Mariel west of Havana, boats were made available and 125,000 Cubans pointed their small craft northward to Miami. For weeks prior, political dissent had been running high…
— Travel Research Online
Editorial Musings
Some of us are doing it right
by John Frenaye
Monday April 20, 2020
Hopefully some  of us were able to get some of that PPP money or the EIDL money to help out in this time of crisis. As I have mentioned before, right now is a critical time to make sure you are touching base with your clients. Not selling. Touching base.
Chances are, they are working from home and are likely looking for things to do and trolling emails for diversions. Give them one. And here is a perfect example from Annie’s Escapes.
Ann Petronio hits all the right touchpoints…
— Travel Research Online
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One-to-One Interviews
Ann Chamberlin, Senior Vice President of Membership & Strategic Partnerships, President of ASTA Small Business Network
 Ann Chamberlin, Senior Vice President of Membership & Strategic Partnerships and the President of the ASTA Small Business Network, formerly NACTA. She is responsible for the association’s membership growth and support, chapter operations and consortia partnerships. She leads the vision for ASTA membership programs, strengthens the company through strategic partnerships and membership growth to ensure ASTA remains the top membership choice for travel advisors.
During her NACTA tenure, she and her team raised the membership criteria qualifications, rebranded the association, expanded the supplier portfolio, and strengthened the chapter system through a regionalized structure. ASTA member engagement and participation in ASTA’s many programs and events remain her main focus. Reporting directly to the President and CEO of ASTA, she…
— Travel Research Online
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Publishers Corner
Keep Learning Your Craft
by Richard Earls
Monday April 20, 2020
I apparently ha ve a fondness for words both simultaneously a noun and a verb. The word “craft” is a wonderful word. “Craft” denotes expertise, intelligence, intuition and skill. A craft is more than a hobby, more than a pastime. When you craft an answer, you work it, paying attention to details, to the magic that is in the turns and twists in the subtleties of language and insight. A craftsman is devoted to a chosen trade and practitioners of a craft are both learned and wise in application of their practice.
Not everyone will be a craftsman. Not everyone has the passion for their trade; and when craftsmanship shades into artistry, when it merges with design, we call it genius.
— Travel Research Online
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Mike’s 1-Minute Marketing Memos
When do I start?
 Do you ever get tired of hearing yourself talk? I know I do. And talking is the way I make my living. Today’s train of thought may be a bit convoluted, but stick with me, follow along, and it will become clear at the end. I…
— Travel Research Online
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