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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
Costa Rica opening its doors to travelers next month
Get out your passports, pack your bags, and grab the sunscreen, folks, because we just got word that Costa Rica has finally opened up their borders to all U.S. travelers beginning Nov. 1, 2020! Doesn't relaxing on a nice sunny beach or exploring this unique tropical destination sound like a pretty nice escape after all we have been through this…
— The News Star
Ultimate Travel List
We’ve all got a list of places that we want to see for ourselves: places friends have enthused about, places we’ve read about, dreamed about. This is our list. It’s the 500 most thrilling, memorable, downright interesting places on this planet ranked in order of their brilliance. COVID-19 has resulted in travel restrictions that may have clipped your wings through 2020, but now is the perfect time to plan ahead…
— Lonely Planet
Tours and Activities
CARES Act Money Is Keeping This Big Island Tour Company Afloat
The pandemic has sunk businesses by land, air and sea. For Jeff Leicher, an owner and managing partner of Jack’s Diving Locker, a snorkel, scuba diving and touring company in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island whose business has thrived since 1981 in the latter category, that meant he had to get creative to keep his operation afloat during the shutdown precipitated by…
— Honolulu Civil Beat
Cruise
Cruise ship rescues 24 people from boat off Florida coast
A Carnival Cruise Line ship has rescued two dozen people from a sinking boat 37 miles off the Florida…
— ABC News
River Cruise Line Cancels Remaining 2020 Cruises
AmaWaterways, a luxury river cruise line, has canceled their remaining 2020 cruises that includes all departures from Europe, Asia, and Africa. However, this suspension does not apply to the chartered river cruise series on the Rhine that has been in operation since…
— Cruise Fever
Exclusive: Windstar Cruises to unveil new, multitier loyalty program
Dubbed the Yacht Club, the new, point-based loyalty program will replace a relatively modest incentive program of the same…
— The Points Guy
Transportation
Airlines plan for prolonged coronavirus travel drought
U.S. airlines expect it will be years before their business recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, even after pulling together over $100 billion by tapping government aid and mortgaging assets including planes and frequent-flier…
— FOX Business
Alaska Air Is Poised to Lead the Airline Recovery
Low cash burn, an improving revenue trajectory, and substantial cost-cutting opportunities all point to a quick post-pandemic rebound for the Alaska Airlines…
— The Motley Fool
A video message from National Rent-A-Car!
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Lodging
Despite Pandemic, New Luxury Hotels Open Near Disneyland
The new Radisson Blu Anaheim has reserved the 12th floor of the hotel for adults. The 12th floor will feature a rooftop pool and jacuzzi, a full-service restaurant with an exhibition kitchen, indoor and outdoor bars, fire pits, and a seating area where guests can see Disneyland and on a clear day the sun setting over the Pacific…
— Spectrum News 1
Hotel Viking: A Look Inside One Of Newport’s Most Historic Properties
Hotel Viking is located in the heart of Newport, Rhode Island, and dates back to 1926. The five-story Georgian Colonial is on the National Registry of Historic Places and has been a member of the prestigious Historic Hotels of American for more than 90 years. The property recently underwent a multi-million dollar restoration that included renovating and updating the guest rooms, spa, pool, and fitness area.…
— Forbes
The Best Hotel Reopening Email Campaigns
In our recent Email Benchmark Report, it was overwhelmingly clear that email is the preferred channel of communication for marketing and businesses. With the shift towards contactless technology and social distancing measures still in place, email continues to be one of the most effective ways to stay connected and communicate with hotel…
— Hospitality Net
Other and Odd
Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Names New President
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association has announced the election of a new president, the regional tourism body announced this…
— Caribbean Journal
Hard hit by virus, airlines push for tests over quarantines
What will it take to get people flying again? International air traffic is down 92% this year as travelers worry about catching COVID-19 and government travel bans and quarantine rules make planning difficult. One thing airlines believe could help is to have rapid virus tests of all passengers before…
— Associated Press
Today in History
The First Chief Justice
On this date in 1789, Chief Justice John Jay is sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States. Nominated by George Washington to fill the role, John Jay helped to develop early principles upon which the nation's highest court would later build its jurisprudence. Jay was later Governor of New York from 1795 to 1801 and became a leading opponent of slavery. He saw the emancipation of all slaves in the state of New York prior to his…
— Travel Research Online
Press Releases of Interest
American Cruise Lines Rolls Out American Melody
Guilford, CT—October 16, 2020— American Cruise Lines announced today, that just two months after accepting delivery of the American Jazz, its next new ship is already being readied for launch. The forward hull section of American Melody was moved from a hull fabrication building to the launch ways earlier this week, where it will be joined to the aft section and launched into the Wicomico…
— Travel Research Online
Editorial Musings
Is your email marketing declining? You might be blacklisted!
by John Frenaye
Monday October 19, 2020
Are you blackli sted? Do you even know if you are? It might not be the end of the world for the Canasta Club you just joined, but in today’s business environment, in today's pandemic, if you get your domain blacklisted your agency has a major problem! Recently, I got a few bouncebacks and I looked into it and lo and behold, one email account was blaklisted! So, what do you do?
First, let’s get the definitions set. Email provider will mean the company or means you use to send and receive email—gmail, POP3, Hotmail, Yahoo, Comcast, etc. Email service will mean the company or service you use to send out promotional emails and newsletters on your behalf—Constant Contact, A Weber, Mail Chimp, etc. Now that we…
— Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »
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Publishers Corner
Wanted: Local Experts
by Richard Earls
Sunday October 18, 2020
North Americans are in love with their cars, and this year, that is a good thing. During the first few months of the Covid-19 pandemic, the travel industry largely ground to a halt and few people were venturing beyond their local grocery store and pharmacy. Now, travel shows signs of awakening, and we are seeing it first in journeys made in automobiles, trips to the mountains, national parks, lakes, rivers and to see autumn leaves.
It is likely the increased interest in travel with family and the choice of outdoor venues, plus the record low gas prices in most states, are important factors. Travelers naturally feel they have more control of the travel environment in an automobile…
— Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »
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Mike’s 1-Minute Marketing Memos
Execution
 E-X-E-C-U-T-I-O-N is a nine-letter word that identifies the reason most companies and individuals fail to meet their full potential. More realistically, it is a lack of…
— Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »
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Upcoming Training Opportunities
Learn how to easily build and book $5-10k road trips for your customers this Autumn on americantours.com!
Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at 3 pm EDT/12 pm PDT
Join ATI and Travel South USA to learn how to book high value and unforgettable road trips for your customers. First, ATI will showcase the booking process between an agent and client wanting to customize their family's road trip this Fall. You will also learn more about taking advantage of ATI's concierge service when utilizing their DriveAmerica platform. Then Travel South USA will be joined by top tourism office officials from Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina to explain why their states, particularly their coastal areas, are the perfect destinations to discover this Fall. Join the webinar and you will be entered to win a one week southern road trip package!
Register Now ➠
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Born and raised in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Brad has more than 20 years experience with the travel industry. He joined our team as Regional Director in 2016. Combining his study of engineering and technology with his travel expertise, Brad oversees systems, fraud mitigation, automation, distribution platforms, and the emerging NDC (New Distribution Capability). Brad is based in Valencia, Spain with his wife and two…
Let’s overcome barriers to entry. It’s time for you to start enjoying good audio content. This is the first network of podcasts built for the travel professional. I’m extremely proud of our content and the feedback has been outstanding. I want you to enjoy it too. Let’s bust some podcast myths and get you tuned into podcasts…