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Wednesday May 24, 2023

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

Largest U.S. LGBTQ+ Rights Group Issues Florida Travel Advisory
The largest LGBTQ+ rights organization in the U.S. joined other civil rights organizations Tuesday in issuing a travel advisory for Florida, warning that newly passed laws and policies may pose risks to minorities, immigrants and gay travelers. The Human Rights Campaign…

Where Would Americans Travel If They Had Two Consecutive Weeks of Vacation? Here Are Some Ideas
If you’re not from The United States, the title might perplex you. Don’t Americans get at least two weeks of paid vacation? The truth is, not really. It would be nice to take all that time off without worrying about employment, but American work culture is unlike most places. In…

This Small Island Is The Trendiest Destination In Greece This Summer
Visiting Greece is a bucket list dream for many. The whitewashed buildings punctuated with bright blue paint, the food, the friendly people, and the beautiful beaches all draw in tourists from around the globe. But one Greek island, in particular, has caught the attention of…

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Tours and Activities

This Black History Tour of Atlanta Was Just Named One of the Best Travel Experiences in the U.S.
From the civil rights movement to pop culture, Atlanta has long been a rich source of Black culture in America. So it’s no surprise that visitors have been raving about Atlanta's Black History and Civil Rights Tour, earning it a spot on the 2023 Viator Experience Awards for best…

Where One of SoCal's Top Chefs Goes to Eat in His Off-Hours
At chef Jonathan Yao’s omakase-style restaurant, Kato, traditional Taiwanese dishes are remixed into modern culinary creations. Here, diners will find Taiwanese braised pork rice distilled into a gel, savory doughnuts filled with uni, and giant boba pearls served for dessert…

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Cruise

Carnival Splendor Passenger Dies While Swimming During Cruise Port Call
A Carnival Cruise Line guest has died while swimming at Mystery Island, which is part of an archipelago located in the south Pacific. The incident happened on Saturday, May 20th during Carnival Splendor‘s current nine-night south Pacific cruise, which departed Sydney…

Viking Adding Year-Round River Cruises in Europe
Viking, the world’s largest river cruise line, has announced that they will start offering year-round river cruises on the Rhine River starting later this year. This new 10 day Middle Rhine itinerary will run from December 2023 through March 2024, a time when landmarks…

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Transportation

Pack Your Patience: The Busiest Air, Road Travel Times For This Weekend
Travelers, prepare yourselves for an incredibly busy Memorial Day weekend. This year, the peak travel weekend is going to be a hectic one, according to travel app Hopper’s latest report. AAA also said it will be the “third busiest Memorial Day weekend” in over two decades. Most…

A New High-Speed Rail from Miami to Orlando Is Changing How Floridians Travel
To all of us in Miami, Orlando may as well be Canada. It’s not that the city is cold and has a strange obsession with Tim Horton’s—it’s that the effort required to get there can feel more tedious than traveling to Toronto. Just over 235 miles separate Florida’s two most popular…

TSA PreCheck Is Now Free for Teenagers Traveling With Their Parents
On Monday, officials announced a new TSA PreCheck policy that will ease the airport process for families with older kids: All children under the age of 18 can now accompany a parent or guardian through the faster PreCheck line, free of charge. Previously, the agency only…

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Lodging

10 Best Seville Hotels That Offer A Gateway To Spain's Andalusian Paradise
Seville, Spain, is the gateway to the beautiful region of Andalusia. Andalusia is an autonomous region that borders the southern coast of Spain and is home to beautiful landscapes and historic architecture. Top attractions in the capital city of Seville are Alcázar Castle, the…

Hilton Launches Another Budget Brand Amid Economic Uncertainty
The economic waters powering the travel sector might be fine for now, but one can’t help but feel the world’s largest hotel companies are moving as quickly as possible to prepare for turbulence. Hilton kicked off the most recent hotel earnings reporting cycle by citing a $209…

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Other and Odd

Apple ID Goes Live in Four States
Wouldn’t it be nice to just wear your ID on your wrist as you go through the airport? Apple’s been working on it, and it’s live now in four states. Apple users in Arizona have been carrying their driver’s licenses and state IDs in their Apple Wallets for a year now, passing through…

My Prescription Medication Is Banned in a Country I’m Visiting. Now What?
My girlfriend and I have been dating for five years, and we share an obsession with Japan. Our childhood rooms had dorky posters of the country lining our walls, and we frequently geek out over minimalism and ryokan architecture. If we were to get married, it’d be the obvious…

EU Confirms It Doesn't Have a Date for Implementation of Entry/Exit System Yet
The European Union has not come up with a new date for the start of the implementation of the Entry/Exit System yet, the eu-LISA has confirmed, which is the agency responsible for the operational management of the EES and other large-scale IT systems in the field of…

Today in History

Peter Minuit Buys Manhattan
Peter Minuit was the Director-General of the Dutch New World colony of New Netherland. Seeking to claim a legitimate title to the land the colony desired to rule, Minuit entered into negotiations with the local Native…

Press Releases of Interest

Wellness Travel Specialist Course 2nd Edition further supports Fast-Growing Travel Segment
FRAMINGHAM, MA, May 23, 2023 – The Travel Institute and Wellness Tourism Association have released the 2nd edition Wellness Travel Specialist course, revised to further enable agent success amidst the continuing…

Point-to-Point

Providing Airline Tickets is Now a Costly Diversion for Many Travel Advisors
by Steven Frankel
Wednesday May 24, 2023

As many travel agents view it, providing airline tickets isn’t a real business—it’s a giveaway. Since domestic tickets don’t pay commissions, they serve as loss leaders for compensation paid by cruise lines, hotels, resorts, and escorted tour providers. Selling Business Class and First-Class air tickets is a different matter due to the huge commissions paid, but they probably account for no more than 10-15 percent of the tickets that pay nothing.

The lack of financial incentives isn’t the only problem. Unless your business is large enough to justify a GDS, you spend much of your work life waiting on “hold” for airline service personnel, or listening to Sally explain why she can’t fly on Saturday or needs a window…

  — Travel Research Online
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