#Trending This Week - Pan Am Returns, Destination Readiness, Jet Lag, Robotic Massages, And The Normalization Of The Travel Industry
Issue 207 • July 30, 2024
If you need a break from all of the intense competition going on these days (from the Olympics in Paris to the US Presidential election), here’s a bit of a distraction with trends this week in travel, tourism, and hospitality. Have you heard PAN AM is back? The new custodian of the Pan Am legacy has lauched a $60,000 per person 12-day private charter transatlantic journey for 2025. The travel industry is starting to shift its focus from trying to get as many tourists as possible to a destination to PLANNING HOW TO COMBAT AND MANAGE OVERTOURISM. One global hotel brand is working to HELP GUESTS MANAGE JET LAG with a new offering at its properties. The wellness industry has just welcomed THE FIRST ROBOTIC MASSAGE. And a recent survey of travel agents is showing signs of a NORMALIZATION OF THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY after previous years of boom and bust. Check it all out in our three-minute read below.
Pan Am Is Back…Well Sort Of
Trying to relive the heyday of Pan American Airlines, an investor has just announced a 12-day Tracing the Transatlantic itinerary that will revive the golden age of travel during a specially curated program which kicks off in June 2025. Limited to just 50 people aboard a privately chartered 757-200 adorned with Pan-Am regalia, the journey begins in New York and will visit destinations on the original Pan Am transatlantic routes, with stops in Bermuda, Lisbon, Marseille, London and Foynes, Ireland, before heading back to New York. Read more in UrbanDaddy here.
Combatting Overtourism With Destination Readiness
Did you know according to some studies, 80% of travelers visit just 10% of the world’s tourist destinations? The number of travelers and the frequency of their trips are only set to increase, and if not carefully channeled, can encumber infrastructure, harm natural and cultural attractions, and frustrate locals and visitors alike. We have reached a point where many destinations are undertaking “Destination Readiness.” Tourism stakeholders are seeking better ways to handle the visitor flows of today and tomorrow. Read more at McKinsey here.
A Hotel Brand Takes On Jet Lag
Always in search of ways to set themselves apart with guests, one hotel brand has decided to help travelers fight jet lag. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has partnered with jetlag-fighting app, Timeshifter, which uses the latest sleep science to create personalized jetlag mitigation plans based on travelers’ chronotype, sleep pattern, itinerary, and personal preferences. Their properties are also now offering new ways for guests to combat travel fatigue, with new nutrition-focused meals and a new guest room concept focusing on restoration. Read more in Travel Pulse here.
The Robotic Massage Has Arrived
As fans of massages and spa treatments of any kind, this one caught our attention. Hotel spas are now offering robotic massages. After spending way too much time engaging in self-checkout at the supermarket or Home Depot, I’m starting to wonder if there is anything we won’t automate? The ultimate goal is to disrupt a slice of the global wellness industry, valued at $5.6 trillion in November 2023, with on-demand services and automation. Read more in BNN Bloomberg here.
The “Normalization” Of The Travel Industry
Going from a complete shutdown during COVID to revenge travel immediately after, we are now starting to see “normalization” according to many travel advisors. Some are reporting lower volume, other say overall sales are higher — but that is attributed to lower volume and higher prices — while still others are seeing less demand. Consumer sentiment around travel is still positive, but we may not see numbers as high as we did in 2023. Read more in Travel Weekly here.