I'm a big fan of Gordon Ramsay. I've watched his shows for years, eaten at his Las Vegas restaurant, and even interviewed him for a story once — I'm happy to report he was nothing like his "Hell's Kitchen" persona in person.
25.08.2023 - 12:53 / skift.com / Joe Biden / Dennis Schaal / Rashaad Jorden / Adam Burke / Johannes Thomas
Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, August 11. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts
Tourism boards across the U.S. are increasingly supporting measures to get workers back into offices to help boost struggling downtowns, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam.
Habtemariam notes the U.S. Travel Association strongly backs President Joe Biden’s push to have federal employees spend more time in the office. An executive at the organization said getting federal workers back into the office was critical to the success of U.S. cities. Habtemariam reports cities are losing billions due to workers spending more time working remotely and fewer days in the office.
Tourism bureaus are also taking steps to fill their offices. San Francisco Travel and LA Tourism, among others, have each required employees to head to the office several days a week. LA Tourism CEO Adam Burke said getting people back in office would help increase foot traffic in the city’s downtown. Meanwhile, NYC Tourism+Conventions plans to increase the number of days employees go to the office weekly this fall.
Next, Trivago recently brought back commercials featuring ad pitchman, the Trivago Guy. However, it’s uncertain if he’ll be part of the company’s marketing efforts going forward, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal.
Schaal writes that the Trivago Guy — played by Actor Tim Williams — was credited with helping make the company somewhat of a household name in North America. Trivago CEO Johannes Thomas said the company is trying to boost growth and taking a more experimental approach to its TV ads to help boost traveler engagement.
Finally, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed its version of a bill reauthorizing funding for the Federal Aviation Administration. Reporter Kristin Majcher explains five key issues the bill addresses.
Majcher writes, beyond funding the agency for five more years, the reauthorization is important because it includes provisions about consumer protections and airline safety. She adds that some of those provisions have proven controversial. In particular, the Regional Airline Association has supported a proposal to increase the maximum age for pilots from 65 to 67 while the Air Lines Pilots Association has come out against it.
Majcher reports the Senate needs to finalize its own version of the bill and both houses need to work out any differences by September 30. If the House and Senate miss the deadline, Congress would have to approve an extension.
I'm a big fan of Gordon Ramsay. I've watched his shows for years, eaten at his Las Vegas restaurant, and even interviewed him for a story once — I'm happy to report he was nothing like his "Hell's Kitchen" persona in person.
A section of the Great Wall in China was severely damaged after construction workers dug out a large gap as a shortcut to get their equipment through.
In 2021, the Pretty Rocks Landslide on Denali Park Road in Alaska shut off the only driving route to the old mining town of Kantisha. The closure is predicted to continue until 2026, cutting off access on the iconic 92-mile road in Denali National Park. This means that Kantishna, previously a popular destination for day visitors to the park, is now only accessible by air. It takes a helicopter over the glaciers, braided rivers, and multi-colored mountain peaks with America’s tallest mountain, Denali, in the background. In short, it’s become an exclusive destination that only a small percentage of visitors have a chance to access.
In the world of travel, Say Hueque emerges as a beacon of purposeful exploration.
Strong outbound growth from US Travellers; US Domestic Travel & Tourism market demonstrates its resilience.
Centered on the pivotal theme “Transforming Demand Trends to Reshape the Future of Intra-Africa Travel,” the 2023 ATLF & Awards is poised to offer unparalleled networking corridors, growth-centric business prospects, and cutting-edge educational modules.
As Naiwi Teruya watched flames engulf his Lāhainā apartment on the evening of August 8, his first thought was, “I need to get to my kids,” says the 35-year-old executive chef of Down the Hatch, a casual seafood joint that once stood on Lāhainā’s iconic Front Street. Teruya pushed through scorching winds and dodged dangling power lines in the darkness as he headed north on foot. “People were crying and screaming, you could hear things exploding, and I felt like the fire was chasing me,” he says.
The U.S. travel industry is cheering on the Biden Administration’s new push to get more federal employees back into the office.
>>Ukio, a Barcelona-based short-term rental platform focused on remote workers, has raised $28 million (€27 million) in a Series A round of funding.
Spain’s eDreams Odigeo said on Tuesday the number of bookings made on its various online platforms was rising faster than across the wider industry, boosting its profitability.
Not all hotels should pursue remote workers, a hotel group CEO has suggested, because they mostly served their purpose during the pandemic.
A venture studio shut down its remote working startup after discovering its business model wasn’t really meeting its goals.