News
Disneyland to Replace Annual Pass with “Superfan” Membership Program
While the months following Disneyland’s announcement regarding the sunsetting of its annual pass program has left many park goers fretting about the loss, we now know what’s next: a membership program. Deadline confirmed the news last week after Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products told the Los Angeles Times a replacement membership…
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Working From Home Allows Americans to Travel More
A shift to working from home is bound to be one of the lasting effects of the pandemic, and it seems to be popular with workers. According to Priceline’s latest Work-Life Balance Report, 40% of Americans prefer to work from home full time, and 66% said that they feel encouraged to explore new destinations while…
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The U.S. Economy May Never Return to “Normal”
While the U.S. economy has come a long way since last year’s devastating downturn, a return to “normal” may not be possible. Many states have done away with pandemic-related restrictions, but life as it used to be hasn’t fully resumed. CNN Business and Moody’s Analytics Back-to-Normal Index currently sits at 93%, but 100% is predicted…
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The High Price of “Free”
One of the most powerful words in the English language is the term “free,” and just about every company uses some kind of “free offer” in their marketing. “Buy one get one free”, “Get a free gift with purchase” or “Get free delivery” are just a few examples. It makes consumers feel as though they…
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Younger Consumers Spending More Than Ever
Younger consumers, even though they have less saved than older consumers, are the ones opening their wallets as the U.S. economy recovers. American Express Company revealed that both Millennials and Generation Z are spending even more now than they did before the pandemic, as vaccines continue to rollout. “We assumed there was such pent-up demand—not…
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Plans for In-Person Meetings Growing Quickly
According to weekly meeting and event planner sentiment surveys conducted by i-Meet, the number of face-to-face programs on the books for the second half of 2021 is increasing quickly. As of late May, 52% of meeting planners had face-to-face programs booked for Q3 of this year, up from the 39% who had programs booked for…
Read MoreOne-Third of U.S. Businesses Engaging in Travel
According to the U.S. Travel Association, about 35% of U.S. businesses are currently engaged in any business-related travel. Additionally, a new projection from Tourism Economics shows business travel not recovering to 2019 levels of either spend or number of trips until 2024. “The [Tourism Economics] analysis shows that business travel could be bleak if we…
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National Park Visitation Surges
Since the start of the pandemic, H2R has seen a significant increase in interest and visitation to national parks and other outdoor activities. Keep reading to see the impact this trend has had on park wait times, satisfaction and more. Many national parks are reporting massive surges in visitors, resulting in long lines or even…
Read MorePennsylvania Hotel Taxes to Help Fund Tourism Marketing
A bill that would divert a portion of hotel occupancy tax in Pennsylvania into a new fund supporting tourism marketing, museums and art and culture organizations is close to being approved. Dubbed the Tourism, Museum and Arts Funding Act, the proposed legislation would direct one percentage point of Pennsylvania’s 6% hotel occupancy tax into bolstering…
Read MoreDomestic Travel Booking Nearing Full Recovery
New data from American Express found spending on domestic travel bookings was already nearing a full recovery. According to CEO Steve Squeri, bookings in May were 95% of what they were in May of 2019, signaling that COVID-19 recovery and lifted restrictions are elevating traveler confidence. “We also believe that by the end of the…
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