The coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom will take place on Saturday, May 6. And, while that’s just a couple weeks away, it’s good to know that there are still plenty of ways to partake in the festivities.
The Londoner is adorning the entrance of the hotel with a floral bench installation and is hosting a pop-up martini bar in The Stage (a nod to the king’s favorite tipple). A specialty room package also allows visitors from further afield to soak up the atmosphere and includes an exclusive royal walking tour.
Red Savannah is offering travelers a nine-day "Royal Tour of England." They will explore some of the most iconic sights associated with the United Kingdom’s royal family, including the most notable venues in London and some of the country’s most significant royal estates and gardens in the English countryside.
Several luxury hotels, including The Athenaeum, Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square and NoMad London, still have availability in addition to special events. Other properties are hosting rooftop lunches, royal-inspired Afternoon Teas, horse-drawn carriage rides and more. There are also plenty of activities to enjoy outside of London, including the Royal Coronation Garden Party at Ellenborough Park in the Cotswolds, a Royal Tour of the Bovey Castle Estate in Dartmoor by Land Rover, and a Royal Weekend at The Relais Henley.
Travel Industry Events
Myriad industry events took place this week, including Cruise360, the flagship event for Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). Taking place at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, South Florida officials updated attendees on new developments in the region. Among the highlights were new ships that would be homeporting in Port Everglades; these are Disney Magic, Celebrity Ascent and Enchanted Princess.
Kelly Craighead, CLIA’s president and CEO, drilled home the importance of travel advisors doing their share to champion the cruise industry. To overcome the barriers facing the cruise industry, Craighead said, “we really do need to talk about positive contributions that cruise makes because, sometimes, some people don’t know both how great it is as an experience or how responsible we are as an industry.” Along those lines, she also noted all the work the cruise lines have done to become more sustainable.
On April 22, Internova Travel Group has will host this year’s I AM C.U.L.T.U.R.E.D. (IAC) Youth Travel Summit at its New York City headquarters. The annual program is designed to help build the next generation of global travelers by introducing young people to the variety of opportunities for careers in travel and tourism.
In other consortia news, Ensemble has become the first travel agency network to partner with Women Leading Travel & Hospitality, a membership-based association that connects executive women across all sectors of the travel and hospitality industry. Through this partnership, Ensemble and Women Leading Travel & Hospitality will work together to unite, inspire and empower Ensemble’s team of female executives and its membership by providing resources, support and motivation to achieve personal and professional growth.
Ensemble this week also delivered its profit sharing from 2022, and did so faster by increasing the amount of the first payment by 50 percent. Adding to the benefit is that 73 percent of Ensemble’s top-performing members will earn a higher percentage of sales than they did in 2019.
Travel’s Continued Recovery
There are plenty positives when it comes to the recovery of the travel industry following the COVID-19 pandemic—but there are still some hurdles the sector faces before it can make a full rebound. Recent research by the U.S. Travel Association found that direct spending on travel in the United States in 2022 reached $1.2 trillion, on par with pre-pandemic figures. That said, when adjusting for inflation, overall travel spending was down 14 percent in 2022.
Leisure mostly led the way, recovering 99 percent of its pre-pandemic spending. In addition, travel supported nearly 15 million American workers—with 8 million directly employed by the travel industry. (That said, nearly 2 million jobs in the industry remain open as of early 2023.)
Both a source of potential and challenges is the topic of sustainability. Seventy percent of U.S. travelers, according to Booking.com, say they want to travel more sustainably over the coming 12 months—which is great. That said, 49 percent of American travelers don’t know where to find more sustainable options—which is less great. The report also noted that while 74 percent of respondents are seeking authentic experiences that are representative of the local culture, 38 percent don’t know how or where to find these tours and activities that will ensure they give back to the local community.
So, there is an opportunity to educate travelers about the wide array of options that are available, but it will require some work.
The Latest on Airlines
When considering 14 different metrics, including “baggage and departures,” “animal incidents,” “in-flight comfort and cost” and “safety,” WalletHub determined that Delta Air Lines is the best overall airline of 2023. Delta also ranked first among “Most Reliable Airlines” and “Best Airlines for Pets.”
Perhaps not surprisingly, Southwest Airlines trailed the pack, coming in 11th place. The airline on Tuesday morning had the Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A.) ground all of its flights due to “a technical issue with one of their internal systems.” Thousands of flights were delayed in the couple hours in which the pause was in effect. Flights had resumed later in the morning.
United Airlines has announced the largest Australia/New Zealand network expansion ever to and from the continental U.S., including the first non-stop flight between San Francisco and Christchurch, set to commence on December 1. Other routes include Los Angeles to Auckland and Brisbane, San Francisco to Brisbane and Sydney, and San Francisco and Los Angeles to Melbourne.
A Moment of Your Time
Travel Agent’s sister publication Luxury Travel Advisor has two surveys open: One for its 2023 Awards of Excellence, which honor the top travel executives and suppliers; and the other for its Q1 “Affluent Sentiment Report,” an ongoing survey to gauge the pulse of the luxury travel advisor business.
Advisors, we would appreciate it if you took a couple minutes to fill each of these out.
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