Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) team members frequently share breaking news, helpful information, and trend highlights with each other. Below is a curated list of the industry news, global updates, and operational ideas we’ve been reading and discussing over the past several weeks that we think you’ll also find informative, inspiring, and intriguing.
Industry News
Five Trends That Will Shape Experiential Travel in 2019 (Skift) - From Instagram to pop culture, technology will continue to exert influence over travel decisions in the new year.
Younger Travelers Are More Safety Conscious Than Ever (AP News) - Travelers ages 25 to 44 show the highest travel insurance purchase intent, noting concerns such as destination safety and terrorism.
Māori Enterprise 'Staynative' Helps Whānau Become Hosts to Tourists (1 News Now) - A New Zealand social enterprise is bridging the gap between travelers who seek more authentic local experiences and Māori families who want to host them.
Women's Leadership in Travel: What Does the Industry Think? (PhocusWire) - A recent Phocuswright gender survey indicates that, on a scale from 1 to 5 (with 1 being poor and 5 being excellent), only nine percent of respondents believe the travel industry is considered excellent in regard to gender parity.
How Cities Can Fix Tourism Hell (TechCrunch) - Overtourism can be mitigated by minimizing the number of travelers in a destination and city planning that disperses those travelers in a smart way, which can be assisted through the use of technology.
Global Issues
A New Report Shows the Ozone Hole is Healing, but It's Not All Good News (Popular Science) - The 1987 Montreal Protocol has helped reduce the size of the “hole” over Antarctica, but the Kigali Amendment, which takes effect in January 2019, will address chemicals used to replace those banned by the Montreal Protocol.
Meet the People Saving a 12,000-Year-Old Forest From Being Turned Into a Coal Mine (Global Voices) - The effort to save the last 10 percent of Hambach Forest in Germany.
The Plastic Backlash: What's Behind Our Sudden Rage – and Will It Make A Difference? (The Guardian) - An in-depth article packed with facts examining why people around the world are increasingly united over the need and desire to decrease plastics usage.
You May Be Vegetarian, But What About Your Favorite Airline? (Bloomberg) - In considering how to cut fossil fuel usage, some airlines are looking toward animal byproducts instead.
China, After Outcry, Reinstates Ban on Rhino and Tiger Parts in Medicine (New York Times) - After pressure from environmental groups, China recently reinstated its ban on rhinoceros horns and tiger bones, which are used for medicinal purposes in the country.
Business Tips
Buffer Analyzed 15,000 Instagram Stories from 200 of the World’s Top Brands (New Stories Research) (Business 2 Community) - Every day 4 million people use Instagram Stories. Recent research offers enlightening insights for businesses and best practices for maximizing the increasingly crowded social space.
Visual Search Marketing Is Here: How Can Brands Execute a Picture-Perfect Strategy? (Content Standard) - Visual search technology is expected to have a significant impact on product marketing in the coming year, especially as it relates to customer interactions and two-way engagement.
Taking a Vacation from Your Business (Business News Daily) - It can be hard for business owners to a break, but preparing in advance ensures that well-earned getaway can be relatively stress-free.
Motivating Your Most Creative Employees (Harvard Business Review) - Eight evidence-based recommendations to maximize creative employees’ potential and keep them from underperforming.
5 Reasons Empathy is the Most Important Leadership Skill (Fast Company) - Demonstrating empathy increases employee engagement and encourages creativity among teams.