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
Mexico’s Mystifying Tourism Move Leaves Competitors Ready to Pounce (Skift) - Mexico’s government disbanded the tourism board and shifted promotional tasks to embassies, leading to questions about what will happen to the country’s tourism industry.
Banff National Park Communications Plan Shifts Traveler Behavior Amid Record-Smashing Visitor Numbers (Destination Think!) - With record visitation numbers on the horizon, management at Canada’s oldest and most visited national park implemented a strategy encouraging visitors to use public transit in order to maintain a quality experience.
How Costa Rica Is Paving the Way for Sustainable Tourism (Adventure Sports Network) - The Central American country’s commitment to sustainability is not a practice but a way of life, according to its tourism board.
A.I. Wants to Know How You Plan a Trip (New York Times) - New technologies are gathering insight into how travelers research and make decisions, allowing travel companies to better reach their target markets.
What a Breakup of Big Tech Could Mean for Travel (Skift) - A major shift in tech regulation in the United States could drastically affect online innovation and distribution within the travel industry.
Global Issues
Why Our Blue Planet is Getting Greener (Popular Science) - Global greening is increasing, but there are signs it won’t last.
Why People Risk Their Lives for the Ultimate Animal Selfie (National Geographic) - Media has normalized encounters with dangerous animals, creating a concerning trend when people encounter them in the wild.
Three Barely Believable Expeditions That Prove Zero-Waste Travel is Possible (Adventure.com) - From the Australian Outback to the South Pole, these three complex journeys demonstrate it’s possible to be environmentally friendly while traveling.
Four Southern African Nations Petition to Lift International Ivory Trade Ban (Global Voices) - The proposal has triggered a clash between elephant conservationists and those who favor ivory trade for economic reasons.
These 11 EU States Already Meet Their 2020 Renewable Energy Targets (World Economic Forum) - The European Union has an ambitious renewable energy target to hit by 2030, and while some states are on track, others lag behind.
Business Tips
The Future of Experiences (Trend Watching) - This in-depth trend report offers important insights for any company engaged with consumer-facing products and services in the travel industry and beyond.
Why a One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Employee Development Doesn’t Work (Harvard Business Review) - Because all employees have different work styles, preferences, and goals, managers should adopt a system to ensure each employee is empowered as an individual.
How to Develop Creativity in Your Organization (Content Standard) - Fostering creativity can have a long-term impact for companies. Developing an environment where this can happen is the key for success.
26% of Gen Z Wants To Be Entertained By Your Online Content (Small Business Trends) - Those born between 1996-2010 want to be online, buy online, and build online.
Study Finds Equality at Work Can Drive Innovation (Business News Daily) - Recent research by Accenture found employees are more likely to embrace an innovative mindset in companies that foster a culture of equality.
Read past editions of Eye on the Industry:
- Eye on the Industry: Plastic-Free Flights, Receding Glaciers, and Hidden Facebook Marketing Tools (12 February 2019)
- Eye on the Industry: A Community-Based Māori Initiative, the Plastics Backlash, and Instagram Stories (28 December 2018)
- Eye on the Industry: Balancing Privacy and Personalization, Boracay Island Reopens, and Powerful Peer Coaching (13 November 2018)