Dear Round-Up Readers,

2022 industry predictions are here!  We summarize and share other news from the week. 

Let's get to it:

• Trends, trends, trends!  Several NEW reports out with data about how COVID has impacted travel and what's next.  Lots of good news, 5 key points below from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Trip.com Group new ‘Trending in Travel’ report, Allianz Partners International Vacation Confidence Index, and Adara Marketing survey on Omicron.

  1. Overall travel is UP. Following a 69.4% decline (2020), global international spending on travel is set to rise significantly by 93.8% in 2022 as 70% of travelers in many major countries such as the U.S., Spain, the UK, Canada, and Japan plan to spend more on travel in 2022 than they have in the last five years.

  2. Pandemic drove domestic travel UP. Severe and confusing travel restrictions around the world drove a significant rise in domestic tourism, with a surge in domestic hotel bookings of more than 200% compared to 2019.

  3. Secondary cities are UP. To avoid travel restrictions and crowds, travelers are seeking secondary destinations, away from traditional holiday spots, as their destination of choice. 

  4. Fee-free cancellation policies and health practices remain top priorities in choosing hotels and flights.

  5. Consumers seeking "green" options, outdoors, and sustainability. 83% of global travelers say they would make sustainable travel a priority, this includes: longer stays, interest in the great outdoors, (in China – one of the world’s largest travel markets–– nature-related bookings have increased by 265%), and choosing "green" labels –– 68 million travelers have opted to book a “Greener Choice” flight on Skyscanner, a comparatively lower-carbon flight choice.

• 29 Big Ideas that will Change the World in 2022-- interesting round-up by LinkedIn is worth a read with several ideas set to impact travel: the rise of front-line employees, increase in cryptocurrencies as payment, new foods, 4-day workweeks, diversity hiring trends, to name a few.  

• Unions brewing at Starbucks in Buffalo. Workers voted to unionize on Thursday, a first of its kind among the chain’s 9,000 corporate-owned stores in the US, a major victory for labor organizing efforts that have been supercharged by the pandemic. According to the Labor Department, less than 2% of food-service workers belonged to a union last year, but the successful unionization of chain restaurants like Starbucks could change that. Three more Starbucks stores in Buffalo and a store in Arizona have also filed petitions to hold union elections.

• Generational news:

  • Millennials want diversity and leadership opportunities. Set to become the largest generation in the workforce by 2025, hotel owner and asset manager, Davonne Reaves, argues that the hotel industry needs to take note and make changes, citing research by Glassdoor, 76% of employees and job seekers stated that a diverse workforce is important and Deloitte that 63% of millennials believe their employers aren't taking the opportunity to develop their leadership skills.

  • Gen Z girls struggling with mental health. The surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, warns of a “devastating” crisis among the country’s youth, spurred in part by messages in media and pop culture that “erode their sense of self-worth.” According to New York Times, US emergency room visits for suicide attempts by adolescent girls surged 51% in early 2021 compared to the same period in 2019, (they rose 4% for boys).

On hertelier this week:

• The world's first whole life net-zero hotel opened in London! Guess what?! The property has a female GM, Luana Giaveri and head of sustainability for the parent company Lamington Group is also a woman, Chantal Beaudoin! Our interview will them will run next week, but if you're curious have a look at this short video.  
• Party season is upon us, and COVID is making it weird, again.  To help you navigate, event planning expert Amy O'Keefe offers 5 tips.
• Travelers are not deterred by Omicron, in fact, they are booking more according to Adara, the data behemoth. 
• Know your worth. Columnist Nancy Mendelson unpacks this important topic for women and offers advice on how to advocate for yourself.
• Calling all the 'jingle' ladies!!  Who's ready for some fun holiday cocktails? We've rounded up  delicious drinks recipes from female mixologists from Arizona to London. 

WATCH THIS: have you seen Maid on Netflix?  The series is on track to beat The Queen’s Gambit as Netflix’s most-watched miniseries. Adapted from Stephanie Land’s bestselling 2019 memoir, it follows a young mother, Alex, as she scrabbles to save herself and her daughter, Maddy, two, from a crushing cycle of domestic abuse, and offers an interesting insight into what it is like cleaning up after others. So gripping, I binged it.

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Have a great week,

Emily