Richard Turen
I will be the first to admit that some of us may be in danger of drowning in a sea of news pollution. I don't know if I should buy a pair of the president's gold sneakers or volunteer to fight in Greenland.
While we are all trying to keep up, sometimes the most important stories that can affect our industry are shoved off to the side. Here are a few I just don't want us to miss:
• Dunedin Airport in New Zealand has placed a maximum hug time of three minutes for passengers in the drop-off zone. Signs outside the airport advise, "For fonder farewells, please use the car park."
• Our very best clients, those who wish to visit all seven continents, may be disappointed. There is a current debate raging among geologists that what really counts as a continent depends on how you judge facts like crust thickness and elevation. Some believe that there are only two continents, Antarctica and everything else. You reach this point of view by accepting that South America is connected to North America through Panama, North America is connected to Asia through the Bering Strait and that Asia is connected to Europe, Africa and Australia through the Urals, the Sinai and Indonesia.
Geologists who support this theory now point to Zealandia, a huge, submerged land mass under New Zealand. It meets most of the criteria for a "continent" except for the fact that it is underwater. Soon, our clients will be bragging that they've "been to both continents."
• Russian media is reporting that the Putin regime is considering forming a Ministry of Sex to address the nation's plunging birth rate. One policy being considered is banning internet access from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Good to know for guests staying in the best hotels in Russia in anticipation of spending a few evening hours streaming Tom Cruise or George Clooney.
• A Japanese food chain has debuted a new thirst quencher: drinkable mayonnaise. Nomu mayo is said to offer "the richness and sourness of mayonnaise in a chilled beverage." This strikes me as an excellent gift for a food-snob friend.
• Many countries, particularly those in highly religious societies, frown on adorning one's body with tattoos. Therefore, it is interesting to note a report in the Washington Post that 53% of American women between the ages of 30 and 49 currently sport tattoos. Among women 18 to 29, the figure rises to 56%. Currently, 38% of American women have at least one tattoo. Given these statistics, has anyone yet opened an agency specializing in tattooed travel?
• If you are planning on visiting the British Isles this summer, please be aware that there is a rather serious shortage of Guinness in British pubs. Guinness tapped into younger social influencers on TikTok and other platforms, and now there is an avalanche of young Guinness drinkers joining the old folks at the bar ordering the stout.
This is something everyone in travel should carefully note. By manipulating social media, marketers have been able to take a "senior drink" and turn it into a must-have, making it the cool beverage of choice. I am serious -- this is a prime example of an extremely successful social media campaign.
• And finally: We try to follow events at the world's top vineyards, so it is important to note that a limited-edition, tomato-based wine has just been released. It is described as "a unique wine crafted from ripe, juicy tomatoes and infused with natural basil, offering an aromatic blend of fresh herbs and spices, with rich, sun-ripened tomato notes."
To sample this wine, our clients need not visit Bordeaux or even the Napa Valley. They will find this wine where it was "grown" -- at Pizza Hut. I will be serving it in my office as it may represent a "taste and nose" my clients will never forget.