St. Louis Rebranding and 13 Other Tourism Trends This Week

Every week we post hundreds of stories across various sectors in travel, connecting the dots across various global trends, and in these weekend posts we highlight the stories that tackle these trends. This one looks at top tourism trends.

For all of our trends roundups, go here.

>>We are bringing our big picture view on the future of travel to London, and will discuss the future of European travel in a post-Brexit world: Announcing Skift Global Forum Europe in London on April 4, 2017

>>It’s easy to say you want to be Hawaii, and another to actually be it: Guam Wants to Be Asia-Pacific’s Next Meetings and Incentive Travel Hub

>>The Black Travel Movement in the U.S. has gained serious momentum in the last couple of years, and the industry would be wise to understand the struggles and spending decisions of black travelers: Airbnb, Police Brutality and More Ways Travel Is Different for Black Travelers

>>With the UK government seemingly determined to sever all ties with the European Union, things don’t look great for the travel industry: Three Months In, UK Travel Industry Learning to Live With Brexit

>>We expect there will be a lot of appeals, but TripAdvisor is trying to address a big issue in a measured, thoughtful way: TripAdvisor Stops Booking Activities With Captive Animals and Endangered Species

>>Event planners and brand marketers want to collaborate to design better event programming and experiential marketing content, but there are significant challenges for organizations to make that marriage work: Why Event Planners Need Experiential Marketers — Meetings Innovation Report

>>Royal Caribbean will need to completely rethink the way it designs and powers ships in order to use liquefied natural gas and fuel cell technology: Royal Caribbean Is Ordering a New Class of Megaships

>>Sometimes you have good luck and sometimes you have good timing. And sometimes you have both: Visit Britain Has a New Marketing Campaign, But Deal-Seekers Were Coming Anyway

>>Humans still have a future in travel, but we need to get increasingly specialized and savvy about how we connect with the smartphone-enabled consumer: New Skift Trends Report: The Travel Agent of the Future

>>It’ll be interesting to see how Egencia measures up with competitors that have already attained scale on a global level: Egencia Wants to Be a Global Corporate Travel Power — Skift Corporate Travel Innovation Report

>>A thriving Indian middle-class will only help accelerate outbound tourism growth: Brand USA and U.S. Tourism Groups Target India as the Next Major Asian Tourism Market

>>St. Louis is fortunate to have one of the more advanced startup communities of any third tier city in America, and it’s leveraging that aggressively: St. Louis Tries to Rebrand the City for Meetings With a New Music and Tech Festival

>>Norwegian Cruise Line is betting that Alaska cruise passengers will turn up — and pay a premium — for a big new ship designed for the market: Norwegian Cruise Line Bets More on Alaska After Caribbean Disappoints

>>Some travel brands have mastered the art of using FOMO to get us to buy right now. But there’s value for some travelers in missing out, at least on the anxiety: Anxiety Vs. Mindfulness in the Battle for Travelers’ Attentions