Travel Advisors Need Knowledge to Assist Transgender Clients

Transgender travelers often face a minefield of barriers and humiliations that most other people — including travel advisors — know little about. The problems range from insensitive airport screeners to destinations that are hostile to transgender visitors.

Being aware of their particular needs, especially in regards to safety, is important for travel advisors serving transgender clients. The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association is among the resources for travel agencies that want some guidelines. Seeking advice from a frequent transgender traveler is another way to gain insight.

For more coverage of pertinent issues, click here.

Any suggestions for the coverage you would like to see are welcome. Feel free to contact me at mbl@skift.com.

— Maria Lenhart, Travel Advisor Editor

Featured Stories

Travel Advisors Need to Educate Themselves About Risks for Transgender Clients: Traveling is tough when you’re transgender, but it can also be very risky for travel advisors who could unwittingly send their clients into some hostile environments if they don’t know what they’re doing.

Travel Agencies Have Long Struggled with Southwest. Now This Is Changing: Southwest has been a thorn in the side of many travel management companies. Now they have a shot at a mutually beneficial relationship with the airline.

Airlines

Delta Air Lines Sells a New Subscription That Indirectly Includes Overhead Bin Access: This priority boarding craze is getting out of hand. Almost no one wants to get on an airplane 45 minutes before it departs. People go nuts over boarding early because they have overhead bin anxiety. Can we just start charging for bin space? It’s a precious resource for which demand outstrips supply.

Sabre’s $110 Million Deal for Radixx Gives It New Upside in Passenger Services Tech: Sabre’s acquisition of Radixx is yet another sign that the travel technology giant is shoring up its competitive position vis-à-vis its rival Amadeus in the lucrative market for selling airlines operational technology.

Tourism

Why Is Visit Florida Still Fighting for Its Survival? Destination marketer Visit Florida could find itself on the chopping block — again. Its perilous future is a symptom of what some call the “weaponization of travel” in political funding battles.

U.S. Forecasts Visitor Growth Through 2024 Despite Current Slump: It’s been a rough year for U.S. travel, with international arrivals down. While an increase in visitors may be on the horizon for 2020, it’s not entirely clear why.

5 Takeaways From the UK’s Thomas Cook Inquiry: Inquiries like these are often pretty brutal on company executives. Former CEO Peter Fankhauser shoulders a lot of responsibility for what went down at Thomas Cook, but he’s not the only one at fault. The actions of his predecessors, as well as the UK government itself, are likely to also come under scrutiny.

Hotels

Provenance Hotels Faces Backlash Over Founder’s Role in Trump-Ukraine Deal: Some political observers say Gordon Sondland sold himself out to President Trump to become EU ambassador. Now he finds himself in the middle of the impeachment inquiry as calls for a boycott of Sondland’s Provenance Hotels pick up traction. With the potential for huge impact on the company’s bottom line hinging on Sondland’s testimony, many will be on the edge of their seats Thursday.

Rethinking Luxury Hotel Design to Connect Guests With Nature: It seems like every hospitality brand these days is eager to jump on the wellness bandwagon. Most do so by adding a gym or throwing a yoga mat in the room. But some luxury hotels are taking a more esoteric approach, namely through biophilic design.

Meetings and Events

Making Events Green Starts First With Transportation: Getting rid of plastic straws is nice, but the biggest positive impact will come from cutting back on plane trips and the use of gas-powered cars. At first, these changes may seem overly inconvenient, but that feeling will lessen once attendee expectations start to shift.

Skift Travel Advisor Editor Maria Lenhart [mbl@skift.com] curates the Skift Travel Advisor Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Tuesday. Have a story idea? Or a juicy news tip? Want to share a memo? Send her an email.

Sign up for the Free Skift Travel Advisor Newsletter