Fiji’s Clueless New Tourism Campaign and 8 Other Top Travel Stories This Week

Throughout the week we are posting original stories night and day covering news and travel trends, including on the impact of coronavirus. Every weekend we will offer you a chance to read the most essential stories again in case you missed them earlier.

Tourism Fiji’s Shameless New Campaign Is a Reminder for Marketers Everywhere Here’s to hoping we don’t see another one of these anytime soon. Host communities everywhere, irrespective of the destination’s income level or racial makeup, are the face and the raison d’être of this global tourism industry — and they deserve better.

Vacasa to Go Public Tuesday With $340 Million in Proceeds to Spur Growth Omicron won’t deter Vacasa’s debut as a publicly traded company as it takes advantage of the pandemic-era surge in vacation rental growth.

Marriott Gives Courtyard Hotels a Long Overdue Refresh Just because Marriott sees more growth opportunity abroad doesn’t mean it will neglect its reliable staples in the U.S. But a successful brand refresh like Courtyard’s hinges on sticking to timelines (or speeding those up)

Business Travelers Are About to Check In To Smaller Hotel Rooms Brands like Yotel and CitizenM are gearing up for growth — are tiny rooms the future?

Vacasa’s Value Falls 10 Percent on Stock Market Debut Vacasa’s market cap comeuppance in its first day of trading doesn’t have huge significance. Are many private valuations inflated these days? For sure. But Vacasa’s debut in a SPAC deal is a milestone for a bevy of startups seeking similar paths.

7 Amex GBT Takeaways Revealed in Its $5.3 Billion SPAC Deal Ahead of going public, Amex GBT has provided a compelling argument for growth in its 53-page document, with a string of acquisitions and partnerships already under its belt. But does its enormous size now line it up for success, or weigh it down?

Booking.com Warns Car Partners About Using Over-the-Top Promo Lingo Booking.com doesn’t want affiliates or other partners to make unsubstantiated promotional claims about the online travel agency having the “best,” meaning the lowest prices, which it admits it doesn’t have. With regulators in Europe and elsewhere watching its every move, Booking.com doesn’t want to play like that.

JetBlue-Backed Weather Startup Tomorrow.io to Go Public Via SPAC Deal Silicon Valley sometimes mocks travel companies for not being as nimble as tech startups. So it’s refreshing to learn that JetBlue Airways was a valuable mentor to Tomorrow.io, a tech startup that is now being valued at more than $700 million.

TWA Hotel Parents MCR Snaps Up Housekeeping Software Firm Optii Hotel management platforms are a popular acquisition target this year. A property owner like MCR can add even more on-the-ground experience to make software efficient at a time when maximizing labor potential is a must due to shortages.