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TOP NEWS
Don’t Be Shy — We Want to Hear from You! (Yes, You!)
TGA
Travel Goods Magazine is the official publication for the travel goods industry, and we can only stay as current as the news we receive from you! Please submit your company news and announcements, product accolades, news features, and any other pertinent updates you would like to share with the industry. The editorial team of Travel Goods Magazine curates timely news stories and product features and wants to include your company and its products. With questions or submissions, please contact TGA’s Kim Wong.
TGA Joins Dozens of Others in Opposing Proposal that Would Eviscerate Industry’s Ability to Use California Prop 65 Warning Labels
TGA
On Jan. 21, TGA joined dozens of other organizations in opposing California’s Office of Environmental Health & Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) proposal to modify the California Proposition 65 (Prop 65) warning labels. The letter comes after TGA submitted its own comments in opposition to the proposal. If OEHHA adopts the proposal, companies would be required to list chemicals on their warning labels, with only a year to switch to the new labels. Both comments argue that the proposal would actually make the warning labels less useful to consumers, would impose significant burdens on the small, family-owned companies that comprise our industry, and would further the over-labeling that has already occurred as a result of Prop 65. TGA continues to encourage companies to put Prop 65 warning labels on their products (See TGA guidance) as the only true way to indemnify you and your customers under Prop 65.
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Travel Goods Industry Presses Biden for Tariff Relief Amid Shipping Crisis
INSIDE U.S. TRADE
In a Jan. 18 letter to President Biden “[o]n behalf of the U.S. travel goods industry,” Travel Goods Association President Michele Marini Pittenger urged him “to take more action now to end, and provide immediate relief from, the ongoing shipping crisis that is not only devastating our industry, but damaging the entire American economy.” According to Pittenger, that crisis “remains dire and is actually getting worse.” On Jan. 18, she noted, 170 ships were waiting off shore to enter the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. READ MORE
Lawmakers Step Up Tariff-Exclusion Talk
SOURCING JOURNAL
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers urged U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai to expand and expedite a tariff exclusion process for goods produced in China. Reinstating and broadening the exclusion process would help American producers compete on the global stage, providing “critical support to American workers, businesses, and our economic recovery,” they wrote in a letter to Tai. The travel goods sector has battled economic pressure amid skyrocketing supply chain costs and shipping delays over the past two years. READ MORE
Carrier ‘Gravy Train’ Steams Ahead, Thanks to Congestion and New Contracts
THE LOADSTAR
Despite a weakening in demand, ocean carriers will bank another $200B of profit between them this year. In its latest Container Forecaster report, maritime consultant Drewry said it was downgrading its 2022 outlook for world port throughput to 4.6%, from its previous assessment of 5.2%. READ MORE

No Respite for China’s Stressed-out Supply Chains as COVID-Zero and New Year Holidays Take a Toll
CNBC
COVID lockdowns, quarantines and restrictions are causing a backlog in some of China’s major ports, resulting in “chaos” and pushing up air freights by as much as 50% in some cases, analysts tell CNBC. Ahead of the extended Lunar New Year holiday in China, air freight rates have spiked and some shipping firms have suspended services, putting the spotlight on overwhelmed supply chains again. READ MORE
5 Changes in Air Travel That Flight Attendants Are Looking Forward to This Year
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER
We couldn’t help but wonder what it’s been like for flight attendants who have been working through it all — and what lies ahead for 2022. Here, five flight attendants from various airlines share what they’re seeing and hearing in their cabins, and what they’re looking forward to most this year. READ MORE
Holiday Bookings Jump as UK COVID Travel Tests Axed
BBC
Jet2 said bookings had increased by 30% last week after the announcements that rules would be relaxed for people arriving in the UK. The rule changes mean fully vaccinated people arriving in those countries from abroad do not need to take COVID tests. The change will come into effect on Feb. 11. Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2, told the BBC the removal of testing was a “game-changer” for the travel industry. READ MORE

The 5 Best Trains in the U.S. — From the Grand Canyon Railway to the Rocky Mountaineer
TRAVEL + LEISURE
Slow travel is making a comeback, with travelers delighting in the romantic nostalgia of elegantly furnished train cars complemented by fine dining. And while the U.S. has been, admittedly, rather slow to reclaim luxury train travel — particularly compared to the rest of the world — there are a growing number of elegant rail experiences to be found across the country. Here, five of the best luxury train travel experiences in the U.S. READ MORE
Why Is User Generated Content Missing from Physical Retail?
RETAILWIRE
Online customer reviews have long been seen as critical to supporting consumers’ purchasing decisions, while online platforms from Instagram to TikTok and YouTube are increasingly driving product discovery. User generated content (UGC), however, can barely be found in stores. READ MORE
Communicating Authentically in a Virtual World
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
One of the most common leadership buzzwords amongst both executives and academics is “authenticity.” Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg emphasized that “leaders should strive for authenticity over perfection,” while Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks, noted, “the companies that are lasting are those that are authentic.” Indeed, research studies have similarly affirmed the importance of authenticity as a key driver of overall work outcomes for everyone from frontline workers to leaders. READ MORE
Are Perks the Secret to Associate Job Retention at Retail?
RETAILWIRE
For the second year in a row, Lululemon was the highest-ranking retailer on Glassdoor’s annual list of the “100 Best Places to Work,” coming in at the ninth spot. Like many other retailers landing on the list, perks were particularly called out in Glassdoor employee reviews of the company. READ MORE
5 Critical Things to Do Before Creating Social Media Accounts for Your Company
INC.
By now, marketing professionals have few doubts about the impact of social media on a brand. We’ve all heard the stories of some company or product going viral from a single tweet. What we don’t hear about as often is the preparation that companies do before opening their Twitter account. Like most things in your entrepreneurial journey, it’s all about preparation. Don’t just open social media accounts for your company without some basic first steps. Here are five steps to take before opening your company’s social media accounts. READ MORE
TRENDING ARTICLES
Missed last week’s issue? See which articles your colleagues read most.
- The HUB Is Waiting for You (TGA)
- The Travel Goods Show Is Postponed Until 2023 (TGA)
- TGA Strongly Opposes Proposal that Would Eviscerate Industry’s Ability to Use California Prop 65 Warning Labels (TGA)
- TGA Urges Biden to Take Real Action and Provide Immediate Relief to Industry as Shipping Crisis Worsens (TGA)
- CDC Moves 22 New Destinations into Its Highest-Risk Level for Travel (CNN)