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This Week’s HUB Spotlight – Could YOU Be Here Next Week?
TGA
This week, the Travel Goods HUB Spotlight shines upon several innovative, brand-new travel products, including:
- An innovation that helps packed clothing step out of the suitcase wrinkle-free and ready-to-wear
- Bags that let you tap into your inner Mary Poppins or Miss Marple, sans the magic and murder
- Powerful vitamins that command, “Jet lag be gone!”
Pop into the Travel Goods HUB to check out this new gear and more, all from the comfort of your desk, and free of charge.
TGA Pushes Congress to Retroactively Renew GSP ASAP, Instructions to Ensure Refund of Duties Paid During Expiration
TGA
TGA believes that Congress will retroactively renew the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) trade preference program by the end of the summer. GSP expired on Jan. 1, meaning that U.S. travel goods imports from a wide range of developing countries, including Thailand, Cambodia, Burma (Myanmar), Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Pakistan, no longer enter the U.S. duty-free. Any GSP renewal would be retroactive to Jan. 1, which means companies would receive refunds for duties paid since Jan. 1. To prepare for refunds, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued the following instructions, which enables importers to retain the right to collect refunds of duties paid if GSP is retroactively renewed. GSP renewal has been delayed because of a fight over adding new eligibility requirements for countries that benefit from GSP, including human rights, environment, rule of law, and women’s empowerment. TGA is pushing Congress to reach a compromise to get GSP renewal over the finish line. U.S. travel goods imports from GSP countries increased 8.4% in 2020, supplying 14.9% of all U.S. travel goods imports during 2020. TGA urges you to write your members of Congress to urge them to retroactively renew GSP as soon as possible. It only takes a couple of minutes.
TGA Urges Congress to Approve PPP Extension Act
TGA
On March 15, TGA joined with dozens of industries in urging Congress to approve the bipartisan PPP Extension Act of 2021, which would extend the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) filing deadline by two months, to May 31, to help businesses keep their workforce employed during the current health crisis.
U.S. Travel Goods Industry Faces More California Prop 65 Notices; TGA Prop 65 Best Practices Guidance
TGA
Over the last few months, dozens of new California Proposition 65 (Prop 65) “60-day” notices have been issued alleging that brands and retailers sold luggage (Notice 1), totes (Notice 1, Notice 2), backpacks (Notice 1, Notice 2, Notice 3, Notice 4, Notice 5, Notice 6, Notice 7, Notice 8), crossbody bags (Notice 1), handbags (Notice 1, Notice 2, Notice 3, Notice 4, Notice 5, Notice 6, Notice 7, Notice 8, Notice 9, Notice 10, Notice 11), wallets (Notice 1, Notice 2, Notice 3), cosmetic/toiletry bags, travel/garment cases/carry bags (Notice 1, Notice 2, Notice 3, Notice 4, Notice 5, Notice 6, Notice 7, Notice 8, Notice 9, Notice 10, Notice 11, Notice 12, Notice 13, Notice 14, Notice 15, Notice 16, Notice 17, Notice 18, Notice 19), phone/tablet cases/holders/sleeves/dry bags (Notice 1, Notice 2, Notice 3, Notice 4, Notice 5, Notice 6, Notice 7), and fanny packs (Notice 1, Notice 2) in California that contained di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), Bisphenol A (BPA), diisononyl phthalate (DINP), and/or di-isodecyl phthalate (DIDP) in violation of a California law known as Proposition 65 (Prop 65). The notices serve as intent to bring lawsuits against those companies that made and sold these products. Check out TGA’s member-only California Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Best Practices Guidance on the Prop 65 page on the TGA website. This member-only guidance details best practices in developing your company’s Prop 65 testing and warning label protocol, including recommendations on which warning label text to use, where to place the warning label text, and how to test for Prop 65 listed chemicals in your products. For more information on Prop 65, please contact TGA’s Nate Herman, nate@travel-goods.org, 301-775-7633.
Myanmar’s Military Is Killing Peaceful Protesters. Here’s What You Need to Know
CNN
Daily protests have been ongoing for a month and a half in towns and cities across Myanmar after the military seized control of the Southeast Asian country in a coup on Feb. 1. Security forces, made up of police and military personnel and under the command of coup leader Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, have responded to demonstrations with increasing brutality, launching a countrywide systematic crackdown that includes shooting peaceful protesters and enforced disappearances. READ MORE
Sullivan: Tariffs Not a Focus in Next Week’s China Talks
POLITICO
U.S. officials plan to raise concerns about China’s behavior toward Hong Kong and Taiwan, which many see as anti-democratic, as well as human rights violations against Uighur Muslims. READ MORE
American Rescue Plan Extends Employee Retention Credit
JD SUPRA
Prior to the passage of The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 in March 2021 (the “Rescue Act”) the employee retention credit, as amended by the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 (the “Relief Act”), was set to expire for wages paid after June 30, 2021. The Rescue Act extends the employee retention credit to qualifying wages paid through December 31, 2021. Consequently, qualifying employers may be eligible to claim an additional $14,000 of credits per employee in 2021. READ MORE
TravelBits – Travel News, Curated Just for You
TRAVEL GOODS MAGAZINE
TGA scours the most fascinating, diverse news in travel – and condenses and compiles it in TravelBits, just for your reading pleasure. Read on for an overview of 20 news tidbits, each in 20-second, easy to absorb paragraphs. READ MORE
Is the RV Crowd Travel’s Most Overlooked Market Segment?
TRAVEL GOODS MAGAZINE
Today, there are 11.2 million RV-owning households in the U.S., according to rvtravel.com. That’s up 62% over 20 years ago. Longtime TGA member and seasoned retailer and product developer Chuck Weisbart thinks we should start paying more attention to the RV set. Here’s why. READ MORE
Grab Your Lanyard. Trade Shows Are Plotting a Comeback
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
The roughly $11 billion U.S. tradeshow and exhibition industry is slowly coming back to life after a largely lost year due to coronavirus. A full recovery isn’t expected for about two years, industry executives say, and many questions now face organizers and the businesses that rely on lanyard-clad masses: How quickly can shows, which require months of planning, come back on the calendar? Are attendees ready to crowd into expo halls and hotel bars with strangers again? And, after a year of remote networking, do they feel they need to? READ MORE
High-end Retail Stocks Are Showing Signs of More Upside, Jim Cramer Says
CNBC
The latest round of stimulus spending from Congress could be a big boost for various high-end retailers, CNBC’s Jim Cramer said. Retail stocks have been trading higher as optimism grows about the U.S. economy reopening from coronavirus restrictions. READ MORE
What Is Agile Leadership? How This Flexible Management Style Is Changing How Teams Work
ZD NET
Traditional command and control leadership styles are being replaced by Agile management techniques, which encourage collaboration and foster accountability. READ MORE
Las Vegas Restrictions on Large Gatherings Eased to 50% Capacity
TRADE SHOW NEWS NETWORK
Last week, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced he is further loosening restrictions on large gatherings, including meetings and conventions, entertainment venues and large group gatherings by increasing capacity to 50% as of March 15. The state also will streamline the process for submission and approval of large gatherings. READ MORE
7 Instagram Statistics Every Social Media Manager Should Know in 2021
BUSINESS 2 COMMUNITY
For companies to excel on Instagram, they need to keep a close eye on how the patterns of use are changing and what they mean for their marketing campaigns. The latest Instagram statistics can offer a useful insight into your social media strategy. Here are some of the Instagram statistics you need to know in 2021. READ MORE
TRENDING ARTICLES
Missed last week’s issue? See which articles your colleagues read most.
- Who’s in the HUB Spotlight? (TGA)
- Three Months for $300 (TGA)
- TGA Urges Members to Contact their Members of Congress on Shipping Crisis (TGA)
- Luxury Travel Will Be Different After COVID. We’re Predicting These 5 Trends (FODOR’S TRAVEL)
- Company Uses YouTube Video to Mock Amazon for Making Camera Bag Strikingly Similar to One It Sells (GEEKWIRE)