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Calling All Travel Products for Pint-sized Travelers
TGA
Traveling with kids requires special preparation – and gear. From backpacks, carry-ons and cases sized and scaled for smaller hands and bodies to kids’ comfort items like blankies and pillows to practical items like headphones and water bottles and more – we’re looking for travel gear that is made for – and made to appeal to – kids. If you manufacture kids’ travel gear, we’d love to feature your product in the digital pages of Travel Goods Magazine. If you are a retailer with an opinion or story about kids’ travel gear, we want to hear from you as well. To be considered for coverage, please email product details, MSRP, and product photo to kim@travel-goods.org by April 27, 2021.
Who’s in the HUB Spotlight This Week?
TGA
This week, in the Travel Goods HUB Spotlight – wait…do travel and self-care cancel each other out? Not with these ergonomic essentials – a company that gets world travel isn’t for fashion wimps, and crafts cases for living it up with luxury – and one built to best the bottom line that holds your hand from drawing board to shop room floor. Pop into the Travel Goods HUB to check out brand-new travel gear – from the comfort of your desk and free of charge. Register today and put the Travel Goods HUB to work for you!
U.S. Government Proposes Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S. Travel Goods Imports from a Number of Countries over Digital Services Tax
TGA
On March 26, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) proposed a 25% tariff on U.S. imports – including a number of travel goods – in retaliation for a digital services tax (DST) imposed by Austria, India, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. USTR terminated its investigation on Indonesia since Indonesia did not adopt a DST. TGA plans to comment in opposition to new tariffs on U.S. travel goods imports.
TGA Urges Members to Contact their Members of Congress on Shipping Crisis
TGA
As shipping delays continue to grow, from Asia to the U.S. West Coast and beyond (See American Shipper, WSJ), TGA urges members to contact their members of Congress to urge them to address the crisis. The easy-to-use system allows you and your colleagues to send multiple letters to your members of Congress in just a couple of minutes. Please send letters, and encourage your colleagues to do so.
U.S. Travel Goods Imports Remain Way Down in First Two Months of 2021
TGA
On April 7, the U.S. government published January-February 2021 import data. U.S. travel goods imports (as described under HTS Heading 4202 – luggage, backpacks, flatgoods, handbags, business cases/laptop bags, and travel bags) slid 24.8% (by volume) in the first two months 2021 (versus January-February 2020). U.S. travel goods imports fell by double digits in every category, led by a 41.8% decline in U.S. luggage imports. In addition to the obvious impact of COVID-19 on sales and on travel, the latest import numbers show the accelerating trend away from China. In January 2021, U.S. travel goods imports from China fell 32.5%, with China accounting for only 53.8% of total U.S. travel goods imports. For comparison, in 2016, China accounted for 84.7% of all U.S. travel goods imports. U.S. travel goods imports from every major supplier also fell in the first two months of 2021 – #2 Vietnam (-2.2%), #3 Cambodia (-16.0%), #4 Burma (Myanmar) (-24.0%), and #5 India (-23.1%). Despite the declines, most top suppliers gained import share from China, with U.S. travel goods imports from Vietnam now accounting for 21.9% of all U.S. travel goods imports, followed by #3 Cambodia (7.7%), #4 Burma (Myanmar) (4.5%), and #5 India (3.6%). U.S. imports of travel goods account for approximately 99% of the U.S. travel goods market.
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What’s Next for Retail Once the Pandemic is Over?
TOTAL RETAIL
COVID-19 has changed the way retailers do business now and into the future. Today’s consumer essentially has three core demands: make my life easier, make my life better, and make my life more fulfilling. Retailers are responding to these consumer requirements with more urgency in the wake of COVID-19. READ MORE
What’s the Best Rolling Luggage?
NEW YORK MAGAZINE
As vaccinated folks plan their first trips since the start of the pandemic, it’s only right to go all out for it – from new vacation wardrobe to new vacation luggage. We called upon some of the most well-traveled people we know (who also happen to be smart and stylish), and asked them about their favorite rolling luggage, from hard-shell to soft-case styles in both carry-on and checked sizes. READ MORE
International Travel is Getting Easier – Except for the Unvaccinated
CNBC
Traveling abroad is getting less complicated for vaccinated travelers. A growing list of countries is reducing or eliminating quarantine and COVID-19 testing requirements for those who have been fully vaccinated, while keeping restrictions in place for those who haven’t. READ MORE
Hardest Hit: Who is Still at Risk After Last Year’s Retail Tribulations?
RETAIL DIVE
The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine has given both Americans in general and retailers reason for hope. Even so, foot traffic and sales to many discretionary retailers remain below 2019 levels. That has made previously healthy businesses seem more wobbly than they did in 2019, and heavily indebted or weaker operators are even more vulnerable. For those hit hardest financially from the pandemic, it can be an endurance contest to stay afloat until the world returns to some kind of normal. READ MORE
2021’s Top U.S. and International Summer Travel Destinations
TRAVEL PULSE
After a year hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans are growing in confidence and eyeing long-awaited summer getaways to warm-weather destinations, including Florida, Hawaii and the Caribbean. Allianz Partners recently analyzed more than 985,000 flight itineraries for trips of five to eight days to determine the most popular domestic and international destinations for summer travel in 2021. READ MORE
Is LA’s Platform the Future of Retail?
VOGUE BUSINESS
In Culver City on the west side of Los Angeles, a shopping development is experimenting with retail, mixing traditional strategies with new. Called Platform, the new quarter defies many of the terms by which we define retail. It’s neither mall nor department store, neither traditional Main Street nor high street plumbed with independent owners. It’s an appealing array of these elements, with unusual merchandise partnerships and online connectivity thrown in. READ MORE
Why Good Leaders Fail
MIT SLOAN MANAGEMENT REVIEW
Leadership failure is a significant financial and reputational risk for organizations but can be prevented with the help of early detection and better support systems. READ MORE
Why Your Social Media Strategy Needs Less Automation
CMS WIRE
Many brands are quite reliant on scheduled content and automation, but the argument could be made that a dedicated team could create more value, be a better use of resources and have a more positive impact on the bottom line. READ MORE
Find the Right Words to Inspire Your Team
HAVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
As the leader of an organization, group, or project, one of your top jobs is to inspire and galvanize your team through a variety of targeted communications, including live expressions, emails, videos, chats, social media posts, and presentations. These communication opportunities are critical. According to leadership expert and former CEO Douglas Conant, “Even a brief interaction can change the way people think about themselves, their leaders, and the future.” READ MORE
TRENDING ARTICLES
Missed last week’s issue? See which articles your colleagues read most.
- The Latest in the Travel Goods HUB Spotlight (TGA)
- What You Need to Know About Your Vaccine Card (THE NEW YORK TIMES)
- Swyft Raises $17.5 Million to Bring Same-day Delivery to All the Retailers That Aren’t Amazon (TECHCRUNCH)
- Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination, Tests Should Only Be Temporary Travel Requirements, Industry Group Says (CNBC)
- Want to Be a CEO? These 5 Morning Reflections Are Proven to Make People Better Leaders (FAST COMPANY)