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TOP NEWS
New Products Showcased at the HUB
TGA
Head to the HUB to learn about all the new products TGA members are innovating and launching. This week’s highlight: Gear from TALUS that keeps travelers comfortable, confident and moving forward.
SAVE THE DATE! Plan now to attend The 2022 Travel Goods Show, February 27-March 1, at the Las Vegas Convention Center where you can see all these new products (and thousands more) in person!
2022 exhibitors benefit from the Travel Goods HUB: Receive a Premium Profile (sample page) on the Travel Goods HUB at no additional cost. And there’s more! Exhibitors are highlighted in HUB promotional emails to our buyer and media lists — building buzz and delivering your message straight to decision makers. READ MORE
TGA Victory! U.S./Vietnam Currency Deal Appears to Take Punitive Tariffs Off the Table
TGA
On July 19, the United States and Vietnam announced a deal on Vietnam’s currency, seemingly averting the U.S. government’s threat to impose punitive tariffs on U.S. travel goods imports from Vietnam. On July 14, TGA joined 75 industry organizations in opposing a possible move by the Biden administration to impose punitive tariffs on Vietnam under the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) Section 301 investigation accusing Vietnam of currency manipulation. TGA also strongly opposed punitive tariffs on Vietnam at a December 29, 2020 USTR public hearing. Vietnam is the #2 supplier of travel goods to the U.S. market. In the first five months of 2021, U.S. travel goods imports from Vietnam increased 15.8%, with Vietnam supplying 21.2% of all U.S. travel goods imports during the period.
New TGA-Supported Shipping Reform Legislation Coming Soon
TGA
On August 1, Congressmen John Garamendi (D-CA-3) and Dusty Johnson (R-SD) will introduce the bi-partisan Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 (OSRA 21) (Draft text, Draft summary). The TGA-supported legislation, which TGA helped craft, would require the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) to establish and enforce rules on minimum service requirements, breach of contract, excessive and unjust detention and demurrage fees, and loading export containers. With the current shipping crisis, the legislation is likely to have strong momentum and could even pass this fall but will more likely move sometime next year. As such, the legislation will not likely fix the current shipping crisis but will lay the groundwork to prevent the next shipping crisis. TGA continues to call on President Biden to take action now on the shipping crisis and provide tariff relief to help companies navigate the crisis. Stay tuned for a TGA-support letter and requests for brand support for the legislation.
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Are Global Shipping Companies Price Gouging Amid the Current Supply Chain Crisis?
THE TOY BOOK
Whenever global industry runs into a crisis, there’s often a side effect that raises eyebrows as certain companies involved turn record profits. Now, amid the global shipping crisis, one toymaker is firing shots at the major global shipping companies for “pure price gouging.” READ MORE
Vietnam Pledges Not to Devalue Currency in Agreement with U.S. Treasury
REUTERS
Vietnam has pledged not to deliberately weaken its dong currency to gain an export advantage, reaching an agreement with the U.S. Treasury to refrain from “competitive devaluation” and make its monetary and exchange rate policies more transparent. READ MORE
$30,000 Signing Bonuses, Childcare Help: What Companies Are Doing to Attract Workers
CNN
Workers are in high demand. And companies are having a hard time finding people to fill the positions. There were more than nine million job openings in the U.S. at the end of May, according to the Labor Department. READ MORE

The 4 Pillars of Omnichannel Success
MY TOTAL RETAIL
These days, articles about the e-commerce industry rarely begin without some reference to COVID-19 or “the events of last year.” The suddenness of the pandemic and an industry caught flat-footed delivered many lessons about being prepared for unpredictable events. Many merchants quickly learned that having an omnichannel presence can be advantageous for survival when significant segments of the commerce ecosystem unexpectedly go dark. READ MORE
Email Marketing and Why It’s So Important [Infographic]
SOCIAL MEDIA TODAY
Even with social platform usage continuing to rise, email remains a key element of any effective digital marketing strategy, providing a direct connection between you and your target audience, and facilitating a range of engagement benefits. When it’s done right. READ MORE
U.S. Hints at Lifting Travel Bans
BUSINESS TRAVELER
At a press conference last week, President Joe Biden said the United States is reviewing COVID-19 travel restrictions, hinting that a decision could be reached “within the next several days.” The rules have kept non-U.S. citizens from much of Europe from traveling to the United States since the early days of the pandemic. READ MORE

Canada Will Reopen its Border with the U.S. and Hopes to Allow Others in
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Canada is poised to welcome back fully vaccinated travelers, including Americans, after over a year of strict controls at the border. READ MORE
Deadline Approaching for Retailers to Back Fed’s Move on Swipe Fee Competition
NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION
For more than a decade, merchants have had the right to choose where to route debit card transactions for processing. Landmark legislation passed by Congress in 2010 ended Visa and Mastercard’s near-monopoly over debit processing and introduced competition that has saved retailers and their customers over $9 billion a year. READ MORE
These 5 Words Will Open Thousands of Doors for You
ENTREPRENEUR
Every person is a world. Life at work, in business and even in the family is full of complex relationships, where each person has their own agenda, their own history and particular dimensions. What if there was a magic phrase that solved problems and created strong relationships? READ MORE
TRENDING ARTICLES
Missed last week’s issue? See which articles your colleagues read most.
- It’s Show Time (No, Really!). Plus, Say ‘Hello’ to Two Industry Friends, ‘Goodbye’ to Another (TRAVEL GOODS MAGAZINE)
- President Biden Takes Action on Shipping Crisis, TGA Urges More (TGA)
- U.S. Travel Goods Imports Turned the Corner in First Five Months of 2021 (TGA)
- Why Remote Work Might Not Revolutionize Where We Work (NPR PLANET MONEY)
- Marketing for Winners: 7 Powerful Ways to Generate Leads and Inquiries Online [Infographic] (SOCIAL MEDIA TODAY)