ADVERTISEMENT
TOP NEWS
TGA is Working for You
TGA
As the new year begins, TGA is working harder than ever to provide valuable services and support to our members and the travel goods industry as a whole. We are optimistic about a travel surge in 2021, but we need your help. A stronger Association means greater support for our industry. Please renew your TGA membership today. To do so, or with questions, contact TGA’s Membership Director Cathy Trecartin at cat@travel-goods.org. READ MORE
TGA Introduces New Member Benefit: Packed in a Minute
TGA
Ever wish you could just have ONE MINUTE with buyers? Do you crave the face time lost at trade shows and in-person meetings? In response to these shared sentiments among manufacturer and retailer members, TGA enthusiastically introduces Packed in a Minute, an opportunity for manufacturer members to introduce products to the industry in short, succinct videos. Basically, we want to see your very best “elevator pitch” on camera! This new free TGA member benefit will allow buyers to peruse new products quickly and gather a high-level product overview, without too much “promotional fluff.” These videos will live on the front page of the Travel Goods Showcase website – a fantastic, free marketing opportunity to reach your target audience. READ MORE
REMINDER: Congress Allows GSP to Expire, Meaning Full Duties on U.S. Imports from GSP Countries Starting Jan. 1
TGA
On Dec. 21, Congress adjourned for the year without extending the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) trade preference program. As a result, GSP expired on Dec. 31, 2020, 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 starting Jan. 1, 2021. In response, 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. In the first ten months of 2020, U.S. travel goods imports from GSP countries increased 12.3%, supplying 15.1% of all U.S. travel goods imports during that period. 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.
China-U.S. Trade War: Biden Team to Tackle EU Differences and ‘Then Take on Beijing’
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
The U.S. aims to end its trade war with European allies and work with them to deal with China’s trade practices, a key official in the upcoming administration of Joe Biden said after Beijing and Brussels signed a major investment deal. READ MORE
Trump Still Has Tariff Cards to Play in His Final Days in Office
BLOOMBERG
Some key U.S. trading partners are bracing for parting shots to cap four years of tumultuous relations with President Donald Trump’s administration. With about two weeks until Trump leaves office, Washington is due to start charging a 25% tariff on some cosmetics, soap and handbags from France as a retaliation against taxes the French government collects on local revenues of digital companies. Meanwhile, tensions with Vietnam are set to come to a head with possible tariffs in disputes over timber imports and alleged currency manipulation. READ MORE
Rethinking Travel in a Post-Pandemic World
NATURE
Climate scientists recommend ways to boost the value of virtual conferences and reduce carbon footprints, even when travel curbs ease. READ MORE
Second Stimulus Likely to Boost Retail Spending, Accelerate Economic Recovery, NRF Says
FOX BUSINESS
The second round of economic impact payments is likely to boost retail spending and further “accelerate the nation’s ongoing recovery” despite all the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, the National Retail Federation (NRF) said earlier this week. READ MORE
Travel + Leisure Magazine Acquired by Wyndham Destinations for $100 Million
SKIFT
This pandemic world has really changed everything: The new year brings the unlikeliest of travel marriages between a timeshare company and one of the industry’s leading media brands. Wyndham Destinations, the vacation rental and timeshare company spun off parent Wyndham Hotels in 2018, is acquiring Travel + Leisure for $100 million in cash, the company announced yesterday. READ MORE
Why the Decline of Business Travel Matters
AXIOS
Gone are the days of jet-setting for work. Even as we return to offices, the pandemic’s effect on business travel will likely last. The fate of business travel has big ramifications for the economy at large. Its decline could cost millions of jobs, shutter even more small businesses and make your next vacation more expensive. READ MORE
Frequent Travel Makes People 7% Happier – Here’s How to Safely Reap the Benefits Amid COVID
CNBC
New research confirms what many travel buffs have been missing out on during COVID: frequent travel makes people happier. And although traveling is not safe or advised amid the pandemic, even talking about past travel or planning future trips can boost your well-being, other studies have shown. READ MORE
Try These 4 Self-improvement Strategies to Become a Better Leader
FAST COMPANY
If you recognize yourself as someone who could stand to control their emotions a bit better, improve self-discipline, or be more dependable, there are many ways to strengthen your self-management muscle. Here are some of them. READ MORE
21 Influencers Share Top Tips For 2021 Digital Marketing
PR DAILY
As we prepare to enter a new year, we all wonder what lies ahead. 2020 was anything but predictable. But what can we learn and apply to our digital marketing and communications strategies in 2021? Here’s how 21 influencers answer this question: What one piece of marketing advice would you offer to brands as we head into the new year? READ MORE
Revisiting the Unseen Corners of the World
THE NEW YORK TIMES
At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with travel restrictions in place worldwide, we launched a new series to help transport you, virtually, to some of our planet’s most beautiful and intriguing places. This week, after 40 installments, we look back at some of the highlights – from hat-making workshops in Ecuador and the wilds of Alaska to lush Zambian valleys. READ MORE
TRENDING ARTICLES
Missed last week’s issue? See which articles your colleagues read most.
- TGA Testifies Against Punitive Tariffs in USTR’s Section 301 Investigations Against Vietnam (TGA)
- You May Need a COVID Vaccine Passport to Travel in 2021 (THE NEW YORK TIMES)
- 6 Reasons Why Having an Email Marketing List is Better Than Any Social Media (ENTREPRENEUR)
- The 11 Days of Drama at Sea That Changed Cruising Forever (CNN)
- What 2020 Was Like for People in the Retail Industry (THE NEW YORK TIMES)