This Week in Travel News: 11 Stories You Need to See

A roundup of the week's most newsworthy travel industry press releases from PR Newswire, including Thanksgiving travel news and predictions.

NEW YORK, Nov. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the travel industry stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

1. Gas Prices Fall to Lowest Since February, More Americans to Travel for Thanksgiving
   Forty-one percent of respondents said they plan to take a road trip this year, an 8% increase from 2022. Additionally, the national average price of gas is projected to drop to $3.25 per gallon, saving Americans $573 million during holiday travel compared to last year.
2. RVshare's 2024 Travel Trend Report Predicts Game Changing Year for Outdoor Travel
   From piqued interest in AI planning tools and electric RVs, to a renewed desire for restorative travel and widespread trip planning fatigue; RVshare looks ahead to 2024's evolving travel landscape.
3. United's Tech Innovations Help Travelers Save Time During Record-Setting Thanksgiving Travel Season
   Knowing that every minute will count for travelers eager to reunite with loved ones for the holiday, United's customer experience team has been working all year on industry-first innovations that help travelers skip lines, get through security faster, make tight connections and improve the overall travel experience. 
4. Polar Adventurer Eric Larsen Launches the POLAR ACADEMY 2024 BIPOC Polar Scholarship with Support from Jack Wolfskin
   The scholarship will cover all expenses for six BIPOC individuals to participate in Eric's level 1 polar training course on Lake of the Woods in northern Minnesota. The eight-day course is designed to teach the skills associated with modern-day polar travel while completing a 'mini' expedition on Lake of the Woods.
5. Hard Rock International and Steinhauer Properties to Develop First Full-Service Hotel Built in Long Beach in 30 Years
   Set to begin construction in Summer 2024 with plans to open in Spring 2027, this upscale property will be a unique entertainment destination set in the heart of downtown Long Beach, adjacent to the convention center.
6. Hotel Indigo launches first-of-its-kind program to bring back the lost art of borrowing from your neighbor
   Starting mid-November and while supplies lasts, Hotel Indigo, as The World's Neighborhood Hotel, will serve as your actual neighbor – inviting you into its properties to borrow what the brand's survey revealed as the most commonly borrowed items – from sugar, olive oil, salt and pepper, to coffee and tea.  And just like with a real neighbor, through Borrowed by Hotel Indigo, you don't have to return what you borrow.
7. Costa Rica Tourism Partners with Cirque du Soleil to Bring a Taste of 'Pura Vida' to Fans
   This unique collaboration celebrates Cirque du Soleil's 20th traveling Big Top show, whose story explores the artful balance of the world around us, nature and animals, and emphasizes the influence we can have in creating a better future and world we want to live in.
8. Pioneer Adventures & Retreat Company, SurfYogaBeer, Announces Monumental Black Friday, Cyber Monday Deals on Entire Catalog of Trips
   "We've been running our social retreats and adventures for quite a while, but really wanted to make a splash during this special occasion and time of year where everyone is starting to think ahead to next year's travels," said Mantas Zvinas, CEO & Founder of SurfYogaBeer.
9. DISH Upgrades Hotel Entertainment Experience For Guests
   The EVOLVE M1 easily allows hoteliers to restrict the user interface and prevent guests from tampering with crucial settings, thus reducing troubleshooting from on-site staff. Guests can easily access their favorite streaming applications, via the OnStream user interface, allowing hoteliers to deliver on modern demands.
10. Alaska Airlines is rolling out new global award redemptions
    With focus on simplicity, value and availability, Mileage Plan members will have new options to choose from across 24 partner airlines; award redemptions to start at 4,500 miles each way.
11. Airlines for America Anticipates Record Travel This Thanksgiving U.S. airlines are expecting nearly 30 million travelers over the 11-day Thanksgiving travel period (Nov. 17-27), which is an all-time high. A4A projects about 2.7 million passengers will fly per day over the holiday, which is a nine percent increase from 2022.

Read more of the latest travel-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNtravel on Twitter.

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