This Week in Travel News: 13 Stories You Need to See

A roundup of the week's most newsworthy travel industry press releases from PR Newswire, including ChatGPT in the Expedia app and TikTok's influence on the travel industry.

NEW YORK, April 7, 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. ChatGPT Wrote This Press Release -- No, it Didn't, but it Can Now Assist with Travel Planning in the Expedia App
   Expedia members can now start an open-ended conversation in the Expedia app and get recommendations on places to go, where to stay, how to get around, and what to see and do based on the chat. But much more than that, the new trip planning experience brings in intelligent shopping by automatically saving hotels discussed in the conversation to a "trip" in the app.
2. National Survey Reveals 60% of U.S. TikTok Users Have Become Interested in Visiting a New Travel Destination After Seeing it on TikTok
   The survey also shows that more than a third of U.S. TikTok users have traveled to a destination they saw on TikTok, demonstrating the platform's major impact on the travel and tourism industry.
3. The New York City Borough Pass Launches as the Sightseeing Pass for the Cultural Traveler
   The New York City Borough Pass features an array of popular cultural attractions, museums, and performing arts venues across the five boroughs of The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. The Pass, powered by Bandwango, is available in 1,3, 7 or 90-day options allowing locals and travelers to choose the duration best for them.
4. JW Marriott Makes its Debut in the Luxury Safari Segment with the Opening of JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge
   Sitting within the Masai Mara National Reserve in Southwestern Kenya, one of Africa's most renowned wildlife and wilderness conservation regions, the lodge is a sophisticated sanctuary from which to discover animals and breathtaking vistas in harmony.
5. Travel + Leisure Announces the 2023 It List of Best New Hotels
   The selected hotels span 37 countries across six continents and represent a variety of categories such as beach getaways, affordable luxury, wellness resorts, luxury city hotels, and more.
6. Princess Cruises Adds Coveted Opportunity for Guests to Experience 2024 Total Eclipse
   On Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse lasting as long as 4 minutes 28 seconds will be visible as the moon's shadow is cast across parts of the North America, and a view at sea may very well offer one of the best vantage points.
7. Virgin Atlantic Brings London to NYC with "Taxi For Takeoff"
   The A330neo emphasizes the airline's commitment to an elevated customer experience with increased connectivity, an evolution of its award-winning social space in The Loft, and The Retreat Suite, the most spacious suite in Virgin Atlantic's history.
8. Cool Beans! Stay Overnight in a Giant "Canper" This Summer, Courtesy of Bush's Beans
   The family-owned bean company is offering three fans and their favorite human bean (aka one guest) a once-in-a-lifetime stay in the Bush's Canper, a fully stocked giant bean can on wheels that you can camp in, near three national parks this summer.
9. United Will Fly Non-Stop to 100+ International Cities This Summer to Meet Soaring Overseas Travel Demand
   The airline is already the largest carrier across both the Atlantic and Pacific and this summer's schedule includes nearly 25 new routes. According to United booking data, international bookings are already 15% higher than the same period in 2022.
10. Walt Disney World Gives Local Teachers and Community Early Preview of TRON Lightcycle / Run Before April 4 Opening
    Disney is donating $100,000 to support STEM education in Orange County Public Schools in honor of the attraction's official opening. It caps the resort's 50th Anniversary celebration that included over $6.5 million in grants from Disney to Central Florida nonprofits.
11. JetBlue® and Pepsi® Zero Sugar Partner to Celebrate Zero-Cost Perks with Chance to Win a Trip to 0° Latitude
    To celebrate JetBlue becoming the first airline to serve Pepsi Zero Sugar onboard, the pair is offering fans a chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience, featuring JetBlue's zero-fee perks, to the ultimate 0° latitude destination: Quito, Ecuador.
12. Evolve Unveils Latest Vacation Rental Industry Trends Report
    Eric Schueller, Executive Vice President of Revenue at Evolve, said, "As we look forward towards spring and summer, which are peak travel seasons for many regions across the U.S., now is the time for owners to proactively adapt to industry trends and keep their home competitive to help earn as much revenue as possible."
13. Spirit Airlines Celebrates 30 Years of Service to the Sunshine State with 'Florida Flyaway' Giveaway
    The Florida-based airline partnered with Visit Florida to give Guests in select U.S. cities a chance to join in on the 30th anniversary celebrations by entering to win a Florida getaway for two, including roundtrip flights, hotel, accommodations and more.

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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