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 the new Celebrity Cruises ship and the most kid-friendly U.S. airports.

NEW YORK, June 16, 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. It’s Not So Lonely at the Top: Celebrity Cruises Reveals Details for its Upcoming Ship – Celebrity Ascent
   On board Celebrity Ascent, guests will enjoy the signature experiences of the brand’s Edge Series ships, including its industry-first outward facing design that maximizes views and outdoor areas allowing guests to connect with the world around them, a robust food and beverage program with 30 plus choices from casual to fine dining to satisfy all palates, plus spacious and sleek staterooms in a breadth of accommodation options catering to all travelers from solo adventurers and couples, to multi-generational family groups.
2. Southwest Airlines Celebrates Its Birthday Week with 40% Off Base Fares and a Week-Long Sweepstakes
   “In true Southwest style, we’re celebrating with Heart all week long with one of the largest sales of the year, week-long sweepstakes, and more fun opportunities leading up to our 52nd birthday and our established national day, Wanna Get Away Day, on June 18,” said Jonathan Clarkson, Vice President Marketing at Southwest Airlines.
3. Hollywood Luminaries Reveal the Mexico Resorts They Can’t Resist
   Vidanta, Mexico and Latin America’s leading vacation and entertainment destination company, has unveiled a star-studded new video campaign featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mark Wahlberg, Jaime Camil, and Abraham Ancer showcasing the brand’s notable immersive experiences and lavish accommodations.
4. GetYourGuide Expands its ‘Originals by GetYourGuide’ Collection with A New Category of One-of-a-Kind Sports Experiences
   As part of this launch, GetYourGuide is offering a tour inside the working headquarters of McLaren Racing, the McLaren Technology Centre, the first tour to give the general public the opportunity to step inside McLaren’s home, see the winning vehicles from the team’s racing history, and learn about what goes into the making of a McLaren.
5. Upgraded Points Unveils the Most Kid-Friendly U.S. Airports in Comprehensive Study
   “Traveling with children can be an exciting adventure for the whole family, but it also presents unique challenges,” says Alex Miller, Founder of Upgraded Points. “A trip to the airport can be dampened by issues like finding a family restroom or not having WiFi for your kid’s devices.”
6. Rail Online Launches in North America
   Rail Online is a new rail booking platform, offering fairer fares for American and Canadian passengers, with carrier fare price matching, instant refunds on e-tickets and, most importantly, no foreign currency transaction fees, with customers able to book in local US or Canadian dollars.
7. SeaWorld Orlando Opens its First and All New Coral Rescue Center to Park Guests – One of the Largest Public-Facing Facilities Dedicated to Coral Conservation in the Country
   The state-of-the-art rescue facility provides the public with a unique opportunity to observe and interact with coral biologists as they carry out daily husbandry for “at risk” Florida corals. The center provides an important way to view living corals up close, learn more about conservation, and understand the steps everyone can take to make a difference in ocean health.
8. Sweet’N Low® Teams Up With TWA Hotel to Launch Retro Salon Pop-Up Experience Combining the timeless charm of Sweet’N Low with the Sixties glamour of the TWA Hotel, this immersive, visually captivating, Instagrammable pink destination is now open for a limited time in the heart of the TWA Hotel next to the iconic Sunken Lounge.
9. Outdoor Adventure Connection Launches, Ushering in a New Era of Modern Exploring
   The first and only online directory of its kind, Outdoor Adventure Connection features more than 4,000 service providers offering every conceivable outdoor experience in more than 150 categories including camping, kayaking, climbing, fishing, ziplining and more.
10. One Third of Travelers Likely to Use AI This Year Matador Network CEO Ross Borden said, “Instead of spending hours trying to find what you’re looking for, you can tell GuideGeek your budget, preferences, and interests and the AI provides recommendations that match your specific needs.”
11. Spooky Fun and Merry Magic Await Disney Cruise Line Guests on Halloween and Holiday Cruises in Fall 2024
    With rare itineraries to Hawaii and the South Pacific and more opportunities to visit Disney’s newest island destination in The Bahamas, families will have the chance to experience the fall seasons at sea in new and exciting ways.
12. Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island Officially Opens as Summer Season Begins
    Set on a prime location in South Padre Island, the destination uniquely offers all-ocean view rooms and condos with a fun, relaxed ‘no worries’ vibe. 
13. Alaska Airlines adds new coast-to-coast routes this winter linking sunny destinations Kirsten Amrine, vice president of revenue management and network planning for Alaska Airlines, said, “We’re especially excited to launch a new coast-to-coast route in Portland, which is a key hub for us. Miami is the largest underserved city from Portland and vice versa, so plenty of flyers are ready to travel between the Rose City and South Florida.”

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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SOURCE PR Newswire