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Last week’s DFA Charity Golf Tournament was a huge success – not just for the $375,000 that it raised for a very deserving Miami-based charity, but also for the opportunity it provided for many in the industry to gather together for the first time in two years. The last DFA Tournament – which took place in February of 2020 – coincided with the eve of what was to become a global lock-down and biggest crisis the travel industry has faced up until now.
As an added plus, guest of honor Alonzo Mourning, the former Miami Heat basketball superstar and founder of the Mourning Family Foundation for which the moneys were raised, stirred the audience with his passionate recounting of why giving back is so important to the community.
See story and a few photos on pages 1 & 2.
CRUISE
While the U.S. cruise industry expected that the restrictions controlling how they could return to sailing would be eased after January 15 when protocols became voluntary, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) instead issued a whole new set of protocols that the industry is calling ‘confounding’ and more complicated than ever. See details on page 3.
Despite the new CDC restrictions, the cruise industry appears to be moving forward. Look no further than the inauguration of Virgin Voyages new cruise terminal at PortMiami over the weekend, which also marked the first sailing of Virgin’s Scarlet Lady from her new home. Page 3.
AROUND THE REGION/AROUND THE WORLD
U.S. WHSmith has opened its first North American store under the WHSmith brand at the new LaGuardia Airport in New York City. Page 4.
LATAM. U.S. announces full Global Entry status for Brazil, a critically important development that expedites clearance/travel for pre-approved, low-risk travelers at U.S. airports. Pre-pandemic, Brazil was the fifth-largest overseas inbound market to the U.S. Page 4.
CANADA. Ontario to drop vaccine proof requirement on March 1 and ease some other restrictions. Page 4.
ASIA. TFWA launches Hosted Buyer Program to assist buyers attending the Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference in May. Page 4.
APTRA appoints marketing consultant Anne Kavanagh as its new Executive Director. Page 5
SUPPLY SIDE/RETAIL TECH
Patrón Tequila has teamed up with BlockBar.com, the world’s first direct to consumer NFT marketplace for wine and spirits, to launch its first-ever NFT. This one-of-a-kind, exclusive blend of the limited-edition Patrón Chairman’s Reserve has, until now, never been released to the public, and purchase of the NFT provides ownership rights to the physical bottle of Chairman’s Reserve. See full story and discover its connection to travel retail, Inside Insider, page 5.
