NATIONAL REPORT—A new survey reveals that 74 percent of North Americans feel anxious when entering spaces with poor indoor air quality. This heightened anxiety has led to a shift in priorities for many adults who work, learn, and operate in indoor spaces. The survey of 3,000 U.S. and Canadian adults discovered that 76 percent of North Americans would consider joining the great resignation if wellness factors such as work, life and health balance, indoor air quality, hygiene and cleanliness, mental health support and availability to green space or plants were not provided by their employers. “As we continue to struggle with consequences of...

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, ECUADOR—Hilton announced the signing of a franchise agreement with Serinatura S.A. to welcome the Curio Collection by Hilton brand to the Galapagos island of Santa Cruz with the conversion of the Royal Palm Galapagos Hotel. The renowned property will remain owned and operated by its current management company, led by Diego Andrade Murtinho, while joining Curio Collection by Hilton, and will maintain the property’s storied commitment to sustainable, responsible travel. With an anticipated conversion in July 2022, Royal Palm Galapagos, Curio Collection by Hilton will represent the first international hotel brand name with a presence in the destination and will...

BERKELEY, CALIF.—Fairmont Hotels & Resorts of the Greater Bay Area will celebrate Mother Earth, with unique activations and initiatives for both Earth Hour (Saturday, March 25, 8:30 p.m.) and Earth Day, April 22, 2022. One of the greatest threats facing our society today is climate change. This crisis has been ongoing for decades, with every year seemingly worse than the last. However, once a year there are worldwide events that remind us of the importance of climate change and provide an opportunity to make long standing sustainable choices. Fairmont’s parent company, Accor, supports a collaborative approach to sustainable tourism that respects the environment and local communities through...

CHICAGO—Following two years of struggle that changed the way foodservice businesses operate, industry professionals will return to Chicago’s McCormick Place when the National Restaurant Association resumes its annual National Restaurant Association Show, May 21 to 24. This year, the Show, the largest of its kind in North America, will feature expert-led sessions on how to rise from current challenges and navigate the new business landscape, turn disruption into opportunity, and embrace innovation. More than 65,000 attendees are expected over the course of four days, ready to have an in-person look at the latest foodservice products and to hear about solutions that support restaurant growth,...

FELTON, CALIF.—The global ecotourism market size is expected to reach $385.01 billion by 2028, according to a new report by Million Insights. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 10.3 percent from 2021 to 2028. The increase in environmental protection awareness, attractive traveling packages, sustainable development, and affordable prices are the primary factors that propel the growth of the market. Sustainable travel to natural areas conserves the environment. It provides economic benefit to the local host, wherein these factors positively create lucrative opportunities for the travel agents/key tourism operators across the world. Ecotourism Market Report Highlights: Central and South America are expected to register...

SONOMA, CALIF.—Gene Kilgore, widely regarded as the world’s leading authority on ranch vacations, announces the launch of a new website dedicated to spa and wellness ranches: https://wellnessranches.com/. This website celebrates the multi-billion Mind, Body, Spirit phenomenon. “This is the perfect moment to highlight the wellness work that some innovative ranches are focusing on,” said Kilgore. His new website shines the spotlight on 11 such ranches in North America that are breaking new ground in the wellness movement. These properties in Arizona, British Columbia, Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, Montana and Wyoming represent the best of the best in both traditional ranch activities...

MIAMI—The nonprofit Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has released “The Global Wellness Economy: Country Rankings,” the first research to measure the wellness economies of 150 nations. It is packed with information on national wellness markets from average wellness spend per capita to the wellness market’s contribution to each nation’s overall economy. The full report is here. The graphs are here. The report is a companion to GWI’s recently released “The Global Wellness Economy: Looking Beyond COVID,” a complete global update on all 11 sectors of the wellness market, finding that the world wellness economy is worth $4.4 trillion and forecast to...

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY—The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, the leading global network in responsible hospitality, has launched Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality for the Planet. The vision of the Pathway is that every hotel around the world can, and must, aim for net positive environmental impacts, whatever their starting point. To achieve this goal, the Pathway provides a practical, four-stage guidance framework as a free resource that supports all parts of the hospitality value chain to progress in a cohesive, strategic manner. It includes detailed action guidance for hotel operators, brands, and asset owners, applicable to both single and multi-unit...

BROOMFIELD, COLO.—Vail Resorts, Inc. recently announced that Executive Chairperson Rob Katz has exercised stock appreciation rights (SARs) and will be making a charitable donation of 100 percent of the net proceeds he received. After withholding shares for payment of the exercise price and taxes, Katz received 98,209 shares of Vail Resorts stock from the SARs exercise. Based on the net proceeds from the sale of that stock, the donation is equal to approximately $32.5 million. Katz and his wife Elana Amsterdam, New York Times bestselling author and founder of Elana’s Pantry, have now donated over $180 million over the past five years to their charitable trust and foundation,...

LONDON—The impacts of plastic waste on the environment and our health are global, drastic and countries around the world are enforcing plastic bans. As the call to end single-use plastics gets louder, the nation of St Kitts and Nevis is moving ahead with its plan to combat plastic pollution and promote a healthy environment. The world now produces more than 380 million tons of plastic every year, which could end up as pollutants entering the natural environment and oceans. According to Statista, plastics accounted for 12 percent of the municipal solid waste generated in the United States in 2018, however just 8.7 percent of the volume of plastic waste was recycled that year. “There...