WTTC has a plan to save the travel sector – Travel Weekly

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The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) this week presented a plan to the tourism ministers of the world's largest economies, known as the G-20, to save the embattled travel sector.

The WTTC said the plan will help save 100 million jobs globally, in a presentation made along with more than 45 travel industry leaders during a virtual G-20 meeting hosted by Saudi Arabia.

The 24-point plan is divided into what both the private and public sector should do to incentivize travel, with an emphasis on standardized health protocols and ways to make travel more seamless and safer.

"The private sector cannot reduce the time frame of recovery and bring back 100 million jobs alone; public-private collaboration is essential to the success of the plan," the WTTC said, calling on G-20 nations to strengthen collaboration and work with the private sector to implement the plan.

Among the 24 points, the WTTC asks governments for more coordination to resume international travel and reopen borders; "air corridors" between countries or cities with similar epidemiological situations, such as London, New York, Dubai and Shanghai; and international standardization of health protocols, testing regimens and contact tracing. The plan also calls on nations to support travel promotion campaigns to incentivize and attract both leisure and business travel.

From the private sector, WTTC calls for standardized health protocols across all industries to create a consistent and safer travel experience; the development and adoption of digital technologies to enable seamless travel and better manage visitor flow; and for companies to offer flexible booking policies and make travel more affordable to increase demand.

Gloria Guevara, WTTC CEO, said the meeting represented the first time that many travel industry leaders had been invited to sit in the same forum as G-20 tourism ministers.

Chris Nassetta, CEO of Hilton and WTTC chair, called the plan "hugely important in supporting the recovery of the sector and bringing back 100 million travel and tourism jobs globally."

According to the WTTC's 2020 Economic Impact Report, the tourism sector will be critical to the global recovery from the pandemic. In 2019, the sector was responsible for one in 10 jobs (330 million in total) and a 10.3% contribution to global GDP.

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Short’s Travel Signs with Deem to Offer An Additional Travel Booking Solution for Clients – GlobeNewswire

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Oakland, CA, Oct. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Deem, a leading mobile and cloud technology provider for the corporate travel industry, announced today that Short's Travel Management (STM) chose to include Deem in its new offerings of travel booking solutions for its clients. As STM plans to sunset its own proprietary booking tool, STO, later in the year, it chose Deem as an additional travel booking solution to offer to its medium and enterprise-level clients. Adding Deem to STMs arsenal of innovative technology solutions will give STM clients an additional intuitive, secure, and powerful choice when selecting online booking software.

Working with Deem reinforces our commitment to present leading-edge tools and allow clients to select the best fit for their program, said David LeCompte, CEO at Shorts Travel Management. Our clients know they can leverage our volumes while also taking advantage of our nimbleness in creating custom solutions other TMCs may not be able to manage. Were confident we can extend these benefits to our clients through Deem.

Were grateful when we can partner with travel management companies that share our philosophy, that is, innovation and business agility arent optional, said Deem CEO John F. Rizzo. We move at the speed of technology with the traveler at the forefront and believe Shorts Travel adheres to these same central tenets.

Shorts Travel Management is known for its work with corporate, government and sports organizations and its ability to help organizations move groups efficiently and safely. In providing a choice of booking solutions to its clients, STM selected Deem in part for its enhanced content related to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Deems Travel SafetyCheck feature offers information on COVID-19 cases in a destination hotels neighborhood as well as safety scores for different types of travelers. Additional information on airlines cleaning and other safety protocols is also available directly in the booking flow, so travelers are able to get the information they need at the time when its most useful for them.

Deem currently serves a number of leading CT100 companies in technology, automotive and other industries, as well as highly competitive midsize and smaller agencies. It is also actively helping TMCs with a marketing cooperative program, Deem Collective, which provides funds, assets and information to help stimulate business, and its Deem Rise product, aimed at helping smaller companies get an online booking solution quickly and easily.

About Shorts Travel Management Established in 1946, Shorts Travel Management is a family-owned, woman-owned, private Iowa corporation. Experts in specialized segments including corporate, government, university and sports travel, groups and meetings, and air charters, STM is ranked as one of the top-30 travel management companies today and named the most innovative TMC by a top consultant in the industry. STMs mission is to enhance the experience of getting there, being there, and coming home. Learn more about STM at http://www.shortstravel.com.

About Deem Deem is on a mission to transform travel. With its corporate travel booking and management platform that allows travel managers to customize their programs, Deem offers employees everything they need to easily make the right travel decisions for themselves and their company. Deems travel technology plugs into major travel agencies and expense solution providers, enabling more corporate customers and the worlds largest travel management companies. Deem, a wholly owned and independently run subsidiary of Enterprise Holdings, is now part of the fifth largest travel company in the world. The company is headquartered in Oakland, California, with offices in Dublin, Ireland and Bangalore, India. Learn more at Deem.com.

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The world’s busiest airports — and how far they’ve fallen – CNN

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(CNN) The final figures are in for air passenger traffic in 2019 at the world's busiest airports.

The 2019 list of the world's busiest airports, released by ACI on Thursday, showed a 3.5% increase in passenger numbers -- coming in at more than 9.1 billion -- compared with 2018.

For the first time, the report looks ahead at the drastic declines that came in the first half of 2020 as Covid-19 outbreaks decimated passenger traffic.

Passenger numbers decreased by 58.4% worldwide in the first half of 2020, compared with the same period in 2019, with international passenger traffic hit the hardest, with a 64.5% drop.

Atlanta and Beijing airports held the top two spots in 2019, with more than 110 million and 100 million passengers, respectively. But those airports saw passenger traffic drops of 56.6% and 73.6% in the first half of 2020.

Los Angeles International Airport moved up one spot in 2019 to become the third busiest airport for passenger traffic, with more than 88 million passengers in 2019. Passenger traffic there dropped 58.9% in the first half of 2020.

Path to recovery

The airport industry is anticipating a 60% reduction in revenues compared to previous projections, according to ACI.

The organization and its industry partners see reducing travel restrictions and quarantine requirements and a global approach to testing for the virus as keys to recovery.

"We are positive about the future, but we need consistency and collaboration across the globe on key issues like testing," said ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira, in a statement.

"The industry is united in the view that widespread testing of passengers before travel, as an alternative to quarantine restrictions, will be a crucial way to foster public confidence in air travel and must be introduced."

ACI is aligning itself with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in its call for efficient, standardized testing, but ultimately countries would be responsible for working out a coordinated approach.

Testing as a safety measure that would boost traveler confidence is just one measure needed, not just for aviation's recovery, but for all the industries that are interconnected, says Patrick Lucas, ACI World's head of airport business analytics.

"When airports and airlines ask for these things, it's not just for our industry per se, it's because we're so connected to other industries. We're very much connected to, of course, tourism and the hospitality industries."

About 60% of tourists arrive by air, Lucas said, "so everything that is connected to the tourists -- the restaurants and so on and so forth, all those businesses are connected."

Air travel has started to tick up from the darkest days in April, when traffic declines of more than 90% were recorded, but a full recovery is likely several years away.

World's top 10 busiest airports

1. Atlanta (ATL) -- 110.5 million passengers in 2019; traffic dropped 56.6% in the first half of 2020

2. Beijing (PEK) -- 100 million passengers in 2019; traffic dropped 73.6% in the first half of 2020

3. Los Angeles (LAX) -- 88.1 million passengers in 2019; traffic dropped 58.9% in the first half of 2020

4. Dubai (DXB) -- 86.4 million passengers in 2019; traffic dropped by 56.4% in the first half of 2020

5. Tokyo (HND) -- 85.5 million passengers in 2019; traffic dropped by 59.2% in the first half of 2020

6. Chicago (ORD) -- 84.6 million passengers in 2019; traffic dropped by 57.6% in the first half of 2020

7. London (LHR) -- 80.9 million passengers in 2019; traffic dropped by 60.2% in the first half of 2020

8. Shanghai (PVG) -- 76.2 million passengers in 2019; traffic dropped by 68.1% in the first half of 2020

9. Paris (CDG) -- 76.2 million passengers in 2019; traffic dropped by 61.4% in the first half of 2020

10. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) -- 75.1 million passengers in 2019; traffic dropped by 48.2% in the first half of 2020

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Travel insurance proposition enhanced by Zurich – ITIJ

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The enhanced offering includes a larger international servicing network, broader insurance coverage and new capabilities to support travellers and risk managers through technology.

It also offers assistance and advisory services through the World Travel Protection brand of Cover-More, acquired by Zurich in 2017, in recognition of the priority companies place on the safety and wellbeing of their employees. This includes access to any one of Zurichs external contacts that deliver medical assistance and security services globally.

Business travel is becoming more complex

Risks associated with business travel are changing and becoming more complex, as exemplified this year by the Covid-19 pandemic, a rise in civil unrest, as well as extreme weather events and related catastrophes. As employees become increasingly exposed to such risks, companies have a greater obligation to ensure the health and safety of their workforce.

Drazen Jaksic, Global Head of Accident & Health, said: Covid-19 demonstrated how quickly a localised risk can become a global crisis, affecting not just business travellers and employees, but the global population. Although the pandemic has significantly reduced business travel for now, it is slowly re-starting as companies in some industries have to look after their assets, equipment and customers abroad, and deliver on projects.

To support businesses in fulfilling their duty of care for travelling employees, Zurich Business Travel Solution provides comprehensive insurance and services program, including enhanced coverage to protect travellers during these unprecedented times.

Protecting the business and employees

Jaksic added: Implementing a multinational business travel solution is now more important than ever as it can help prevent employees from being harmed and protect the business from the financial consequences. It also gives companies and their employees the knowledge that, as business travel returns, the safety and wellbeing of all employees is at the forefront of business and travel decisions.

Post Covid-19, where travel now comes with a more complex set of risk factors, businesses will be looking for more support from insurers, especially services that will reduce the risks for their travelling employees.

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Travel insurance proposition enhanced by Zurich - ITIJ

Is cow hugging the world’s new wellness trend? – BBC News

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From goat yoga to sound baths, the world is full of wellness trends designed to soothe and calm both body and spirit. Now, a self-care practice hailing from the Netherlands is promising practitioners serenity, and perhaps a smile or two.

Dubbed koe knuffelen in Dutch (literally cow hugging), the practice is centred on the inherent healing properties of a good human-to-animal snuggle. Cow cuddlers typically start by taking a tour of the farm before resting against one of the cows for two to three hours. The cows warmer body temperature, slower heartbeat and mammoth size can make hugging them an incredibly soothing experience, and giving the animal a backrub, reclining against them or even getting licked is all part of the therapeutic encounter.

Cow cuddling is believed to promote positivity and reduce stress by boosting oxytocin in humans, the hormone released in social bonding. The calming effects of curling up with a pet or emotional support animal, it seems, are accentuated when cuddling with larger mammals.

This wholesome pastime emerged in rural Dutch provinces more than a decade ago, and is now part of a wider Dutch movement to bring people closer to nature and country life. Today, farms in Rotterdam, Switzerland and even the United States are offering cow-hugging sessions and promoting the activitys joy-inducing, stress-busting properties.

The cuddling experience can even be pleasurable for the cattle themselves. A 2007 study in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science states that cows show cues of deep relaxation, stretching out and allowing their ears to fall back when massaged in particular areas of their neck and upper back.

It seems that heartfelt bonding with bovines may just be what the doctor ordered.

(Video by BBC Reel; text by Yasmin El-Beih)

This video is part of BBC Reels Healthy Living playlist.

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This is why travel will be better post-pandemic – Traveller

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Travellers may have to adjust to cheaper forms of transport on the banana pancake trail. Photo: Getty Images

Nostalgia is a funny thing. You tend to look back in time through rose-tinted glasses, to shed all of the bad stuff in your memory and make your life a highlights reel of the fun and the joyous. Even the most challenging events take on a sheen of job-well-done after a few years.

(True story: I once climbed a volcano in Chile and I have a vague but nagging memory that the whole thing really sucked. It was cold, it was dark, and I was unfit. But my dominant recollection, the thing that springs to mind every time I think about Villarrica, is the incredible view of the rising sun and the emerald-green fields as we perched on the side of that snow-covered mountain.)

And so most of us probably look back at travel, at the old style of travel from 20 or 30 years ago, as being a good thing. Life with no budget airlines. Life with no-go zones and barriers. Life with fewer flights. Life with less money.

Travel used to be harder. It used to be more prohibitive to take part.

By comparison, think about last year: you could have gone anywhere, you could have done anything. You could have flown to Asia for less than a week's rent. You could have taken a couple of weeks in Europe without having to scrimp and save, without having to dedicate yourself to this one holiday, this one adventure.

Twenty years ago, you couldn't have done that. Thirty years ago, definitely not. Forty years ago, not a chance. To travel used to require dedication to the cause, a true passion for getting out there and exploring, because you couldn't just jump on the next flight and go on a whim. You had to save. You had to take your time.

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And now look where we find ourselves. Travel has changed immeasurably in the last six months, and it's about to change even more. We're about to see whether the rose tint to our nostalgia has any ring of truth to it.

By the time we can see the world again, it's going to look a whole lot different for travellers. It's going to be more expensive. After an initial bump, after airlines and other providers dangle a few affordable carrots to get travellers back on board, we're going to settle into a new normal, and that new normal is going to be pricier.

Until a vaccine has been introduced and distributed worldwide, and proven to be effective, fewer people will be travelling. They'll be sticking closer to home. Fewer flights will be available. There will be fewer airlines as a whole not all of them are going to make it out of this pandemic. Australia has already lost one

It's going to be a bigger deal to leave the country. The bubble has been burst now, we've seen what can happen. For the short-term future at least, there's going to be a worry that it could all go wrong again, that borders could close and availability could drop and we'll find ourselves stuck somewhere, unable to get home.

As I've written previously, in the short-term at least, travel is likely to favour the rich, those who can afford the luxury of space.

So does this mean travel is over? Maybe not for older travellers, those with plenty of money and time, but what about the young people, the budget travellers, the backpackers, the adventurers? Is travel for them dead?

No. But it's definitely different. And it's definitely going back to the future. Anyone who's been harping on about a return to the good old days, I have exciting news: the good old days are back.

To travel in the modern world is going to require commitment. Airfares will be expensive, accommodation will be expensive, the Australian dollar will be weak. So you're going to have to save up plenty of cash.

You're going to have to travel for several months in somewhere like Europe to make it all worthwhile. You're going to have to stay in hostels or pitch a tent in campsites. You're going to have to slum it in dorms and ratty bungalows on the banana pancake trail. You're going to have to find work or do odd jobs for board. You're going to have to buy an old bomb of a vehicle that has no #vanlife Insta-cred at all, and call that your house.

In other words, you're going to have to do what so many of us had to do back in the day. And the good news as far as I can remember, anyway is that it's awesome.

Travel, after all, should be a treated as a novelty, as a gift, as a privilege, rather than a right. It should be hard to achieve. It should require dedication and appreciation.

This style of travel once had so much going for it, and it will again. The fellow travellers you meet in the new world will be just as passionate and dedicated as you. There will be fewer tourists with which to share your experiences, to crowd the sights, to queue at the attractions. You will be more of a novelty for locals, locals who will no doubt welcome the return of the tourist trade, who will view you as a sign the world is returning to normal.

Travel for young people, for adventurous people, for the budget conscious, will be as it once was. And that as far as I can remember is very good.

Do you think travel will have changed by the time we're able to go overseas again? Are you happy it might go back to the way it once was? Did you enjoy scrimping and saving for travel 20, 30 or 40 years ago?

See also:Backpackers love Australia, why don't young Aussies?

See also:Think Australia's travel ban is fair? This will change your mind

Email: b.groundwater@traveller.com.au

Instagram: instagram.com/bengroundwater

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Travel Alert: Covid-19 Cases Are Back To July Levels, And Rising Fast – Forbes

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Much of the United States is now at high-risk.

Here we go again. Seven months into the coronavirus pandemic, Covid-19 numbers are going in the wrong direction in 29 of 50 states.

Despite President Trump saying repeatedly that Covid-19 is going away, the data shows that the virus is not going anywhere.

The U.S. is seeing widespread increases in Covid-19 cases at the same level the country was at just after the July 4th holiday weekend, prior to the big summer surge. This has public health experts concerned that the country is heading for a third spike.

We have a baseline of infections that vary between 40 and 50 thousand per day, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, told CNBCs Shepard Smith yesterday. Thats a bad place to be when youre going into the cooler weather of the fall and the colder weather of the winter.

Since Labor Day weekend, new Covid-19 cases have been on the rise.

Meanwhile, domestic air travel has been ticking up, too. Last month, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened more than 900,000 passengers on just two days, both during Labor Day weekend, according to the agencys throughput data. The TSA has already hit that milestone on four days in October, and the month isnt even half over.

For Americans trying to figure out whether its safe to take an upcoming business or leisure trip during the latest surge, several excellent tools can help make sense of the trends.

If your travel dates are imminent, turn to the Covid-19 risk-assessment map run by Harvard Global Health Institute and Brown School of Public Health. The color-coded map provides an easy way for Americans to assess how quickly the disease is spreading in a state or county. Each community has a rating of green, yellow, orange or red, based upon the number of new daily cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people over a seven-day rolling average.

The number of states in the red-alert category has risen from four to 13 in the past month.

With coronavirus hot spots sprawling across the Midwest and Mountain West, nearly one in three states is now colored red, meaning the community is at a tipping point for Covid-19 infections. The number of high-risk states has jumped from four to 13 in the past month.

If your trip is still a week or more away, there is a better metric to look at. According to Dr. Fauci, the best predictor of the next hot spot is a rising positivity rate. You can consult Johns Hopkins Universitys Covid-19 tracking map to find out which states are most likely to turn into hot spots.

Right now, a whopping 25 states exactly half the country have reported rising positivity rates for two consecutive weeks.

The higher the percent positive is, the more concerning it is, according toJohns Hopkins explainer. As a rule of thumb, however, one threshold for the percent positive being too high is 5%. Currently, a mindblowing 31 states are above the 5% threshold.

In Idaho, 22.9% of tests came back positive for COVID-19 last week, the highest positivity rate in the country. South Dakota and Wisconsin also reported percent positive rates above 20% last week.

When it comes to managing the coronavirus pandemic, the United States has fared worse than nearly every other country in the world. To date, over 7.8 million Americans have become infected with the novel coronavirus and 215,000 have died.

A well-regarded model by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington is currently projecting that the U.S. will hit394,000 Covid-19 deathsby February 1, 2021. The model predicts that the death rate will rise throughout the fall and winter until itpeaks at 2,300 per dayin mid-January, up from about 700 a day now.

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Author and World Traveler Illustrates Exploration of Europe and the Challenges he Faced in New Book – GlobeNewswire

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A Day in the WoodsBy Brian Walsh

TRABUCO CANYON, Cali., Oct. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brian Walsh always wanted to explore the world. In his newly released book, A Day in the Woods, he gives readers a glimpse into his European getaway. In 1976 Walsh left home for the first time to take on a new country he has never been to before. Without much planning, the author realizes he is not fully prepared for this trip as he thought he would be.

Throughout the book, Walsh pens the harsh reality he faced throughout his travels from country to country in Western Europe. He experienced hardships of poverty and rejection that made him reflect on if he had the determination to sustain his journey to the very end. Walsh decided he wanted to explore the world, emulating the characters in James Micheners novel, The Drifters: Tales of Adventure, was the inspiration behind his voyage. Despite the hard times he endured, Walsh searches for Micheners characters' perceived lifestyle, which inspired him to chase his dreams.

I wrote A Day in the Woods to inspire would-be travelers while clearly defining both pleasure and hardship experiences that I faced, said Walsh. I hope my story will entertain seasoned travelers with familiar and shared experiences while giving the truth behind my European travel.

Ultimately, "A Day in the Woods" will show readers that regardless of the adversity one might face during their travels, if they live their dreams and not give up irrespective of the challenges that may arise, it will all be worth it in the end.

A Day in the WoodsBy Brian WalshISBN: 978-1-4808-9348-1 (softcover); 978-1-4808-9362-7 (eBook)Available at Archway Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the authorBrian Walsh was born and bred in South Africa. The author has experienced extensive worldwide travel, both for pleasure and business. He has lived in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Walsh has been employed by both British and United States corporate entities and established a business in 2004, which he still operates on a semi-retired basis. His debut book, A Day in the Woods, was developed from years of scribbled notes and has only come to fruition. Walsh and his wife currently reside in California.

Simon & Schuster, a company with nearly ninety years of publishing experience, has teamed up with Author Solutions, LLC, the worldwide leader in self-publishing, to create Archway Publishing. With unique resources to support books of all kind, Archway Publishing offers a specialized approach to help every author reach his or her desired audience. For more information, visit http://www.archwaypublishing.com or call 888-242-5904.

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Disney World attendance to stay capped; Disneyland reopening ‘not much of a negotiation,’ CEO says – USA TODAY

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Walt Disney World has reopened to the public but with many new precautions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Wochit

For theme park regulars who havebeen enjoying the new, less-crowded Disney World, this will come as good news: The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek says it will continue to cap attendance at theFlorida theme park at 25% until there is new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We're limited by the 6-foot social-distancing guideline of the CDC. And that translates, essentially, to about a 25% park capacity," Chapek said in an interview with CNBC's "Closing Bell" Monday evening. "Every day, that's about where we're at: 25%. And that won't change until the CDC guidelines change."

He also didn't sound optimistic about the chances of Disneyland reopening anytime soon, which could lead to more theme park job cutsin addition to the 28,000 workersin Florida and California who lost their jobs at the end of September.Chapek said he hopes the company won't have to cut any more theme park workers but acknowledged their futures hingeon when Disneyland,its California park, can reopen.

Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom saidthe state "is in no hurry in putting out guidelines," referring to the rules that theme parks would need to operate safely in the state, which experienced one of the country's worst COVID-19 surges over the summer. Though the situation there has improved, CDC data still puts California second in the country in terms of new cases reported in the last week with 22,850, trailing only Texas.

"We don't anticipate in the immediate term any of these larger theme parks opening until we see more stability in terms of the data," Newsom said at an Oct. 7 news conference, after promisingin mid-September that the state would provide those guidelines "very, very shortly."

Chapek noted:"Obviously, we're watching very carefully what the state of California does as an indicator of whether we can retain some of our cast members that are on furlough now. We'd like to keep them on furlough until we can reopen ...We'd like to put our cast members back to work as many of them as possible as soon as possible if the government will let us."

Asked about the state of Disney'snegotiations with California, he commented,"It's not much of a negotiation. It's pretty much a mandate that we stay closed."

Neither CalifornianorCalifornia Attractionsand Parks Association, the trade group that represents Disneyland and other theme parks, would say where the disconnect lies, although the Timesreported that the statedoesn't want theme parks to reopen until the infection rate inneighboring counties drops to one per 100,000 residents and the rate of positive testsfalls to below 2%. (USA TODAY has requested comment from Newsom's office and the trade group.)

Such an improvementwould movetheme parks intothe minimum-risk category, the lowest of thefour-tier system in the state's Blueprint for a Safer Economy. ButOrange County, where Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm arelocated, still has aways to go:It is currentlyreporting a rangeof 4-7 new cases a day per 100,000 people and a positivity rate of 5-8%, which puts it in the substantial-risk, or second-worst,category. Los Angeles County, home to Universal Studios Hollywood and Six Flags Magic Mountain, remains in the widespread-risk and worst tier with upwards of seven new cases a day per 100,000 people and a positivity rate over 8%.

Confusing matters further: Theme parks aren't even a category in the blueprint. And businesses in the two closest categories museums, zoos and aquariums and family entertainment centers are allowed to operate under all four risk levels, even if only outdoors.

At a Monday news conference, Newsom said the state is also concerned about reopening its theme parks against the backdrop of fall and flu season.

"This is serious," he said."Were entering not just the flu season, but were entering into a period of time where people are more likely to start congregating and mixing back indoors.

Chapek told CNBC,"It seems to me that the guidelines that are set up by the state of California are more stringent than any state across the country. If you look at the history of Disney and what we've been able to do during the reopening rather than arbitrary standards set up without regard to actual fact and what we've been able to do as a company, I think you'd come to a different decision about reopening Disneyland."

Chapek pointed to the successful reopeningof other Disney propertiesas evidence that the outcome will be similar at Disneyland:"I look across our Disney properties be it Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, Walt Disney World, the Disney bubble for the NBAand all I see is that we've been able to open up responsibly using the guidelines that health care experts have given us."

The parks' chief medical officer, Dr. Pamela Hymel, echoed that claim to the New York Times, saying:Data shows that Disney World opened responsibly; we didnt cause a surge.

Dr. Raul Pino, director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, supported Disney's claims, telling the newspaper, We have no issues or concerns with the major theme parks at this point."

In late August, about six weeks after Disney World reopened, Pino told Orlando's News 6 that his team had been looking for outbreaks therebut had not found any. He credited the park'sdiligent efforts butnoted that limited capacity has also been a key factor.

The parks are taking great measures, and they have gone to great lengths to be ableto open and to prevent the transmission, but its also the whole thing of an open space I think is whats making the difference," he said. "And also, the parks are not full. They are operating on probably less than 50% capacity and that may be a contributing factor."

The company has not said how many employeesand guestshave tested positive for the virus since Disney World reopened on July. 11.USA TODAY has sought comment from Actor's Equity, the union that represents Disney performers.

Contributing: Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY

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The traveler who spent a month working as a porter on Mount Everest – CNN

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(CNN) It might not seem that way when you read harrowing accounts of climbers perishing on its treacherous slopes, but there's an easy way to climb Everest, and there's a hard way.

Nate Menninger, a young adventurer from Boston, definitely took the hard way.

Rather than hike up the world's tallest peak, like most trekkers, with the support of an organized climbing outfit, the 26-year-old decided to take a job as one of the first ever non-native Everest porters.

That meant being paid $15 a day for hauling gigantic packs weighing up to 220 pounds (100 kilograms) along rugged, high altitude trails, huddling with fellow porters in freezing huts at night for rest and sharing their basic rations.

Along the way, he made a film about his experiences, which he hopes will shine a light on the largely unsung work of Everest porters and the precarious way they eke out a living in one of the planet's toughest environments.

Harsh reality

In 2019, Nate Menninger became one of the first foreign-born porters on Mount Everest.

Babin Dulal

Menninger came up with his idea to become a porter after spending a season working as a guide in Nepal, teaching himself Nepalese and becoming fascinated with the work and lives of these human hauliers.

Equally fascinated by Everest, but unable to afford the tens of thousands of dollars needed to cover the cost of the permit and support needed to reach the summit, he hit upon an idea to climb it for free.

"When I was guiding that summer, I saw how porters lived for the first time," he tells CNN Travel. "I saw them sleeping on the floor. I saw how they ate, and how strong they were.

"And I realized if I climbed Everest as a porter, I wouldn't have to pay $65,000. I would actually get paid to climb Everest.

"That was the only feasible way I could attempt the mountain at the age I was."

Menninger eventually scaled back his original plan to reach the top of Everest, settling for making a film about his time among the porters on the still arduous 11-day hike from the town of Lukla, at 9,400 feet above sea level, to Everest Base Camp.

"My goal was to have the exact same experience as the porters no matter what," he explains. "I wanted to see if I could handle what it's like to have this job and if I could be as strong as a porter has to be."

His grueling experience is chronicled in the hour-long documentary "The Porter."

Physically demanding work

Porters are required to carry packs, known as badis, to supply the region with necessities.

Babin Dulal

The physical and emotional toll of the job is laid bare as Menninger is captured struggling with the weight of a pack that consisted of multiple bags lashed together, then trying to sleep at night in crowded porter houses.

Subsisting mainly on a diet of rice with lentils, he lost over 20 pounds over the course of the expedition and didn't shower for more than three weeks.

Menninger says he tried to fully embed himself into the lives of the porters, but accepts his experiences only scratched the surface.

"It's not a sight you see a lot over there," he explains. "I tried to take the worst scenario possible every time. If the other porters were sleeping on the floor, I wanted to sleep on the floor.

"I just wanted to be another guy in the room while people were doing their thing."

It wasn't just his appearance -- a muscular six-foot-plus that towered over his Nepalese colleagues -- that set him apart. It was also the temporary nature of his new job.

"I had a very different experience than a normal porter would because I was just coming in for one trip," he says. "It was just a snapshot. I wasn't really relying on the money.

"And in terms of everything that they go through, I'm just experiencing a fraction of the emotion and the physical output."

A typical day would involve waking up at around 7:30 a.m. and going to the client's hotel to collect their bags, before tying the bags together and beginning to trek.

"One porter carries two clients' bags, that's how it works," he says. "You move very quickly. Most of the day, you're looking down."

Unpredictable income

Menninger hauled packs conisting of multiple bags lashed together.

Babin Dulal/'The Porter'

Porters have to pay for their own food and accommodation during expeditions, and Menninger says some regularly forgo meals in order to keep costs down.

"If you want to survive, you have to try to save the money you spend on food," he says. "One porter would cut his rations in half. He would eat half meals to save money."

While working an expedition, porters will spend around $7 a day on food and housing, and the charges rise the further up the mountain they go.

"By the end your costs are over $20, so you're actually losing money while you're working," he says. "So you really rely on tips."

As porters aren't tipped until day 11, they essentially have no idea whether the expedition has been financially worthwhile until they've more or less completed it.

Menninger made $15 a day during his 11-day expedition and he and his fellow porters, who mostly hail from villages near Base Camp, received a $100 tip each.

Menninger visibly struggled with his load during the filming.

Babin Dulal/'The Porter'

"Some people tip well, some don't," he says. "At that point it's just the luck of the draw, whether you make $500 dollars or $50. It just depends on your expedition."

They receive their tip on the final evening of the expedition, but work a 12th day "pro bono" to escort the climbers to the airport.

"Then the next day, or maybe a few days later you'll go on another expedition," he adds. "And you could do that five or six times in a season back to back."

Since returning to the United States last year, Menninger has remained in contact with the porters he worked with during his time at Everest.

He admits to being apprehensive about showing his former colleagues the completed film.

"It was very nerve wracking," he says. "I was very, very worried about what they'd say, because it was [showing] their job on an international scale. But they said it wasn't tough enough."

Local-foreigner divide

Menninger's experiences on Everest are documented in the film "The Porter."

Babin Dulal

The mountaineering industry that surrounds Everest has been under added scrutiny after 2019 was plagued by overcrowding, with climbers becoming stuck in a queue to the summit, above the peak's highest camp at 26,247 feet.

Adding to the problems, says Menninger, is a lack of communication between the porters and their mostly wealthy clients.

"The guides speak a little bit, but porters don't really speak to their clients at all and clients don't speak to their porters.

"So there's no cultural exchange. Usually with traveling, you go somewhere to learn more. To meet other people and exchange ideas."

He's seen the divide between locals and tourists first hand, and believes the lack of communication has created many issues.

"There's this separation between our mountain and their mountain," he continues.

"Their trash and our trash. It's a terrible way to treat the situation."

While he's loath to tell potential climbers what a good or a bad tip is, Menninger wishes more were aware of how much porters rely on the money due to their low salaries, as well as how much workers contribute to the overall Everest experience.

"The people that live there make everything possible," he says. "Even if you go and don't have a porter and just carry your own bags.

"Everything you enjoy, the hotel, the restaurant. Everything has pretty much been carried by a porter at some point.

"So whether you are using a porter or not, you're benefiting from their work. So make sure you talk to your porter. Find out how much they're making. Ask and be curious."

Menninger says he was "very humbled" by his experiences with the porters, particularly as someone from a relatively wealthy background, and hopes his film will elevate the porters of Everest by demonstrating what they're able to endure and how hard they work.

"Even if you go to Everest, you will not see where your porters sleep. The movie is the first time you'd see this.

"I wanted to show that these people were strong, proud and powerful and that anyone can have pride in any job in the world," he adds.

Read the rest here:

The traveler who spent a month working as a porter on Mount Everest - CNN

Impact Of Covid-19 on Experiential Travels Market 2020 Industry Challenges, Business Overview and Forecast Research Study 2026 – PRnews Leader

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Overview for Experiential Travels Market Helps in providing scope and definitions, Key Findings, Growth Drivers, and Various Dynamics.

Experiential Travels Market Data and Acquisition Research Study with Trends and Opportunities 2019-2024The study of Experiential Travels market is a compilation of the market of Experiential Travels broken down into its entirety on the basis of types, application, trends and opportunities, mergers and acquisitions, drivers and restraints, and a global outreach. The detailed study also offers a board interpretation of the Experiential Travels industry from a variety of data points that are collected through reputable and verified sources. Furthermore, the study sheds a lights on a market interpretations on a global scale which is further distributed through distribution channels, generated incomes sources and a marginalized market space where most trade occurs.

Along with a generalized market study, the report also consists of the risks that are often neglected when it comes to the Experiential Travels industry in a comprehensive manner. The study is also divided in an analytical space where the forecast is predicted through a primary and secondary research methodologies along with an in-house model.

Download PDF Sample of Experiential Travels Market report @ https://hongchunresearch.com/request-a-sample/87519

Key players in the global Experiential Travels market covered in Chapter 4:Mountain Lodges of PeruBackroadsCtrip.ComAirbnbYatra OnlineMakeMyTripJourneys WithinHostelworldAsia Transpacific JourneysCheapOair.ComTripAdvisorGray and CoTuniuExpediaHeritage ToursBookingClassic JourneysPricelineHays TravelTCS World TravelHotel Urbano

In Chapter 11 and 13.3, on the basis of types, the Experiential Travels market from 2015 to 2026 is primarily split into:Food ExperienceCultural ExperienceNatural ExperienceOther

In Chapter 12 and 13.4, on the basis of applications, the Experiential Travels market from 2015 to 2026 covers:Group TravelPersonal Travel

Geographically, the detailed analysis of consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate, historic and forecast (2015-2026) of the following regions are covered in Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13:North America (Covered in Chapter 6 and 13)United StatesCanadaMexicoEurope (Covered in Chapter 7 and 13)GermanyUKFranceItalySpainRussiaOthersAsia-Pacific (Covered in Chapter 8 and 13)ChinaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndiaSoutheast AsiaOthersMiddle East and Africa (Covered in Chapter 9 and 13)Saudi ArabiaUAEEgyptNigeriaSouth AfricaOthersSouth America (Covered in Chapter 10 and 13)BrazilArgentinaColumbiaChileOthers

For a global outreach, the Experiential Travels study also classifies the market into a global distribution where key market demographics are established based on the majority of the market share. The following markets that are often considered for establishing a global outreach are North America, Europe, Asia, and the Rest of the World. Depending on the study, the following markets are often interchanged, added, or excluded as certain markets only adhere to certain products and needs.

Here is a short glance at what the study actually encompasses:Study includes strategic developments, latest product launches, regional growth markers and mergers & acquisitionsRevenue, cost price, capacity & utilizations, import/export rates and market shareForecast predictions are generated from analytical data sources and calculated through a series of in-house processes.

However, based on requirements, this report could be customized for specific regions and countries.

Brief about Experiential Travels Market Report with [emailprotected] https://hongchunresearch.com/report/experiential-travels-market-size-2020-87519

Some Point of Table of Content:

Chapter One: Report Overview

Chapter Two: Global Market Growth Trends

Chapter Three: Value Chain of Experiential Travels Market

Chapter Four: Players Profiles

Chapter Five: Global Experiential Travels Market Analysis by Regions

Chapter Six: North America Experiential Travels Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter Seven: Europe Experiential Travels Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter Eight: Asia-Pacific Experiential Travels Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter Nine: Middle East and Africa Experiential Travels Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter Ten: South America Experiential Travels Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter Eleven: Global Experiential Travels Market Segment by Types

Chapter Twelve: Global Experiential Travels Market Segment by Applications12.1 Global Experiential Travels Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Applications (2015-2020)12.1.1 Global Experiential Travels Sales and Market Share by Applications (2015-2020)12.1.2 Global Experiential Travels Revenue and Market Share by Applications (2015-2020)12.2 Group Travel Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2015-2020)12.3 Personal Travel Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2015-2020)

Chapter Thirteen: Experiential Travels Market Forecast by Regions (2020-2026) continued

Check [emailprotected] https://hongchunresearch.com/check-discount/87519

List of tablesList of Tables and FiguresTable Global Experiential Travels Market Size Growth Rate by Type (2020-2026)Figure Global Experiential Travels Market Share by Type in 2019 & 2026Figure Food Experience FeaturesFigure Cultural Experience FeaturesFigure Natural Experience FeaturesFigure Other FeaturesTable Global Experiential Travels Market Size Growth by Application (2020-2026)Figure Global Experiential Travels Market Share by Application in 2019 & 2026Figure Group Travel DescriptionFigure Personal Travel DescriptionFigure Global COVID-19 Status OverviewTable Influence of COVID-19 Outbreak on Experiential Travels Industry DevelopmentTable SWOT AnalysisFigure Porters Five Forces AnalysisFigure Global Experiential Travels Market Size and Growth Rate 2015-2026Table Industry NewsTable Industry PoliciesFigure Value Chain Status of Experiential TravelsFigure Production Process of Experiential TravelsFigure Manufacturing Cost Structure of Experiential TravelsFigure Major Company Analysis (by Business Distribution Base, by Product Type)Table Downstream Major Customer Analysis (by Region)Table Mountain Lodges of Peru ProfileTable Mountain Lodges of Peru Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Backroads ProfileTable Backroads Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Ctrip.Com ProfileTable Ctrip.Com Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Airbnb ProfileTable Airbnb Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Yatra Online ProfileTable Yatra Online Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table MakeMyTrip ProfileTable MakeMyTrip Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Journeys Within ProfileTable Journeys Within Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Hostelworld ProfileTable Hostelworld Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Asia Transpacific Journeys ProfileTable Asia Transpacific Journeys Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table CheapOair.Com ProfileTable CheapOair.Com Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table TripAdvisor ProfileTable TripAdvisor Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Gray and Co ProfileTable Gray and Co Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Tuniu ProfileTable Tuniu Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Expedia ProfileTable Expedia Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Heritage Tours ProfileTable Heritage Tours Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Booking ProfileTable Booking Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Classic Journeys ProfileTable Classic Journeys Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Priceline ProfileTable Priceline Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Hays Travel ProfileTable Hays Travel Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table TCS World Travel ProfileTable TCS World Travel Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Hotel Urbano ProfileTable Hotel Urbano Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Figure Global Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Global Experiential Travels Revenue ($) and Growth (2015-2020)Table Global Experiential Travels Sales by Regions (2015-2020)Table Global Experiential Travels Sales Market Share by Regions (2015-2020)Table Global Experiential Travels Revenue ($) by Regions (2015-2020)Table Global Experiential Travels Revenue Market Share by Regions (2015-2020)Table Global Experiential Travels Revenue Market Share by Regions in 2015Table Global Experiential Travels Revenue Market Share by Regions in 2019Figure North America Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Europe Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Asia-Pacific Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Middle East and Africa Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure South America Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure North America Experiential Travels Revenue ($) and Growth (2015-2020)Table North America Experiential Travels Sales by Countries (2015-2020)Table North America Experiential Travels Sales Market Share by Countries (2015-2020)Figure North America Experiential Travels Sales Market Share by Countries in 2015Figure North America Experiential Travels Sales Market Share by Countries in 2019Table North America Experiential Travels Revenue ($) by Countries (2015-2020)Table North America Experiential Travels Revenue Market Share by Countries (2015-2020)Figure North America Experiential Travels Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2015Figure North America Experiential Travels Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2019Figure United States Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Canada Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Mexico Experiential Travels Sales and Growth (2015-2020)Figure Europe Experiential Travels Revenue ($) Growth (2015-2020)Table Europe Experiential Travels Sales by Countries (2015-2020)Table Europe Experiential Travels Sales Market Share by Countries (2015-2020)Figure Europe Experiential Travels Sales Market Share by Countries in 2015Figure Europe Experiential Travels Sales Market Share by Countries in 2019Table Europe Experiential Travels Revenue ($) by Countries (2015-2020)Table Europe Experiential Travels Revenue Market Share by Countries (2015-2020)Figure Europe Experiential Travels Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2015Figure Europe Experiential Travels Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2019Figure Germany Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure UK Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure France Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Italy Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Spain Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Russia Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Asia-Pacific Experiential Travels Revenue ($) and Growth (2015-2020)Table Asia-Pacific Experiential Travels Sales by Countries (2015-2020)Table Asia-Pacific Experiential Travels Sales Market Share by Countries (2015-2020)Figure Asia-Pacific Experiential Travels Sales Market Share by Countries in 2015Figure Asia-Pacific Experiential Travels Sales Market Share by Countries in 2019Table Asia-Pacific Experiential Travels Revenue ($) by Countries (2015-2020)Table Asia-Pacific Experiential Travels Revenue Market Share by Countries (2015-2020)Figure Asia-Pacific Experiential Travels Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2015Figure Asia-Pacific Experiential Travels Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2019Figure China Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Japan Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure South Korea Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Australia Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure India Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Southeast Asia Experiential Travels Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Middle East and Africa Experiential Travels Revenue ($) and Growth (2015-2020) continued

About HongChun Research:HongChun Research main aim is to assist our clients in order to give a detailed perspective on the current market trends and build long-lasting connections with our clientele. Our studies are designed to provide solid quantitative facts combined with strategic industrial insights that are acquired from proprietary sources and an in-house model.

Contact Details:Jennifer GrayManager Global Sales+ 852 8170 0792[emailprotected]

NOTE: Our report does take into account the impact of coronavirus pandemic and dedicates qualitative as well as quantitative sections of information within the report that emphasizes the impact of COVID-19.

As this pandemic is ongoing and leading to dynamic shifts in stocks and businesses worldwide, we take into account the current condition and forecast the market data taking into consideration the micro and macroeconomic factors that will be affected by the pandemic.

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Impact Of Covid-19 on Experiential Travels Market 2020 Industry Challenges, Business Overview and Forecast Research Study 2026 - PRnews Leader

Expedia Modernized Operations on One of the World’s Fastest-Moving IT Stacks – GlobeNewswire

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BigPanda Webinar With Expedia on October 22 Details Why the Company Chose the BigPanda AIOps Platform to Help With Its Mission

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BigPanda, Inc., provider of the first Event Correlation and Automation platform powered by AIOps, today announced it will host a joint webinar with Expedia on Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT. Titled How Expedia Modernized Operations on One of the World's Fastest-Moving IT Stacks, the session will take a deep dive into how Expedia modernized operations and why it chose to do so with the BigPanda AIOps platform.

What: Webinar: How Expedia Modernized Operations on One of the World's Fastest-Moving IT Stacks

Who: Presenters will include:

When: Thursday, Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT

Where: Online registration is here.

Event Details: The need for speed drives enterprises to adopt clouds, containers, micro-services and continuous delivery. The rise of DevOps has created a culture of optionality within organizations. With speed and optionality comes tremendous operational challenges. IT Ops, Site Reliability, DevOps teams have to deal with overwhelming alert volumes, continuous production changes, and dynamic service topologies. The result? Frequent, long and painful outages impacting users and customers.

In this webinar, attendees will hear from Expedia, the Worlds Travel Platform, on how it modernized operations on one of the world's fastest-moving IT stacks, and why the company chose the BigPanda AIOps platform to help with its mission.

Why BigPandaBigPanda helps businesses prevent and resolve IT outages with their platform for Event Correlation and Automation, powered by AIOps. Without BigPanda, IT Ops and DevOps teams struggle with manual and reactive incident response capabilities that are badly suited for the scale, complexity and velocity of modern IT environments. This results in painful outages, unhappy customers, growing IT headcount and the inability to focus on innovation.

Fortune 500 enterprises such as Intel, Cisco, United, Nike, Marriott and Expedia rely on BigPanda to prevent outages, reduce costs, and give their teams time back for digital transformation. BigPanda helps organizations take a giant step towards Autonomous IT Operations by turning IT noise into insights and manual tasks into automated actions. BigPanda is backed by top-tier investors including Sequoia Capital, Mayfield, Battery Ventures, Greenfield Partners and Insight Partners. Visit http://www.bigpanda.io for more information.

Media contact:Sammy TotahBOCA Communications for BigPandabigpanda@bocacommunications.com

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Expedia Modernized Operations on One of the World's Fastest-Moving IT Stacks - GlobeNewswire

How One Travel Advisor Gets Creative to Stay Engaged with Clients – Travel Market Report

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Travel advisors have had to tap into their creativity to manage the difficulties that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented, coming up with new and fun ways to connect and engage with their clients while there has been a lull in new bookings.

Linda de Sosa, owner of Bucketlist Travel Consulting, an independent travel consultant affiliated with Travel Experts, has created her own QuaranTour, a unique weekly e-mail for her clients during the COVID-19 lockdown.

De Sosa took her clients to different destinations over seven weeks through the tour, which included virtual views of the destination, recipes to cook, language lessons, book lists, and music to make the destination come alive. The virtual QuaranTour visited U.S. National Parks, Spain, Kenya, Thailand, Australia, Antarctica, and Peru.

I wanted to keep in touch with my clients so they knew I would be here whenever COVID ended, de Sosa told Travel Market Report. I had been seeing all these different elements like recipes and virtual tours, and had been sending them out in a weekly email. It felt haphazard though, so I decided to put together a tour so it felt more like a trip. I started in the U.S. because I knew people would start traveling close to home, and then started working my way around the world.

They also exemplified the detail that de Sosa put into her itineraries, where she provides lots of reading and video resources.

I am very close with my clients, some of whom I have worked with for 20 years. This allowed them to know how I was managing and vice versa during the pandemic, she said.

De Sosa said she got a great reaction from clients, adding that it wasnt designed to get bookings but just to let clients know shes thinking of them. Each week different clients viewing the QuaranTour sent their appreciation.

De Sosa emailed clients asking for them where they wanted to travel in 2021-22 and was overwhelmed by the immediate response. I sent them the free version of Wanderlist trip to start planning. I had already decided to have bags made and deliver info on how my website could work for them, created an intro to me with a business card for them to distribute to friends.

Some of her clients are starting to travel domestically to Utah parks, the biltmore, and the like, she said but any many advisors know, those are not big money makers. A few of her clients have already booked tours and cruises for next year, but most everyone is in a wait and see mode, they seem afraid to get stuck somewhere, she said.

For fellow advisors, de Sosa recommends getting creative and engaging your clients anyway you can. They want to travel and are just as frustrated as you.

De Sosa also created a new website and publicized it via social media. My goal is to get people booking through the website and then working with more upscale clients to customize trips, she said.

When it became apparent this wasnt going to be short, I decided to buckle down and create my website that I had envisioned for several years, but never got around to doing. Then I learned about monetizing it using Amazon.

De Sosa said the shutdown has been very hard as shes used to traveling about 25% of the year, and has traveled to 150 countries, all 50 states and seven continents, and has taken 38 cruises on rivers and oceans.

One of most difficult things right now for many advisors is not having commissions come in as clients postpone travel. Dont be afraid to look for other sources of income. De Sosa is developing a travel shop and is exploring creative ways of getting money upfront from clients for cruises sold next year.

In addition to her new marketing endeavors, shes been spending the time taking language learning lessons in German. (Sept. 29 marked her 212th day in a row!) She will be venturing out for the first time Oct. 15 to go to Kenya to visit my granddaughter, who is 2, and will be posting a journal of the experience to let others see it is possible to travel.

All this sounds creative, fun, and rosy, but Ive had some serious issues during the shutdown too. I decided I was never going to have another 2-3 months off travel, de Sosa said.

When I became critically ill at age 36, I decided that the most important thing in my life, besides my family, was my passion for travel. I gave up climbing the corporate ladder and decided to spend full time creating travel experiences for myself and others.

My passion is travel. That is what lights up my eyes. I use it to help color in my future. Experiential travel lets me feel. Themed travel lets me learn. Let me help you color in your future dreams and fill your senses with the world around you.

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How One Travel Advisor Gets Creative to Stay Engaged with Clients - Travel Market Report

New York City named one of world’s top ten best walking cities – Travel Daily

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One of the best ways of exploring a new city is by ditching the car and strolling along the streets, taking in the sights and discovering hidden gems you may have missed while driving.

New York City took third place, scoring 41.75 out of 60 on the Walkability Scale, with points awarded for climate, air quality/ CO2 emissions, safety, walking trails, nature & parks and hours of sunshine.

New York City had the highestnumber of walking trails (1000) out of the 28 cities included within the study,making it the ideal city break location to explore solely on foot.

In the midst of the worlds busiest cities, nature attractions offer a sense of peace and relaxation. In fact,COVID-19 Travel Sentiment Monitor has revealed that 35% of us are planning a nature-focused trip this year. New York City ranked fifth for Nature & Parks with a recorded 133.

But how did the rest of theworld stack up?

Here are 10 of theworlds most pedestrian-friendly cities:

eTurboNews | Trends | Travel News

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New York City named one of world's top ten best walking cities - Travel Daily

New Comprehensive CBD Alternative from Life Extension, Introducing Endocannabinoid Support, without THC or Hemp – Yahoo Finance

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TipRanks

Out on Wall Street, who has been leading the charge forward? Tech. After the spaces key players dragged the market lower in September due to overheated valuations, tech is once again at the helm.The rise in tech makes sense. The pandemic helped accelerate a move toward remote work and telecommuting, and this in turn has put a premium on tech products. From the 5G rollout, to improvements in semiconductor chips, to the expansion of IoT and smart device capabilities tech is everywhere, and its growing fast.Bearing this in mind, we turned to Needham, which lands among the top ten on TipRanks list of Top Performing Research Firms, for some inspiration. The firms analysts highlight three tech stocks that appear especially compelling, noting at least 30% upside potential could be in store for each.Weve used the TipRanks database to pull the details on these three tech picks, to find out what makes them such compelling opportunities.Silicon Motion (SIMO)Bringing extensive experience to the table, Silicon Motion provides high-performance storage solutions widely used in smartphones, PCs, data centers and commercial and industrial applications. Following a bang-up quarter, Needham believes this tech name has a bright future ahead.Writing for the firm, analyst Rajvindra Gill tells clients that based on SIMOs preannouncement, Q3 sales are set to land 8% above his original forecast, with EPS also beating his estimate by $0.09.What was behind this solid showing? A recovery in client SSDs. In Q2, SIMO's client SSD business, specifically the module maker component, declined as NAND flash makers allocated NAND capacity away from client SSDs to hyperscalers, to support the spike in data consumption on the network. However, the opposite happened in Q3. Along with a pause in hyperscale spending, module customers were allocated additional NAND capacity as NAND pricing declined quarter-over-quarter.To this end, Gill thinks NAND pricing could decline another 5-10% quarter-over-quarter in Q4. He added, We expect the decline in NAND pricing to further stimulate client SSD adoption in Q4 as this market is quiet price elastic, especially the channel markets.To a lesser extent, a rebound in China handsets along with a continued ramp of 5G handsets contributed to SIMOs strong performance, in Gills opinion.Whats more, the analyst argues that next-generation gaming consoles and desktop gaming could further boost SSD demand. Gill points out that based on reports from MSI, the board maker for Nvidia GPUs, demand for less expensive SSDs for higher-end gaming desktop computers is on the rise.Expounding on this, Gill stated, This could be potentially COVID-19 related demand as more people (of all ages) stay home and find more time to play video games. Moreover, we expect SIMO to participate in the next-generation gaming consoles (PS5, Xbox) coming out in the Fall. SIMO is shipping its PCIe SSD controllers into five out seven of the NAND makers sold into the game consoles; we believe two out of five could be SIMO's suppliers.If that wasnt enough, even though the penetration rates for laptops remain relatively high at 80-90%, Gill believes attach rates for SSDs in the desktop market could accelerate, driving upside in CY21.Given all of the above, Gill stayed with the bulls. Along with a Buy rating, he keeps a $55 price target on the stock. Investors could be pocketing a gain of 30%, should this target be met in the twelve months ahead. (To watch Gills track record, click here)Turning to the rest of the Street, the bulls have it on this one. With 4 Buys and a lone Hold, the word on the Street is that SIMO is a Strong Buy. At $49.60, the average price target implies ~18% upside potential. (See SIMO stock analysis on TipRanks)Domo (DOMO)As a business cloud software specialist, Domo helps its customers integrate data from any source, turn data into live visualizations and extend BI into apps. Based on positive momentum as well as new deals, Needham thinks that now is the time to snap up shares.After the company reported impressive fiscal Q2 2021 results, 5-star analyst Jack Andrews stands squarely with the bulls. Revenue of $51.1 million blew both his and the consensus estimate out of the water. Additionally, subscription revenue, billings and non-GAAP EPS exceeded his expectations.In our view, Domo appears to be benefiting from tailwinds related to the ongoing pandemic and improved sales execution (i.e. playbooks and an improving partner ecosystem) as it closed a notable amount of large deals within the quarter, Andrews explained.According to management, demand for digitizing business processes and real-time analytics is accelerating as a result of the pandemic. Its also seeing more customers allocate IT budgets to modernizing BI and gathering insights from dark data. To this end, DOMO finalized multiple over $100,000 deals in hard-hit industries like fitness and manufacturing. On top of this, it closed a multi-million dollar deal with one of the world's largest retailers that began with the initial use case of creating insights across its analytics stack, but now extends to new use cases such as an application for store restocking.Andrews also points out that momentum from the state-level COVID tracking continues to work in the companys favor, as the state of Iowa expanded significantly and extended its contract by two years. With the help of a partner, it inked a seven-figure contract to power a public-facing website to track pandemic funding grants in early fiscal Q3 2021.Whats more, Andrews highlights the encouraging commentary from management on its path to cash flow breakeven, which should alleviate any remaining financial concerns.To sum it all up, Andrews stated, We believe Domo has created a unique platform levered to the future requirements of enterprise analytics (self-service and scalability) without the exorbitant costs of implementation. As management executes changes in its sales strategy, we believe Domo, which trades at an EV/revenue multiple discount, can close the relative valuation gap to its Big Data software peer group.In line with his optimistic approach, Andrews reiterated a Buy rating and $61 price target. This target puts the upside potential at 46%. (To watch Andrews track record, click here)When it comes to other Wall Street analysts, opinions are split evenly. With 3 Buys and 3 Holds assigned in the last three months, DOMO earns a Moderate Buy consensus rating. Clocking in at $47.17, the average price target implies 13% upside potential. (See Domo stock analysis on TipRanks)Everspin Technologies (MRAM)Last but not least, we have Everspin Technologies, which develops and manufactures discrete magnetoresistive RAM or magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM) products, including Toggle MRAM and Spin-Transfer Torque MRAM (STT-MRAM) product families. While the company has faced headwinds recently, Needham believes that MRAM could be a long-term winner.Firm analyst Rajvindra Gill, who also covers SIMO, is a serious fan. Consistent with the broader industry, data center demand has been moderating, which coupled with COVID-19-related headwinds, resulted in Q3 sales guidance that missed the mark.It should be noted that STT-MRAM is almost completely data center, while Toggle has some data center exposure since Toggle is used in RAID controllers. Additionally, thanks to COVID-19, there has been a surge in data center demand in the first half of 2020, boding well for MRAM. However, by the end of Q2, there was an increase in customer inventory.While this increase is partially due to supply chain concerns, we believe the main reason is a potential peak and expected slowdown in data center demand... However, we view the data center inventory digestion as a temporary setback, with a recovery expected in Q4, the analyst commented.Adding to the good news, MRAM thought that COVID-19 would negatively impact its ability to secure new design wins. That said, design wins grew by 16% quarter-over-quarter in Q2, which is over three times higher than the prior-year quarter. Gill mentioned, We expect growth to re-accelerate as the market recovers.The company kicked off mass production shipments of 32Mb Toggle MRAM product to a growing set of customers, with it planning to add different package and temperature grades to expand to new customer applications. If that wasnt enough, the second pivotal design win for MRAMs 1Gb STT-MRAM product is expected to start production shipments in Q3 into a persistent memory application for an OEM that sells into data center.Although gross margins were temporarily soft for Toggle and STT-MRAM due to the work-from-home environment, Gill argues that in the next few quarters, margins for both are likely to recover, driven by manufacturing efficiencies and lower material procurement costs.Everything that MRAM has going for it convinced Gill to maintain his Buy rating. In addition to the call, he left the price target at $10, suggesting 44% upside potential. Looking at the consensus breakdown, it has been quiet when it comes to other analyst activity. As Gill is the only analyst that has published a review recently, MRAM has a Moderate Buy consensus rating. (See MRAM stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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Spotlight on COVID-19 antibody therapies after Trump’s recovery – – pharmaphorum

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The spotlight remains on the potential of antibody therapies as a possible way out of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, with the US government investing millions in a hopeful from AstraZeneca and president Donald Trump recovering from coronavirus after receiving a rival therapy from Regeneron.

Thanks to a drug cocktail including Regenerons antibody therapy, Trump says he is back on his feet after becoming infected with the virus around the end of last month.

Trump has hailed the Regeneron therapy as a cure for the virus, but the companys CEO Leonard Schleifer was quick to point out that the scientific evidence is not there to support the claim.

Regenerons therapy is based on two antibodies the company has developed to neutralise the virus.

The thinking is that by having a double therapy, the chances of the virus developing resistance to both parts of the drug are reduced.

Like rivals Eli Lilly, Regeneron is in talks with the FDA to get an Emergency Use Authorisation based on the data it has gathered so far.

But CEO Leonard Schleifer said in a TV interview that there is a long way to go before the drug is fully approved.

Schleifer told CBS News Face the Nation: So the presidents case is a case of one, and thats what we call a case report, and it is evidence of whats happening, but its kind of the weakest evidence that you can get.

The real evidence has to come about how good a drug is and what it will do on average has to come from these large clinical trials.

Its just low down on the evidence scale that we really need.

Regeneron CEO Leonard Schleifer

Antibody therapies could also be used prophylactically, to protect people at high risk of getting the disease such as healthcare workers, or vulnerable people in areas where there are large numbers of cases.

AstraZeneca is to begin phase 3 trials of a long-acting antibody therapy combination in the US and other countries, to prevent infection happening and as therapy for those already infected.

AZs long-acting antibody (LAAB) combination, AZD7442, will advance into two phase 3 clinical trials in more than 6,000 participants at sites in and outside the US in the next few weeks.

The LAABs have been engineered with AstraZenecas proprietary half-life extension technology to increase the durability of the therapy for six to 12 months following a single administration.

The combination of two LAABs is also designed to reduce the risk of resistance developed by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The LAABs have been engineered with AstraZenecas half-life extension technology to increase the durability of the therapy for six to 12 months following a single shot.

Like Regenerons therapy the combination of two LAABs is also designed to reduce the risk of resistance developed by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The US government agency, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has invested $486 million in the project.

One trial will test whether AZD7442 can safely and effectively prevent infection in up to 5,000 people, and the second trial will test post-exposure prophylaxis and pre-emptive treatment in around 1,100 people.

AZ is planning additional trials to evaluate AZD7442 in approximately 4,000 patients for the treatment of COVID-19.

The company plans to supply up to 100,000 doses starting towards the end of 2020 and the US Government can acquire up to an additional one million doses in 2021 under a separate agreement.

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Spotlight on COVID-19 antibody therapies after Trump's recovery - - pharmaphorum

Digitalisation, distribution and biotech: Rabobank talks next gen food tech innovation – FoodNavigator.com

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Earlier this month, FoodBytes! Pitch announced that 45 companies will participate in the start-up discovery platform, which provides corporate leaders and investors exposure to a group of innovative start-ups, with opportunities for deeper interaction and networking throughout the year.

The FoodBytes! Pitch competition, which has been running for five years, will be staged virtually in 2020 due to COVID restrictions.

Participants were chosen from nearly 340 submissions from across the globe and six European applicants made the cut.

A predominant focus among start-ups based in Europe is digitising the supply chain, from farm to fork, Rabobank noted.

Greven said that this is reflective of the challenges faced by food corporates, who have had to evaluate their distribution strategies in recent years.

According to a report from Rabobanks supply chain experts, many US and European food companies have been ramping up discussions on distribution strategies in the past few years. The main reason for this is a rise in logistics costs due to an increasing variety of distribution channels and stricter fulfilment requirements set by customers. In Europe specifically, as corporates look to drive cost efficiency, the outsourcing of food logistics is once again growing, the investment expert told us.

Start-ups are bringing innovative solutions to the table, as reflected in the latest FoodBytes! cohort.

Switzerlands Koa, for instance, focuses on providing digital tools to smallholder farmers in order to create a transparent cocoa product. Meanwhile, Norwegian Farmforce is working to create a mobile platform to secure sustainable sourcing for farmers. At the consumer end of the chain, UK start-up Good Club aims to provide consumers with a go-to online market for sustainable food products.

As well as addressing efficiency and cost, supply chain technologies are helping to strengthen the food system and build a more resilient and sustainable supply chain, Greven continued. All of these technologies address various and important areas across the supply chain from loss mitigation (shelf-life extension and food safety), food e-commerce (accessibility and transparency), and connected marketplaces that help close the gap between farmers and consumers.

The ability of agile start-up innovators to develop new and pioneering approaches to the table has driven investment in the space. Indeed, Greven noted:Half of capital invested into European food and ag start-ups in 2020 has been to midstream technologies focused on supply chain efficiency and digitisation."

This figure is higher than the level seen in the US, where that number is closer to 40%, she added.

Biotechnology and cellular solutions also offer the opportunity to re-think how we produce food and source materials.

New understandings of the role biosciences can play in the food industry can help address major challenges from agricultural production to food quality and health and nutrition.

Were seeing excitement from our community of experts and corporates surrounding the development of next gen food technologies, Greven observed.

Greven said that the rapid development of this sector means that applications from biotech companies to FoodBytes! are also increasing.

Our biotech applications globally are on the rise in 2019 and 2020, biotech companies comprised of 10% of applications received, double that of the two years preceding.

This years FoodBytes! saw a total of three start-ups two of whom are European focused on cell-based meat and fermented protein.

CellulaREvolution has developed cell-culturing meat technology utilising a cell coating to facilitate the continuous production of proteins, rather than in batches, working with clients across the fields of cultured meat, cell therapy and biologics. NovoNutrients upcycles industrial carbon dioxide waste into food system ingredients. While Future Meat Technologies has developed a cell-culturing meat technology utilising the rapid growth of connective tissue cells to reach high densities before turning the cells into cultured muscle and healthy fats.

Elsewhere, innovators are looking at how fermentation technologies and bioreactors can be used to create ingredients without depleting natural resources. One of our selected start-ups for 2020, Michroma, is a perfect example this Argentinian based company produces next-generation natural ingredients in a sustainable, cost-effective and scalable way to brew food colorants, mycoprotein and more alternatives, Greven noted.

The 45 selected startups hail from 15 countries, including the US, Australia, Canada, the UK, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, India, Israel, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Singapore, South Korea and Switzerland.

Consumer food and beverage (CPG):

Food and beverage products made with upcycled ingredients are a top trend among FoodBytes! 2020 CPG startups, who are also pioneering innovations including edible spoons to reduce plastic waste, a distilled spirit made from upcycled whey byproduct, and plant-based cheese and egg products.

Food tech:

The shortlisted food tech startups have developed technologies for cell-based meat production, natural coatings that extend produce shelf life, and sustainable, antimicrobial packaging made from crustacean shells to replace plastic. Food safety technologies, advanced nutrition products and online marketplaces also address relevant needs in the wake of COVID-19.

Ag tech:

The shortlisted ag tech startups have developed solutions that address soil and water sustainability, farm efficiency and labour needs. Their innovations include technology that transforms air pollution into fertilizer, animal feed that reduces methane emissions, a method of growing rice out of water and on-farm robotics to combat labour shortages and worker safety concerns.

Each of the three winners (CPG, food tech, and ag tech) will receive a $10,000 prize, while FoodBytes! Pitch corporate members will also offer additional consulting to support winning startups, including:

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Digitalisation, distribution and biotech: Rabobank talks next gen food tech innovation - FoodNavigator.com

Astroscale raises $51 million in Series E funding to fuel its orbital sustainability ambitions – TechCrunch

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On-orbit service and logistics startup Astroscale has raised a $51 million Series E funding round, bringing its total raised to date to $191 million thus far. The Japan-based company has been focused on delivering new solutions for orbital end-of-life meaning ways to make orbital operations more sustainable by offering easy ways to safely de-orbit spacecraft after the end of their useful service life, clearing up some of the growing orbital debris problem thats emerging as more companies create satellites and constellations.

Astroscale has since expanded its mission to also include extending the life of geostationary satellites another key ingredient in making the orbital operating environment more sustainable as we look toward a projected exponential explosion in orbital activity. The startup announced earlier this year that it was acquiring the staff and IP of a company called Effective Space Solutions, which was in the process of developing a space drone that could launch to provide on-orbit servicing to large, existing geostationary satellite infrastructure, handling tasks like refueling and repairs.

ESS has formed the basis for Astroscale Israel, a new international office for the globe-spanning Astroscale that will be focused on geostationary life extension. Todays funding was led by aSTART, and will be used to help the company continue to establish its global offices and increase the team to more than 140 people.

Astroscales end-of-life orbital debris-removal technology is set to get its first demonstration mission sometime in the second half of this year, with a launch aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket. The system uses two spacecraft that find and latch on to target debris to be de-orbited.

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Astroscale raises $51 million in Series E funding to fuel its orbital sustainability ambitions - TechCrunch

Vipin Narang on the Global Nuclear Landscape: Hype and Reality – The Diplomat

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Even a casual observer of the contemporary global strategic environment will concur that nuclear weapons are very much back in the picture as several countries including the United States and China seek to modernize their arsenals and develop new capabilities. With many nuclear powers pushing their envelope and, in some cases, luck, and the future of arms control under stress, the current nuclear environment is defined by several challenges around proliferation and escalation risks.

To understand them better, The Diplomat spoke to Vipin Narang, associate professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and member of MITs Security Studies Program. Narang, also a nonresident scholar in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, is author of Nuclear Strategy in the Modern Era (Princeton University Press, 2014).

In your opinion, what are the top three nuclear challenges the world faces today?

First, vertical proliferation, and specifically renewed great power nuclear competition and arms racing, threatens to upset decades of trends that enhanced strategic and crisis stability. Russian and Chinese modernization programs largely driven by Americas large conventional and nuclear counterforce capability and the unfulfilled fantasy of American national missile defenses aim to survive an American strike and penetrate defenses. That has led to a variety of programs, including hypersonic glide vehicles, nuclear-powered cruise missiles, and the oldie but goodie building up mobile capabilities. The U.S. threatens to respond in kind with the withdrawal from the INF Treaty and the prospect that New START is not renewed with Russia. All of these developments threaten to disturb strategic stability.

Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific.

Second, horizontal proliferation. However, we face not just the looming risk of adversarial proliferation states such as Iran but also of allied proliferation, in states such as South Korea, Germany and even Japan, due to concerns surfaced during the Trump administration that the United States may not indefinitely provide credible extended deterrence. In addition, a third class of states, frenemies like Saudi Arabia, who have promised to acquire nuclear weapons if their primary adversary (Iran in this case) does are also flirting with the idea and capabilities for at least a nuclear hedge. We may be on the cusp, in the next decade or two, of a cascade of new nuclear weapons powers.

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Third, 75 years after the last wartime use of nuclear weapons, todays nuclear weapon states seem less chastened by the prospect of nuclear use and escalation and are increasingly pushing the line against other nuclear weapons powers, attempting to break free of the constraining effects of being deterred. The last year has seen some disturbing firsts: India bombing the undisputed territory of another nuclear weapons power at Balakot for the first time in history, and Turkey an American ally which hosts U.S. nuclear weapons at Incirlik firing at American troops. The problem with the threat that leaves something to chance, is that it leaves something to chance. And as nuclear states push the line against other nuclear states, even if they do not want a war war may find them. That is, nuclear powers are increasingly running the risk that they may stumble into a war, and that would put us in uncharted territory.

You have warned against Trumps North Korea strategy (if one can call it that) and have been consistently pessimistic about the prospect of denuclearization there. As a new administration takes over in January, what advice would you give the new president about Kim Jong Un and his nukes?

I have long argued that Kim Jong Un will not voluntarily surrender his nuclear weapons program and taking it away by force as some like John Bolton [the former U.S. national security advisor] continued to advocate even after North Korea tested an ICBM and purported thermonuclear weapon is exceptionally dicey. But that does not mean that we cannot try to slow down the growth of the program, seek caps on certain capabilities, and keep the rhetorical fiction of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as an end goal that we accept is unlikely to ever be achieved.

In fact, it appears that this deal Yongbyon in exchange for some sanctions relief was on the table at Hanoi. If verified and completed, that would have shut off North Koreas only known source of plutonium and tritium production, and a nontrivial proportion of its uranium enrichment. This could have slowed the growth of the nuclear program and shaped the future composition of the force by starving it of further plutonium and potentially tritium (for thermonuclear weapons). But Trump walked away, claiming it was too small a deal. Instead, we got no deal and Kim Jong Un continues to expand and improve his nuclear and missile force.

I suspect we will look back at Hanoi with regret, though it is possible a similar deal may resurface. If it does, I believe we should take it. Slow, cap, rollback, and eliminate (even if we never get there) for corresponding measures, in tandem, is a sensible formula to manage a nuclear North Korea.

We recently saw North Korea flash a new missile capability during its annual parade. Any thoughts on what the missile may portend in terms of where Kim sees his nuclear capabilities going in the future?

For a year, Kim Jong Un had been promising a new strategic system, and on October 10 we discovered that it was a new heavy transportable liquid fuel ICBM, based on its Hwasong-15 ICBM. This new missile is one of the worlds largest mobile liquid fuel missiles and the key feature is the large payload it can seemingly deliver, such as potentially penetration aids or multiple warheads, to defeat American national missile defenses which may not work well today, but which adversaries such as Russia, China and North Korea fear may work tomorrow.

This new missile was not a surprise, and largely represents a continuing evolution of North Koreas growing missile and nuclear capabilities. It is designed to solve one of two North Korean strategic problems: penetrating American missile defenses. There were questions about whether North Korea could develop warheads compact enough for MIRVs (multiple warheads on a single missile), but the size of this missile obviates some of that problem your cars can be bigger if you build a gigantic garage. However, the missile is so big and slow, and takes so long to potentially fuel, that it may exacerbate the other problem survivability but I think we should fully expect that North Korea is also working on capabilities to address that concern, such as a mobile solid fuel ICBM that is easier to hide and prompter to launch. In fact, we may have seen tantalizing hints of that capability as well in the parade, and that would represent a bigger leap for the program. In any event, these developments and improvements which are still away from being operational are precisely what normal nuclear powers do, and further suggests that Kim Jong Un has no intention of surrendering his nuclear weapons program.

We have heard a lot from the Trump administration of late about Chinas nuclear ambitions. How do you assess the trajectory of Chinas nuclear weapons and delivery platforms, as well as its doctrine?

Lets start with the facts: China has maybe 200 nuclear weapons that can range the continental United States, very few of which are deployed during peacetime. The United States, by contrast, has well over a 1,000, depending on your accounting, that are ready within minutes to range mainland China. This does not even account for the warheads in the stockpile that can be quickly uploaded to American ICBMs and SLBMs which are not fully MIRVd under New START. So even a doubling of Chinas strategic nuclear force still leaves it multiples lower than the United States and Russia.

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My main reaction to Chinese nuclear modernization is: What took it so long to start? For decades, it lived with a posture of plausible retaliation with maybe two dozen ICBMs that could range the continental United States. With growing conventional and nuclear counterforce capabilities, and the unrelenting pursuit of national missile defenses which can in combination threaten to neutralize Chinas second strike capability, by eliminating a large portion of the ICBMs and relying on missile defenses to intercept the residuals the question is why China only started investing in mobility and numbers and penetration aids/hypersonics in the last decade or so. To me, all of these developments are Chinas delayed effort to guarantee assured retaliation. Chinas massive buildup in conventional short-range ballistic missile capabilities obviates the need for it to rely on nuclear weapons in a theater scenario, though scholars such as Caitlin Talmadge have pointed out that we cannot sleep on the risks of inadvertent Chinese nuclear escalation. But, I see continuity in overall strategy, and a delayed effort to develop the capabilities and deployment patterns mobility, penetration, SSBNs to implement that strategy with greater assurance.

What do you make of the hype around hypersonics? What about claims around artificial intelligence and nuclear command and control?

The pursuit of hypersonics is again driven by the unfulfilled fantasy of working national missile defenses. Presently, long range missile reentry vehicles, and certainly maneuverable reentry vehicles, which are decades-old technology, are perfectly sufficient to penetrate American missile defenses. And all of these reenter the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds. The advent of the new generation of hypersonics are actually slower than long range reentry vehicles. But some are air breathing and can maneuver and porpoise at very high altitudes in the event missile defenses ever work. So, at least in the medium term, Im a skeptic that these capabilities fundamentally alter the strategic balance. Russia and China do not face a penetration problem at the moment, so hypersonic glide vehicles only have marginal value at the moment.

Similarly, there is a lot of hype over AI and command and control, but a lot remains to be seen whether it affects a states ability to maintain command and control or disrupt it. AI may help solve some detection and ISR problems, but the general cat-and-mouse game of emerging technologies and counter-responses is a decades-old phenomenon.

What do you think about future arms control measures for emerging technologies?

Like all arms control measures, the empirical record suggests they will emerge and be adhered to when both states view them as being in their interests, which is unsatisfying and tautological but also the reality. States with an asymmetric advantage in a particular technology will oppose limits on it, while those that fear it will seek those limits. The zone of overlap generally emerges when both or all sides perceive a benefit in capping or limiting that capability either amongst themselves or collusively to prevent the diffusion of technology to other states. I am not an arms control skeptic so much as an arms control realist.

How do you assess the prospects of the New START treaty being extended, if Trump is reelected next month?

Ultimately, I do think New START will be extended no matter who wins the election. I think the Trump administration is attempting to play chicken with New START to try to pressure Russia into limiting, for example, its tactical nuclear weapons capability. But ultimately, a New START extension is in Americas interest: arms controllers love it because it is arms control and counter-forcers should love it because it provides a cap and accounting on the systems they have to eliminate. The only constituency that opposes New START are arms racers who believe that an arms race with Russia is good and easy to win. But in the current economic climate, there may be little appetite for a renewed arms race, or even persistent uploading of warheads from the stockpile. And Russia has an interest in New START for similar economic and management reasons. It is possible that a second Trump administration would only extend New START for one year and attempt to negotiate something stronger or multilateral in that year he may in fact try to do this before the election itself. I do not think there is any chance of China joining a multilateral equivalent of New START it would either be an invitation for it to build to parity with the U.S. and Russia, or force it to agree to inequitable limits, which it will never do. But I do think we will see an extension of the bilateral New START at the end of the day. But whether it is for one or five years remains to be seen.

Would a Biden administration, come January, roll back some of Trumps nuke modernization plans?

The Democrats, in general, seek a safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent for the United States and Americas allies at an affordable cost. Although there was a loose bipartisan consensus for the modernization program, there are some components that may be revisited. For example, the ICBM replacement, the ground based strategic deterrent, could be forsook for another life extension of Minuteman III, which may save some cost. I do think certain capabilities, such as the low yield SLBM and the nuclear sea launch cruise missile, could be rolled back. But those are not so much part of the modernization program as particular capabilities that the Trump administration believed filled a deterrent gap, which I suspect many in a Biden administration remain unconvinced ever existed.

To your mind, have India and Pakistan learnt the wrong lessons about escalation after Indias February 2019 Balakot air strikes and Pakistans retaliatory action?

I hesitate to judge what lessons either side may have privately taken away from Balakot, but at least publicly both sides seem to underestimate the role that pure luck played in keeping the crisis from further escalating. I think, for example, that if Indian fighter pilot Abhinandan Varthaman had been killed when his MiG-21 was shot down, or if he had died in Pakistani custody, or if there was a delay in his return and Prime Minister Narendra Modi carried out an alleged surface-to-surface missile strike, the crisis could have quickly escalated as domestic political pressure to hit back boiled over. Even in this case, where neither state wanted a broader war, both sides do seem to underestimate the risk that they came very close to stumbling into one. In general, Indias frustration with Pakistans continued use of terror against the Indian homeland is leading it to see how far it can push the line against another nuclear weapons power. That frustration is understandable, but it does not mean that pushing the line is risk-free.

I am disappointed you did not ask me about my hobby horse: the sanctity of Indias No First Use (NFU) declaration! At this point, no one believes the absoluteness of Indias NFU declaration though it sort of remains official doctrine including, most importantly, Indias government itself.

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Vipin Narang on the Global Nuclear Landscape: Hype and Reality - The Diplomat

Extension town halls to focus on interpreting business data – pvtimes.com

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Finding and interpreting market research and other useful business and industry data can be challenging for small business owners. University of Nevada, Reno Extension will walk small business owners through real-life examples of finding and interpreting data to help them with their business challenges, at its free online town hall this Wednesday.

The town hall is free, and there will be an English-language session and a Spanish-language session. The online interactive sessions are part of a series of online town halls and webinars for small businesses, Coping With COVID-19, that the Extension has been offering weekly since April.

A few months ago, we held a session where we covered the basics of how market research can help small businesses, and where they can access some data, said Extensions Lucas Thomas, who will lead this weeks sessions. But, this week, we will actually walk them through the process and address questions and challenges they might encounter, because it can be pretty overwhelming when you first dive in.

Thomas has been working closely with business counselors to gather data for small businesses and deliver the data in a concise, easy-to-interpret manner.

The town hall, Market Research and Navigating Business Data, is 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14 for English speakers and at 2 p.m. for Spanish speakers. In addition to Thomas, panelists include Small Business Administration Deputy District Director Saul Ramos and outreach/marketing specialist Alfredo Cedeno and, from the Extension, business development instructors Reyna Mendez and Juan Salas and research associate Mike Bindrup.

We are going to continue to offer these weekly town halls for our states small businesses because they face so many challenges right now, and there is so much information to sort through, said Buddy Borden, economic development specialist with Extensions Business Development Program. Besides the information we present, we answer a lot of questions, and the participants share with each other what they are learning and what they are doing to get through this difficult time.

Both the town halls and the webinars usually run about an hour.

To register for the English-language town hall, go to https://bit.ly/2FnXmTz

For the Spanish-language town hall, go to https://bit.ly/2SQkIEy

For more information, go to the Extension Business Development Program website at extension.unr.edu/busdev.

For more information, email Borden at bordenb@unr.edu

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Extension town halls to focus on interpreting business data - pvtimes.com