March to the Newsstands: What Consumers are Reading This Month
by Anna Gleksman /At the start of each month, newsstands and mailboxes are flooded with the latest issues of travel magazines and publications featuring major stories about new destinations. In case you haven’t gotten through your magazine stack yet, TMR has created a guide to what’s being talked about this month to keep you in the know. Here are the stories your clients will be calling you about in March:
AFAR: This month’s issue focuses on a new trend for 2016—solo travel. “Our Ultimate Guide to Solo Travel” focuses on how traveling alone is a way to clear a traveler’s mind, meet new people, and have solo experiences. The main feature, called “The World is Yours,” is a guide with advice, confessions, and ideas for the solo traveler, including where to go and how to travel.
Canadian Geographic Travel: March is National Park month for Canada’s travel magazine. From Bruce Peninsula National Park in Ontario to Jasper National Park in Alberta, the March issues gives readers a taste of what the eight parks have to offer. The feature gives advice on when to go, who to go with, what to bring, and where to stay.
New York Times Travel: This month, the Times is exploring Saudi Arabia with the article “In Saudi Arabia, Kingdom to Myself”. The piece focuses on how, as the birth place of Islam, the country is a destination filled with its own unique history—a country with religious significance, “untrammeled beaches and unfiltered local culture.” Though Saudi Arabia isn’t a well-known tourism capital, the article describes the Saudi people as welcoming “disarmingly friendly and hospitable.”
National Geographic Traveler: This month, Nat Geo is leading with a spread on Botswana called “Botswana: The Last Sanctuary.” As elephants face endangerment because of illegal ivory trading, the country is becoming “the last sanctuary” for the species. The article follows how the country is protecting elephants and takes readers to the Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve, two places where elephants can roam free.
Global Traveler: Global Traveler’s March issue explores the charm of Basel’s Riehen district as the art world begins to prepare for Art Basel, one of the world’s largest art fairs. The magazine’s feature, titled “Basel, Riehen District,” takes readers on a wandering journey through northern Switzerland, in and out of Swiss galleries and green space.
Smithsonian: This month, Smithsonian is all about cheese. Its March issue takes readers to a cheese farm owned by Michael Utecht, a 50-year-old former communications executive for software giant SAP who decided to step away from the corporate world and pursue cheese making at his Alpine farm. The article follows Utchet’s journey in creating the sustainable farm and how the drastic change in scenery gave him a new lease on life.
Travel + Leisure: A feature this month in T+L takes a look at ecological tourism. In particular, the article explores the transformation of Arkaba, a former 19th century sheep station that has been transformed into a bastion of conservation in Australia’s southern outback.
Pic:bruce_bowen