Consumer Media Focus on Spring Travel

Spring is in the air; travelers are making vacation plans; and consumer travel publications are using their April issues to spark interest. Here’s an overview of what your customers will be reading—and thinking—about.

Travel + Leisure: The feature story in the April issue is on Goa, the beachfront portion of India, known in the 80s and 90s as India’s Ibiza. Now it’s getting a serious face lift.  Also featured is Oakland, CA, where a “hipster Utopia” has formed, brining great restaurants, nightlife, and artistry that is local. Sound like Brooklyn? The article dubs Oakland the “the Harlem of the West.”

Conde Nast Traveler: Traveling to the Maldives but can’t find a place that’s “kid friendly?” Conde Nast Traveler has a list of hotels that are chic for parents but also have great elements for children. Puglia, Italy, for example, has communal restaurants, family pools, and European playgrounds near cocktail areas, offering fun for the whole family.

National Geographic Travel: Seeing the world in a lifetime seems like an impossible feat, but this month National Geographic Travel maps out a way to take seven trips to seven continents over seven decades. First up is North America, mapping all the important places to bring a young child. Next is China, good for teens and tweens. Third is Europe, when visitors are in their 20s. Next come Australia, South America, Africa, and finally Antarctica—the “trip of a lifetime.”

Wanderlust Travel Magazine: Traveling to Southeast Asia is exotic, but adding in 17 World Heritage sites makes it a true cultural experience. This month Wanderlust Travel highlights 17 destinations such as temples, natural wonders, and wild parks. One notable one is Halong Bay, Cat Ba Islands, in Vietnam, which boasts large mountainous islands and wooden ships, like a “Pirates of the Caribbean” set come to life.

Food and Travel:  The highlight this month is Manta, Ecuador, a best-kept secret in South America that rivals Peru in food and Spanish culture.