On Saturday, June 29th, one of Boston’s most beloved music venues, Somerville’s The Burren, will host an impressive triple bill of rock music experts both local and from afar. Doors open at 6 PM with the Satch Kerans Band kicking things off. This Boston-based band has been a staple in the local rock scene for over 30 years, boasting a remarkable portfolio of shows, partnerships, and recordings, including critically acclaimed releases and early co-bills with Little Steven, Roy Orbison, and NRBQ.

At 7 PM, Hummingbird Syndicate takes the stage, led by the songwriting duo Lynn Shipley and Jon Macey, two of Boston’s finest power pop songwriters known for their tight harmonies.

At 8 PM, Nashville-based roots-rocker Mike Younger, a fresh face in the Boston music scene, makes his debut at The Burren with a backing band of local session players. Younger has been a relentless touring artist since the release of his recent album, Burning The Bigtop Down, featuring contributions from Levon Helm and other rock era legends.

Discover Singapore’s marvels anew with revolutionary location-based AR on Google Maps, courtesy of Singapore Tourism and Google’s innovative partnership.

Unveiled at Google I/O 2024, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Google are expanding their collaboration to enhance Augmented Reality (AR) experiences, which will now be directly available on Google Maps for the first time. STB is one of only two organizations worldwide to participate in a pilot program that will introduce immersive AR experiences in Singapore via Google Maps later this summer.

This partnership builds on the success of Merli’s Immersive Adventure, an innovative AR tour featuring six captivating stops around Singapore, launched in January through STB’s Visit Singapore Travel Guide app. Powered by Google’s ARCore and Geospatial Creator, the tour follows Singapore’s tourism mascot, Merli, guiding visitors to iconic spots like the Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall, Fullerton Hotel, and Maxwell Food Centre.

Discovering local landmarks through AR on Google Maps

As part of this pilot, STB will continue leveraging Google’s ARCore and Geospatial Creator to develop new location-based AR experiences. Previously available only on its travel app, these new AR experiences will soon be accessible within the Google Maps mobile app, one of only two cities offering these experiences. Additionally, STB has enlisted over a dozen other tourism stakeholders in Singapore to join the pilot, each developing their own location-based AR experiences. Participants include retail malls along Orchard Road, local heritage businesses in Chinatown, and popular museums and attractions, collectively offering 30 points of interest with AR experiences for an immersive journey through key tourism precincts in Singapore.

These experiences will feature a unique blend of multicultural neighborhoods, iconic architecture, and delicious cuisine, including Chinatown, the Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay, Sentosa Sensoryscape, and more. Visitors can watch a ceremonial dragon dance in Chinatown or explore local dishes at Maxwell Food Centre through a wide range of AR experiences available across Singapore.

With this expansion, AR content will be accessible remotely via Street View on the Google Maps mobile app, ensuring a seamless and accessible experience regardless of location. Users near landmarks can discover AR content on their mobile devices by scanning their surroundings using Lens in Maps, overlaying digital information onto the physical world. This feature will assist visitors in planning their trips to Singapore and navigating the island through AR tours.

The full experience will be available on Google Maps later this summer. STB plans to expand the number of location-based AR experiences beyond 30, aiming to make Singapore the world’s first “AR City” in Google Maps.

Eric Lai, Group Product Manager, AR said, “In collaboration with local partners like STB, we’re thrilled to unlock a new way for people to interact, engage and discover Singapore’s vibrant culture and history on Google Maps. Through location-based AR experiences, we’re making it more intuitive for over a billion users to discover this iconic city in a way like never before. This is just the beginning of a journey that will reshape how we explore the world.”

Simon Ang, Director, The Collaboratory, Singapore Tourism Board said: “We are excited to extend our partnership with Google to bring even more immersive and innovative experiences to travellers through AR on Google Maps. This partnership underscores STB’s dedication to testing the use of frontier technologies which can revolutionise the visitor’s experience of tomorrow. This pilot greatly benefits local businesses, who can leverage AR to tell different stories over the same spaces, and have their content discoverable and accessible on Google Maps. It also benefits travellers as it aids their discovery of new places of interest, and enriches them with a deeper understanding of Singapore’s rich history and culture through interactive storytelling. STB is committed to embracing technology to enhance the visitor experience and differentiate Singapore from other destinations.”

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) launched two new nonstop services. An early morning flight by Alaska Airlines commenced operations to Toronto-Pearson (YYZ), followed by Hainan Airlines initiating a new route to Chongqing (CKG), China. This marks SEA’s inaugural service to Chongqing, enhancing the international travel options for travelers and businesses in the region. Hainan Airlines recently reinstated its service to mainland China with several weekly flights to Beijing, and has now introduced a weekly flight to Chongqing, one of the largest cities in the world located in southwestern China.

“Our relationships with sister cities across the globe are critical for fostering partnerships and understanding,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “As the global gateway to the Pacific Northwest region, expansive international routes through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport allow us to strengthen connections to communities worldwide. Thanks to our partners at Hainan Airlines, Seattle and the entire Pacific Northwest region can further improve our relationship and connections with communities and leaders in our sister city Chongqing.”

“Last month we honored our sister city relationship with Kobe, Japan, and now we get to celebrate our sister city in China. It’s important to cultivate and solidify these international relationships, and being directly connected through our aviation gateway allows us to maintain our friendship,” said Port of Seattle Commission Vice President Toshiko Hasegawa. “We appreciate our partnership with Hainan Airlines and our shared work to better connect our world.”

Chongqing, known as “The Mountain City” due to its challenging landscape, has been a sister city to Seattle since 1983. This sprawling metropolis lies at the meeting point of the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers and blends 3,000 years of history with a burst of recent development. With a total population of 32 million across the municipality and over 6 million in the city center, Chongqing fosters numerous exchanges with Seattle across various sectors including education, arts, government, trade, medicine, and science.

Visitors to Chongqing can explore cultural sites like the Sichuan Fine Arts Academy, enjoy a scenic cruise on the Yangtze River, visit the UNESCO World Heritage Dazu Buddhist site, among other diverse activities. Hainan Airlines operates more than 40 international and regional routes from China, providing extensive travel options. With ongoing improvements in bilateral flight agreements between the U.S. and China, Hainan Airlines plans to expand its connections between the West Coast and China.

Trivago, the international hotel search platform, recently declared its new insights from its yearly consumer travel survey. It identifies the primary shifts in the growing landscape of consumer travel and it’s supposed effect of vacation on mental health.

Also, proprietary search statistics from trivago throws light on the best destinations and average prices of hotels for the forthcoming summer travel season.

The research findings display a powerful correlation between travel and comfort with 78% of travelers from the US confirming that consistent vacations have a positive effect on the health of their mind.
For around 65% of respondents said that the main objective of holidaying is relaxation, while almost 39% precisely focus on improving their mental well-being in general.

Moreover, 33% of travelers look for diversion through travel. These results underline the healing impact of travel, offering a much-required sojourn from the daily pressures and providing an opportunity for rejuvenation.

In spite of the challenges of increasing living cost, recent study from the ConsumerWise Report of McKinsey shows travel as a more popular investment category in Q1 2024, before apparel and beauty sector which it dropped back in the last quarter of 2023.

As per the study of trivago, over half i.e., 54% of the consumers from U.S. are prepared to dip into their savings to get on board their summer travels.

The Seagate in Delray Beach, Florida, is undergoing extensive renovations, including significant upgrades to its Seagate Beach Club. The club’s two-story, 250-seat, 3,500-square-foot oceanfront clubhouse will undergo an extensive restoration, closing on May 20th and scheduled to reopen in October. During the renovation, members and hotel guests will continue to enjoy access to the beachside pool, Shoreline Grille, the outdoor bar, and full-service beach amenities.

The renovation project will feature architectural and interior design enhancements by Dash Design from New York. The updates will emphasize the clubhouse’s Colonial architecture with classic design elements that convey a light and artistic aesthetic. The main entrance will be adorned in a soft blue to enhance the stunning ocean views. The first floor will see a revitalization of its 1,650-square-foot indoor dining area and a 1,907-square-foot walkway, updating the dining space, cocktail bar, and staircase with a palette of cream, blue, and tan hues. The bar area will also be upgraded to maximize views of the beach and the vast Atlantic Ocean.

The second floor, which includes 1,714 square feet of indoor dining space and an 860-square-foot patio, will serve as a dining and bar lounge. It will feature a calming color scheme of sage and olive-green, both in architectural elements and furnishings, designed to create a relaxing environment for enjoying cocktails and light fare.

Founded in the 1950s, the Seagate Beach Club has been a staple for generations of Delray Beach residents and hotel guests. The original building was destroyed during Hurricane Wilma in 2005, leading to the construction of the new two-story clubhouse.

The global travel sector is experiencing a renaissance in 2024, with consumer spending on tourism robust and passenger traffic soaring, as detailed in the latest Mastercard Economics Institute (MEI) report. Titled “Travel Trends 2024: Breaking Boundaries,” the report offers comprehensive insights into the evolving travel landscape across 74 markets, including 13 in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.

Travel is booming despite fluctuating exchange rates and varying affordability levels, with nine of the last ten record-setting spending days in the global cruise and airline industries occurring this year. The MEI forecasts continued momentum as consumers prioritize meaningful experiences, allocating more of their budgets to travel.

Asia Pacific stands out with half of the world’s top ten trending destinations. Japan leads as the #1 destination, driven by a weak yen and favorable exchange rates, attracting over 3 million visitors in March 2024. The APAC region also sees a rebound in passenger traffic, especially for short, intra-regional trips. Thailand is on track to fully recover its tourism sector, with inbound flight traffic surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

Chinese Mainland domestic tourism has normalized and exceeded 2019 levels, while international travel is recovering, now at 80.3% of 2019 levels. The MEI expects further growth, supported by visa exemptions and increased international flight capacity.

Indian tourism is at an all-time high, with 97 million passengers traveling through Indian airports in the first quarter of 2024. Domestic passenger traffic is up 21% compared to 2019, and international traffic has increased by 4%.

APAC tourists are extending their stays, averaging 7.4 days per trip in 2024, compared to 6.1 days in 2019. This trend boosts local economies as longer stays translate to higher spending per trip.

Tourists globally are prioritizing experiences and nightlife, with Australians leading in spending on these activities. The trend towards casual over luxury is notable, except in markets like Japan and Hong Kong SAR, where luxury retail is booming due to exceptional value.

As travel surges in 2024, the Mastercard Economics Institute provides businesses and policymakers with actionable insights to navigate the evolving tourism landscape.