Destinations Meet Darwin: How These 23 U.S. Cities Are Adapting to Survive

Cris Pierry / Visual Hunt

Seattle’s artists are keeping the energy alive downtown during the quiet of the pandemic by using the protective plywood on suspended businesses as canvases. Cris Pierry / Visual Hunt

Skift Take: Take a look at what these cities have pulled together with limited resources under the weight of this pandemic. It’s a true testament to resiliency and creativity.

— Matt Stiker

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U.S. Travel’s Lobby Group Gestures Toward Reopening With New Health Guidelines

Michael Probst / Associated Press

A pilot wearing a face-mask prepares to board an aircraft. Michael Probst / Associated Press

Skift Take: The U.S. travel industry wants to restore traveler confidence with new health and safety measures. A 15-page report outlining hygienic best practice is a start, but more is needed for it to become standard across all sectors of the industry.

— Rosie Spinks

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Italian Mountain Retreat Looks to Summer With Hope — And Trepidation

Luca Bruno / Associated Press

Italian Tennis Federation coaches Daniele Brasi, 41, right, is flanked by his brother Luca Brasi, 55, as they pose for a portrait on their tennis court in Rovetta, near Bergamo, northern Italy. The brothers, who lost an uncle to Covid-19, run one of the biggest Italian Tennis Federation centers in the valley. Luca Bruno / Associated Press

Skift Take: The people of the Val Seriana valley in northern Italy offer a glimpse into the anticipation — and anxieties — of tourism businesses looking to this uncertain summer ahead.

— Tom Lowry

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UK Mulls a Variety of Testing Requirements for Travelers

Paul Hackett / Reuters

Commuters look at the departures board in 2013 as they wait for trains at King’s Cross station in London. British authorities are mulling new rules for commuters. Paul Hackett / Reuters

Skift Take: Will the UK’s safeguards for commuters and travelers be rigorous enough to protects the public health during a reopening? A more details plan will be forthcoming.

— Dennis Schaal

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Travelers from Wuhan and Major Cities Lead Chinese Spike in Domestic Holiday Travel

Ng Han Guan / Associated Press

Travelers with their luggage walk past the Hankou railway station on the eve of its resuming outbound traffic in Wuhan in central China’s Hubei province on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Domestic tourism spike on the May 1 Labor Day holiday. Ng Han Guan / Associated Press

Skift Take: Chinese travel spiked during the Labor Day holiday but authorities set a 30 percent capacity at major tourism sites. China is a first-mover in a global travel recovery.

— Dennis Schaal

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Coronavirus Ends Dreams to Hike Entire 2,200-Mile Appalachian Trail

Sarah Blake Morgan / Associated Press

Alexandra Eagle and Jonathan Hall will not be able to complete their goal of hiking the entire stretch of the Appalachian Trail. Sarah Blake Morgan / Associated Press

Skift Take: Even the remote stretches of the Maine-to-Georgia Appalachian Trail aren’t enough to assuage concerns about the pandemic. The trail was closed last week, ending the ambitions of hikers looking to go the distance.

— Tom Lowry

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