All Recreation & Leisure Articles
  • Research shows that you should let consumers’ photos speak for your…

    Linchi Kwok Travel, Hospitality & Event Management

    The advance of technology and the widespread adoption of smartphones and handheld devices in recent years have enabled us to publish our experience about a product or service through online photo or video sharing and provide a review. Online review websites have also updated their features, making it easier for consumers to attach pictures or videos to their reviews. As both consumers and businesses adapt to the new photo-sharing trend, it becomes crucial to expand our knowledge regarding user-generated photos’ (UGPs’) effect on online reviews.

  • 6 of America’s funkiest art towns

    Dave G. Houser Travel, Hospitality & Event Management

    According to a 2019 report from the U.S. Travel Association, nearly half of all vacationers visit an art museum or gallery during their travels. While one would expect to find art on prominent display in large cities such as New York and San Francisco or in artsy hot spots like Santa Fe or Sedona, there are a number of small, offbeat and under-the-radar towns where you’ll find some of America’s most avant-garde and inspirational art. If you’re ready for some oddball ingenuity and cosmic craziness, let’s check out this select list of America’s funkiest art towns.

  • Infographic: The business of women’s sports and how it’s growing

    Jason Adams Sports & Fitness

    The world of women’s sports has been gaining attention for the past few years, and today it’s trending more than ever. Viewership for women’s sports has increased significantly just in the past year. For example, viewership for the National Women’s Soccer League grew by 300% in 2020. It’s a common misconception that men are much more drawn to sports than women, but the truth is that the difference in interest between genders is small. Eighty-four percent of sports fans are interested in women’s sports.

  • 4 myths of front sight focus

    Mike Ox Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

    There are a ton of myths floating around about using a front sight focus on a self-defense pistol. One is that you must always use a front sight focus. I agree with this for bullseye shooting, 4H shooting, hunting non-dangerous game, and other specific situations. I also think it’s critical to practice front sight focus during every practice session and at the end of every string of fire (red dots are the possible/probable exception). Let's take a quick look at a few others.

  • A German car heritage, now electrified

    David Newton Transportation Technology & Automotive

    If you traced the family tree on my mother’s side, you would find only Irish decedents. There are virtually no citizens from other countries (that any of her family will admit to). On my father’s side there’s far more diversity — though that may just prove that I’m a mutt. On this list are random nationalities such as Swedish and French-Canadian, but most definitely German. Although by definition I am only fractionally so, I believe that I can claim in a court of law that I am German by birthright. Because like DNA, a smidgen of ancestral evidence is all I need to prove my case. And if lifetime percentage of vehicle ownership means anything to anyone, I am fully one-third German.

  • Infographic: The rise of the ready-to-drink cocktail market

    Brian Wallace Food & Beverage

    As we all were forced to become our own bartenders last year, 44% of Americans began purchasing alcohol online, and purchases of ready-to-drink cocktails grew by 43% worldwide. It’s awesome that COVID at least gave us some tasty new drinks, but sometimes it’s even better to be able to just grab the drink and relax, without all the prep, mixing, and cleanup. Ready-to-drink gives us the perks of a "bartender" doing all the work from the comfort of our own homes. These drinks may have risen in popularity due to our collision with calamity, but unlike quarantine mandates, ready-to-drink cocktails are here to stay.

  • Besides higher wages, what else can businesses do to address labor shortages?

    Linchi Kwok Travel, Hospitality & Event Management

    When everyone in hospitality is hiring to meet growing demand and prepare for the summer, many are struggling to fill job openings. How bad is the current labor shortage situation? A restaurant owner in New York City, for instance, posted a job listing for a host/hostess position at $30 an hour but received no response for two weeks. A year ago, the same restaurant would have received "hundreds and hundreds of resumes" already for the same position paying $20 an hour. When every company is offering a higher wage and even sign-on bonuses to new hires, businesses must do more to respond to the labor shortage challenge.

  • National Scenic Byways get a boost from Congress

    Dave G. Houser Recreation & Leisure

    Just in time for an expected onrush of road trips this summer, the Federal Highway Administration has unveiled 34 new National Scenic Byways (NSB) and 15 new All-American Roads (AAR) across 28 states — bringing the total number of byways to 184 in 48 states. The flurry of new byway designations came in February, following passage by Congress of the Reviving America’s Scenic Byways Act, aimed at bringing new jobs, tourism, and other benefits to communities along these scenic routes, many of which are well off the beaten path and in serious need of additional resources.

  • Global tourism recovery gets boost from industry leaders at WTTC 2021

    Lark Gould Travel, Hospitality & Event Management

    The world's tourism leaders gathered for the 2021 World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) summit on April 26 to get a shared perspective on how to handle the ongoing crisis in world tourism numbers — a global condition of the 2020 pandemic that has seen the disappearance of more than 60 million jobs. "The impact of Covid in the travel and tourism sector had an impact 18 times stronger than the impact of the global financial crisis that occurred in 2008. This is why the event is so important, because it is the global platform for recovery," said Gloria Guevara Manzo, CEO and president of the WTTC.

  • Are you ready to plug in?

    Dave G. Houser Transportation Technology & Automotive

    If predictions from auto industry experts are right, your next set of wheels could well be powered by electricity. According to the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on U.S. roads is projected to reach almost 20 million by 2030 — up from just 1 million in 2018. There is no question the future of electric transportation is evolving at a breakneck pace. Incentivizing the adoption of EVs in the U.S. is a federal tax credit for most electric vehicles for up to $7,500. That is, except for Tesla and GM, whose output has exceeded the credit’s cutoff of 200,000 vehicles sold.