What happened on the Virgin creators’ cruise?
Put 1,000 content creators on one boat and there’s bound to be drama
Welcome to the debut issue of The Tern, a digest of the most interesting travel news, written for industry insiders and anyone who loves seeing the world.
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Why “The Tern”? The name is a nod to the little bird known for flying further than any other creature, migrating from the Arctic to Antarctica (and back) annually, spending much of their life on the move. —Ed.1
ALL PUBLICITY’S GOOD PUBLICITY?
Virgin Voyages was unavoidable on the algo this week. Richard Branson’s youth-targeted cruise line teamed up with TikTok to turn a ship into a three-day party boat/content studio for more than 1,000 creators and influencers. But the effusive praise you’d expect for such a PR experience was quickly drowned out by viral drama.
Beyoncé’s former dance caption Ashley Everett took Virgin to task in since-deleted Threads posts suggesting racial discrimination, alleging she was kicked off a club stage while dancing to “Single Ladies,” and do you know who she is? She was in the “Single Ladies” music video. (Paraphrased but only lightly.)
Other guests and Internet commenters took sides. Everett eventually blamed a “misunderstanding,” and Virgin, in classic corporate-speak, described the stage removal as a safety decision, while reiterating a commitment to inclusivity.
Everything’s smoothed over now, but that hasn’t slowed the stories (People, TMZ, etc.) recounting accusations of mistreatment. Therein lies a reminder of influencer marketing’s risks: Drama is highly engaging content, irresistible to the algorithm and the press.
Post-cruise, Elayane Merriwether, head of brand and social at Virgin Voyages, confirmed on TikTok: “Yes, we’re doing another one.”
Expect lots more content across the cruise industry, given the money to be made: Cruise influencer Professor Melissa recently told Bloomberg she pulled in $350,000 USD last year — and that’s just her side hustle.
READ MORE: “Cruise influencers make $350,000 a year attracting Gen Z to ships” (Bloomberg, paywalled)
STAYCATION SUMMER
The state of the current global energy crisis: the worst ever in history, according to Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency. Earlier this month, he predicted that Europe had “maybe six weeks” of jet fuel left. The conflict between Iran, the U.S. and Israel has essentially closed the Strait of Hormuz, where one-quarter of the world’s seaborne oil flows.
Airlines around the world have begun cancelling flights and raising fares. Lufthansa has announced the most drastic cuts to date: It plans to axe 20,000 European short-haul flights for summer.
QUOTE, UNQUOTE
“Les abus d’Airbnb à Paris, c’est fini.”
—Emmanuel Grégoire, new Mayor of Paris, declaring that Airbnb’s abuses in Paris are over
It won’t be as easy anymore to book a cute pied-à-terre in the French capital. The new mayor has a staunch anti-Airbnb stance, promising tighter rules for short-term rentals.
Regulations are already strict: In the capital and other French cities, homeowners are permitted to rent out their primary residence for only 90 days, max, each year. In January, France’s supreme court also ruled that platforms like Airbnb are liable for illegal listings.
READ MORE: “Paris is ground zero for Europe’s backlash against illegal Airbnbs” (Fortune)
AND DID YOU HEAR…
For a long, long, long read in The Atlantic, Caity Weaver travelled 13,000 miles to determine the best free restaurant bread in America (paywalled).
You can now smell exactly like a fancy Bulgari hotel lobby.
Flying into Europe? Non-E.U. travellers should prepare to wait at the border check. Don’t book super-tight layovers.
Google has a new tool for tracking hotel prices.
Beware the reservation hijack scam.
Travel + Leisure’s 2026 It List is out. Somehow, a glamping resort with “no-frills accommodations” makes the grade as one of the “best new luxury hotels.”
The Tern is written by an anonymous travel journalist not named Ed.