Skift Daily Briefing

Ask Skift Is the AI Chatbot for the Travel Industry. Try It. Episode Notes The U.S. tourism industry has gotten a boost from the Biden administration lifting its vaccine requirement for inbound travelers in May. However, a prominent U.S. tourism official believes the industry won’t make a full recovery without the large-scale return of Chinese visitors, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtema...

Try the AI Chatbot for the Travel Industry Episode Notes Travel demand among Chinese citizens has surged since Beijing eased the country’s strict Covid-era curbs in January. So how can travel brands tap into one of the world’s most lucrative markets? Skift Research examines in a new report what strategies companies should take to attract Chinese travelers. Senior Research Analyst Varsha Arora writ...

Try the AI Chatbot for the Travel Industry Episode Notes Airfares in India have been soaring recently, and a new report finds the country registered the highest increase in airfares in the Asia-Pacific region, reports Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia.  A study conducted by Airports Council International attributed the surging airfares to factors such as rising fuel prices and pent-up travel demand. T...

Try the AI Chatbot for the Travel Industry Episode Notes Saturday’s Champions League final, perhaps soccer’s most prestigious annual event, drew tens of thousands of visitors to Istanbul. But local officials believe the action on the field is secondary to the boost the game will give the city’s tourism industry, writes Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes.  While Dawes writes that visiting fans...

Episode Notes Airline executives acknowledged this week they could be in the midst of a recession. But they’re largely unconcerned about an economic downturn impeding the industry’s ongoing recovery, reports Edward Russell, editor of Airline Weekly, a Skift publication. Leaders speaking at a major aviation conference in Istanbul expressed optimism about aviation’s boom continuing. International Ai...

Episode Notes The short-term rental industry has experienced a major boom coming out of the pandemic. But Laurence Tosi, founder of investment firm WestCap, believes the sector’s enormous growth is slowing down, reports Associate Editor Rashaad Jorden.  Tosi said that future growth for travel will moderate during a discussion at the Skift Short-Term Rental Summit on Wednesday. He also told Skift f...

Episode Notes Hotel executives expressed optimism this week for a continued boom despite inflation and a possible recession, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.  Accor CEO Sébastien Bazin said at an event organized by New York University that the future for the hotel industry has never been as strong as it currently is. Bazin added that hotel rates in Paris have been 50 percent above 2...

Episode Notes Travel companies across the U.S. have seen an enormous boom in leisure travel demand coming out of the pandemic. However, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby believes the U.S. is in a “business recession,” reports Edward Russell, editor of Airline Weekly, a Skift publication.  Kirby said at a conference in Istanbul on Monday that while consumer spending is strong, the same can’t be said...

Episode Notes Tourists from the U.S. are boosting the UK’s tourism recovery, with more Americans traveling to the country in 2022 than prior to the pandemic, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam.  A little more than 4.5 million Americans traveled to the UK last year, a 2 percent jump from 2019. In addition, American visitors were spending more and staying longer in the country. America...

Episode Notes The short-term rental industry has seen an enormous boom over the last decade. And ahead of Skift’s Short-Term Rental Summit in New York next week, Skift Research has unveiled the Skift Short-Term Rental 250, a list of the 250 most prominent companies in the industry. Head of Skift Research Wouter Geerts writes the detailed look at the sector comes four years after its seminal report...

Episode Notes Expedia Group CEO Peter Kern recently accused rival online travel agency Agoda of undercutting the nightly rates posted on official hotel websites, and that’s anathema to hotels. So how has Agoda been able to discover cheaper rates? Executive Editor Dennis Schaal explains how in his weekly Online Travel Briefing.  Schaal includes a video of then-Agoda CEO John Brown at Skift Forum Ea...

Episode Notes Destinations across the Middle East are poised to get a major tourism boost from China — or more specifically, China’s wealthiest citizens, reports Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia in this week’s Middle East Travel Roundup.  More than 20 percent of Chinese millionaires plan to visit the Middle East in the next year, according to a recent report from luxury consulting firm Agility. Bhuti...

Episode Notes Independent hotel brand Arlo Hotels had emphasized smaller rooms in its properties when it launched as part of its appeal. But the company is moving to larger rooms due to a shift in consumer demand, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.  Real estate development firm Quadrum Global recently announced it’s planning to bring Brookyln’s The Williamsburg Hotel under its Arlo Ho...

Episode Notes Skift editorial events producer Jane Alexander is joined by Skift’s head of research, Wouter Geerts, P.H.D., and research analyst, Saniya Zanpure, to discuss a the travel industry's complete recovery from the pandemic. They discuss how this past April the Skift Travel Health Index average score surpassed that of 2019 for the first time, the weaknesses that still exist and the opportu...

Episode Notes A recent report in the Wall Street Journal said Choice Hotels International is considering buying Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. However, hotel industry analysts are skeptical, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. O’Neill writes a Choice Hotels-Wyndham merger could create the largest hotel franchisor in the U.S. But he cites two analysts who explained why it’s unlikely to happe...

Episode Notes The travel industry has reached a significant milestone in its recovery from the pandemic. Skift Research’s Travel Health Index for April 2023 reveals the industry is performing better than it did prior to the pandemic. Research Analyst Saniya Zanpure reports the Index’s average global score in April hit 101 percent of pre-Covid levels, 2 percentage points higher than the previous mo...

Episode Notes Skift senior media producer Jose Marmolejos speaks with Skift executive editor Dennis Schaal about his latest article on Skift.com covering the 10 highest-paid online travel execs in 2022. They discuss who topped the list, how executive pay has trended in the last few years, and whether these large compensation packages are necessary to recruit top-notch talent. In other Skift news,...

Episode Notes Hotel giants like Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton have unveiled plans in recent weeks to open extended-stay brands. They’re betting the segment will continue to grow in popularity in years to come, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano said in a recent earnings call that his company would be launching an extended-stay product in the near future. Hil...

Episode Notes Google Travel eliminated the feature that allowed Gmail users to view summaries of their past, present and future trips on google.com/travel, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal.  A Google spokesperson said the tech giant decided to scrap the free feature in Google Travel because it didn’t attract enough users to justify the resources required to maintain or further develop it. Ho...

Episode Notes People who want knowledge about the travel industry on Wednesday got a valuable new resource to obtain critical information. Skift unveiled Ask Skift, an artificial intelligence chatbot that will answer your questions focused on the travel sector, says Skift founder and CEO Rafat Ali. Ali writes that a user can ask questions on Skift’s website such as “How is Airbnb planning to lever...

Episode Notes Uber is gradually beefing up its travel portfolio. The company has entered into a partnership with online travel agency Hopper that provides its UK-based users the opportunity to book flights and buy fintech products, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal.  Schaal notes that Uber is introducing the flight booking feature to a small percentage of its UK users in mid-May while plannin...

Episode Notes For today’s special episode, Skift senior media producer Jose Marmolejos is joined by Skift Global tourism reporter Dawit Habtemariam to talk about his article that was published on Skift about tourism boards and influencers.  Now in other Skift News, Asia editor Peter Bhutto . Travel Marketplace Skyscanner found that eight of the world’s top ten trending destinations for travelers a...

Episode Notes Social media influencers have become more powerful in marketing in recent years, with a growing number of companies looking to tap into their sometimes-enormous reach. That list includes destination marketing organizations, or tourism boards, that are developing more sophisticated marketing strategies for influencers as part of their plans to attract tourists, writes Global Tourism R...

Episode Notes Travel technology vendor Sabre is the latest major company in the tech industry to shed staff. Sabre announced on Thursday it’s cutting around 1,000 jobs, 15 percent of its workforce, writes Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes.  Dawes reports Sabre’s move is part of an effort to save $200 million annually and help improve its business operations. Chief Financial Officer Mike Rand...

Episode Notes Airbnb is on the cusp of an artificial intelligence-driven revolution, with the technology poised to radically transform the company’s operations, it says. So what might change at the short-term rental giant by next year? CEO Brian Chesky explains Airbnb’s plans in an interview with Skift founder and CEO Rafat Ali. Despite recently unveiling a series of launches yesterday at its annu...