Travel

Skift Take Someday a computer-generated avatar may explain why you can’t fly business class to Dubai. In the meantime, travel management and travel tech companies are testing how to apply Gen AI to various parts of business travel. Sean O’Neill While the travel agent on the screen looked and sounded like a video game character,

Skift Take Patrick Mendes, Accor’s CEO of Europe and North Africa, is excited about this year’s Olympics — in large part because Accor is an official partner of this year’s event. Rashaad Jorden The Skift Travel Podcast is continuing its series on the Paris Olympics. This episode features a discussion with Patrick Mendes, Accor’s CEO

Skift Take For Hyatt, a marketing tie-up with Under Canvas represents a strategic expansion into the booming outdoor resort sector, catering to travelers seeking posh stays in natural surroundings. Sean O’Neill Hyatt Hotels on Thursday entered a new alliance with Under Canvas, a brand that runs 13 luxury outdoor resorts. This move enables Hyatt to

Skift Take Barcelona is pivoting away from mass to quality tourism promotion in the wake of local outrage and pressure. Dawit Habtemariam Barcelona’s tourism board is replacing its 15-year-old slogan ‘Visit Barcelona’ with ‘This is Barcelona.’ The change in language marks a shift in strategy: Turisme de Barcelona had been promoting mass tourism – now it

Skift Take SpiceJet has been facing financial and legal issues for years. However, the positive momentum of the Indian aviation industry is keeping it from going bankrupt, and that is what the airline is banking on. Bulbul Dhawan Low-cost Indian carrier SpiceJet has secured its board’s approval to raise up to INR 30 billion ($358

Skift Take SAP Concur, the behemoth of corporate travel and expense management, is flexing its muscles. Its new travel booking platform, now widely available in major markets, boasts a sleeker interface and richer content. Sean O’Neill The top boss of SAP Concur, the most-used travel and expense management platform, said the company had made significant

Skift Take India’s focus in recent years has been on tourism destination development. In its plan to diversify its offerings to attract different types of travelers, adventure tourism caters to a growing demand. Bulbul Dhawan The Indian government is exploring adventure tourism as an avenue of promoting destinations across the country. For instance, earlier this

Skift Take MakeMyTrip has the burgeoning middle class and their growing wallets to thank for its recent performance. Peden Doma Bhutia India’s rising middle class and higher disposable income have boosted spending on discretionary services, while the growing lower middle class has bolstered domestic travel, said Rajesh Magow, group CEO of MakeMyTrip, during an earnings

Skift Take Business travel is roaring back, with global spending projected to surpass pre-pandemic levels in dollar volume this year. Face-to-face wins. Sean O’Neill Business travel spending worldwide is projected to reach an all-time high of $1.48 trillion by the end of 2024, surpassing pre-pandemic levels for the first time, the Global Business Travel Association

Skift Take In today’s rapidly evolving travel landscape, the trend toward direct-to-consumer (DTC) models has brought both opportunities and challenges. A new report from Travelport delves into the complexities and nuances of this shift, making a case for modern retailing that puts the consumer first. Travelport This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a

With the 2024 Republican presidential ticket of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance solidified last week in Milwaukee, Democrats have a lot of work to do before their convention in less than a month – now without an official candidate or a vice presidential nominee. On Sunday, just after announcing he would be stepping out of

Short-term rental platforms have not been raising money in 2024 quite as often as last year. But they made a bit of a comeback this week with two niche platforms getting nearly $50 million in funding.  One is a growing platform for renting camper vans — interestingly, a much smaller U.S. competitor shut down in

Skift Take As more people in India are seeking upscale living options that blend luxury with convenience, IHCL is leveraging its strong brand and hospitality expertise, to step into this space to meet these evolving demands. Peden Doma Bhutia The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) is diving into the branded residences market with its first

Skift Take Hyatt sees adding luxury lifestyle hotels like Standard Hotels as creating a virtuous cycle of growth in its loyalty program and pipeline. Sean O’Neill Hyatt is reportedly near to closing a transaction with Standard International, owner of the luxury lifestyle brand The Standard and other brands. What’s behind the potential deal? The Standard

Skift Take Negotiations between American and its flight attendants became so tense that their union told members to be prepared to strike this summer. The tentative deal now makes it unlikely that flight attendants could stage a summer strike. Meghna Maharishi American Airlines struck a tentative deal with its flight attendants union, ending years of

Skift Take Despite facing backlash due to the housing crunch in many cities, Europe’s short-term rental market is booming this summer. Saniya Zanpure Europe’s short-term rental market is booming this summer, defying stricter regulations aimed at curbing its rapid growth. Even with licensing hurdles in many countries, the market in Europe is thriving.  The Skift

Skift Take The Expedia-Ryanair hotel partnership earlier this year was an early signal that the two big travel companies were on the precipice of settling long-standing differences. Dennis Schaal Expedia Group and Ryanair settled a long-running dispute, which will culminate in several months with Expedia customers being able to book the airline’s standalone flights and

Skift Take It is the latest in a string of billion-dollar deals for Alabbar, known for creating Emaar in Dubai. Josh Corder One of the most powerful real estate developers in the Gulf is partnering with the Indonesian government to boost its tourism sector. Eagle Hills, chaired by Emirati billionaire Mohamed Alabbar, has agreed to