Travel

Skift Take Should Booking.com have the right to compel Spanish hotels what rates they can charge on their own websites? That is the heart of the issue. Dennis Schaal Spain’s competition authority in February levied a draft fine of $530 million against Booking.com, but issued a final ruling today lowering the penalty to around $446

India’s retail payments body National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched UPI One World wallet for international travelers visiting India.  The wallet aims to allow travelers to make payments using the instant mobile payments system Unified Payments Interface without requiring an Indian mobile number or bank account.  What Does This Mean? Introduced in 2023

This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a Skift partner. Today’s travelers want customizable options, greater pricing transparency, and more convenient ways to manage their travel plans. As the airline industry adapts to meet these expectations, the shift toward a more personalized and efficient retailing strategy has become paramount.  Driven by offer and order

Skift Take In a region where convenience and speed are paramount, a seamless payment experience is not just a luxury, it’s a necessity for success. Peden Doma Bhutia As part of its strategy to enter key markets in Southeast Asia, India-based online travel agency (OTA) HappyEasyGo on Monday announced that it would be partnering with

Skift Take In-person sporting events are some of the last great communal gathering spots. We travel en masse to take-in competition, cheer on our teams and experience life. As a result, sports tourism has become an absolute economic juggernaut for the travel industry. In the immortal words of Jerry Maguire – Show Me The Money!

Skift Take IndiGo’s strategy shake-up is evident as it moves from low-cost basics to premium offerings, with business class, wide-body aircraft, and now in-flight entertainment. Peden Doma Bhutia To cater to a digitally-savvy India, low-cost carrier IndiGo announced significant digital upgrades to its website and mobile application Friday. As part of this initiative, the airline

The three startups in the list this week represent modern takes on old ways of doing business in three travel sectors: tour packages, timeshares, and hospitality tipping. Each of those areas have been particularly slow at modernizing, and the growth of the businesses highlighted shows that there’s demand to do so. The three startups this

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