Travel

Skift Take Delaware and Maryland beaches along with other U.S. coastal hotspots are seeing spikes in bookings for short-term rentals and vacation homes during the upcoming holiday weekend, according to exclusive data from AirDNA. Dawit Habtemariam Americans are heading to New York City for the Fourth of July weekend, but they’re not booking short-term rentals

Skift Take Hotel companies are betting big on the smaller towns in India. With spiritual tourism accounting for 60% of the domestic tourism, the segment is likely to drive the growth in the Indian hospitality industry for the next few years. Bulbul Dhawan Spiritual tourism will help develop more tourism-related infrastructure in emerging cities in

Skift Take Those with $50 million in the bank aren’t average, so it follows that neither are their vacations. In other words, Fitzgerald had it right: The very rich are different from you and me. By Sarah Kopit | June 23, 2024 According to Jimmy Carroll, containing the kidnapping “victims” is generally the hardest part

Skift Take Without a new contract, American Airlines flight attendants say they are preparing to potentially strike. Meghna Maharishi American Airlines’ flight attendants’ union said Thursday that it did not reach a new contract with management. The union added that the National Mediation Board is debating whether to release both parties into a 30-day cooling

Skift Take San Francisco is finally showing some gains. But the hole was deep. Dawit Habtemariam In a possible reversal of fortune, San Francisco’s hotel sector appears to be experiencing a resurgence, helped by the city’s burgeoning AI industry. But the city’s downtown faces an uphill battle for a full tourism recovery. Recent data from

Come July 1, U.S. hotels will need to comply with a California state law that requires upfront disclosure of the total cost — including all mandatory fees — of hotel rooms, among other travel services like short-term rentals and cruises. California Senate Bill 478 was designed to expose hidden “junk fees,” and marks a shift

Skift Take With faster passport renewals, Americans will have an easier time traveling internationally. Dawit Habtemariam In December 2023, the State Department said it had brought passport processing times to their pre-pandemic levels of six to eight weeks. Two moves in the past two weeks could help bring them down further. Earlier this week, Secretary

Skift Take Today’s podcast looks at the state of venture capital, Airbnb’s California pricing display, and corporate travel’s move to AI. Rashaad Jorden Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, June 21, 2024, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. Listen Now 🎧 Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Google Podcasts Episode Notes Venture

Skift Take Varying state laws on price transparency may become confusing for consumers and a more complex issue for short-term rental providers. Dennis Schaal People who visit Airbnb’s website and app in the U.S. first view the nightly rate and they can toggle to view the total price with all fees before taxes. However, starting

Skift Take With Ennismore’s backing and Accor’s distribution, Our Habitas is poised for some major growth. The brand already has multiple projects in the works, with a focus on Saudi Arabia and Asia. Sean O’Neill Ennismore, the fast-growing lifestyle hospitality company that’s an Accor joint venture, said Thursday it had entered into a strategic partnership

Skift Take As JetBlue makes carry-on bags free for all passengers, is United’s isolated market positioning becoming increasingly untenable? Gordon Smith JetBlue is making a big change to its baggage policy. From September, the airline will allow all passengers — even those on its most restrictive ‘Blue Basic’ fare — to bring a carry-on bag

Skift Take Cambodian tourists have largely visited India for religious travel to Buddhist sites and for affordable medical treatments. Meanwhile, Cambodia is hoping to attract more Indians – but much more than a direct flight is needed to attract the Indian travelers. Bulbul Dhawan The first-ever direct flight between India and Cambodia took flight over

Skift Take In a heated exchange, senators questioned Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun on the company’s safety record, mounting whistleblower allegations, and his pay. Meghna Maharishi Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun was questioned by senators on Tuesday over a host of issues, ranging from mounting whistleblower allegations to his own pay.  Calhoun, who is set to step

Skift Take Bookings are now open for the first publicly available international electric flights in Europe — but the trips come with a few pre-departure caveats. Gordon Smith An early taste of zero-emissions air travel is coming to European skies this summer – and it’s available to book from just €120 ($129). During a two-month

Skift Take New York City has only approved a couple of thousand host registrations, and all for reservations where the host is present during the stay. That’s great news for neighborhoods sick of house parties and illegal hotels, and dour news for tourists and short-term rental platforms. Dennis Schaal Roughly nine months since New York

Skift Take Swapping its beaches, party, and nightlife image for a digital nomad haven, Goa’s got plans beyond just sand and surf — think laptops and lattes. Peden Doma Bhutia Think of Goa and what comes to mind? Beaches, nightlife, and parties. Goa’s Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte welcomes this image, but he wants travelers to

Skift Take Minor, with 540 hotels, aims to solidify its position as a major player. Expect it to expand its portfolio by 200 hotels by 2026, possibly through some M&A. Sean O’Neill Minor International runs 540 hotels and aims to grow that count about a third by 2026. “In the next three years, our strategy

Skift Take Americans and Canadians have long held winter as not a good time to travel to New Zealand. The island’s tourism bureau is confident it can bust this myth. Dawit Habtemariam New Zealand is eager to get its tourism sector back to full-throttle after the country was entirely shut during the pandemic. One way