Travel

The Madras High Court has made it mandatory for all motor vehicles seeking to enter the Nilgiris and Kodaikanal between May 7 and June 30 to obtain electronic passes. The aim is to collect data on the number of tourists visiting and the number and types of vehicles that are entering these hill stations. Heavy

Skift Take Wednesday’s IPO will value Viking, an operator of luxury river and ocean cruises, at roughly $10 billion. Leaders in the luxury travel sector will be eyeing the move closely. Sean O’Neill Viking, an operator of river and ocean cruises, and a group of shareholders were set to raise more than $1 billion in

Skift Take While Oyo may look to go upscale in India its growth strategy in the U.S. primarily relies on its budget hotel segment. Peden Doma Bhutia India-based hotel aggregator and operator Oyo plans to increase its U.S. footprint by adding over 250 hotels in 2024. This would represent a 150% uptick compared to the

Skift Take Follow the writers doing good work. Support brands that are carving out unique spaces. Celebrate the poetry when you see it. Colin Nagy Luxury hospitality has always been image-based. But recent trends have created jarring distortions that make it hard for guests to understand reality.  This is made worse by the surge in

Skift Take Dubai is dreaming big in tourism and what better way to top it off than with the world’s largest airport? Peden Doma Bhutia Dubai confirmed Sunday it would be shifting its airport operations from the current Dubai International Airport to Al Maktoum International Airport “within the next 10 years.” Announcing the emirate’s plan

Skift Take Gen Z has made boasting about good sleep its most recent flex. And the travel sector has followed suit, using science to cater to vacationers of all ages looking to get some precious shut-eye. By Sarah Kopit | April 28, 2024 Short red-eye flights are the worst. And they are some of the

Skift Take Nobu, the posh restaurant chain, is expanding its luxury hotels brand. The secret sauce? Sky-high revenue from their in-house restaurants, Robert De Niro’s star power, and a culture that keeps top talent sticking around, says top exec Trevor Horwell. Sean O’Neill The first Nobu, a new-wave Japanese restaurant, opened in New York 30

Skift Take Move over, China. The world’s hotel giants have a new favorite: India. Sean O’Neill The world’s biggest hotel chains are doubling down on India, betting that the country’s rising affluence will fuel a surge in travel demand for years to come. In the past six weeks, all the global hotel groups — including

Skift Take Venice is likely the first city to charge a fee to access its central area. Using entry fees, Venice is testing a system to manage tourist flows. Dawit Habtemariam Day tourists are now charged an entry toll whenever they set foot in Venice’s historic center during peak periods. The city began charging day

Skift Take American is the latest airline to alter its schedule as delivery delays at Boeing mount. Meghna Maharishi American Airlines said Friday it would reduce some of its international routes during the second half of the year and early into 2025 because of ongoing Boeing 787 Dreamliner delays.  The carrier is the latest to

Skift Take Today’s podcast looks at Indigo’s new purchase, Wyndham’s new strategy, and Royal Caribbean’s new audience. Rashaad Jorden Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, April 26. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. Listen Now 🎧 Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts Episode Notes India’s largest airline IndiGo has taken

Skift Take The underwriting will be done by Parafin, a company backed by early investors of Robinhood. Srividya Kalyanaraman Toronto-based Hostaway, which sells property-management software, announced it will offer business loans to its customers. Hostaway didn’t share details about how the financial arrangement works but said that the industry standard is to take a commission

Skift Take Today’s podcast looks at how hotel listings on Google compete for bookings, new junk fee rules for airlines, and new sites for Hyatt loyalty program members. Rashaad Jorden Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, April 25. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. Listen Now 🎧 Subscribe Apple

Skift Take After overwhelmingly rejecting a previous contract in December, this one will make Southwest flight attendants some of the most highly paid in the industry. Meghna Maharishi Southwest flight attendants ratified a new four-year contract that will offer them a 22.3% raise, the Transport Workers Union announced Wednesday.  The contract also offers flight attendants

Skift Take The new rules would require airlines to disclose the fees of certain service upfront and streamline the process for providing passengers with refunds. Meghna Maharishi The Biden Administration released a set of rules on Wednesday that would require airlines to confront “junk fees.” “Passengers deserve to know upfront what costs they are facing

Skift Take Who’s in and who’s out of American Airlines’ new preferred agency program to date? The deadline extension seems to indicate their are some hiccups along the way. Dennis Schaal American Airlines was poised to stop enabling customers of certain travel agencies to earn loyalty points on the airline’s bookings starting May 1, but

Skift Take Destinations value Indian travelers, but lengthy visa processing times lasting months act as significant deterrents. The adoption of these new regulations by European authorities reflects a proactive effort to tackle these concerns, aiming to boost tourism flow. Peden Doma Bhutia The European Commission has introduced a new visa “cascade” regime for Indian nationals

Skift Take The survey encapsulates a seeming dilemma for the travel industry. What proportion of their resources should they pour into promoting sustainable travel choices when a wide swath of travelers aren’t focused on the issue. Dennis Schaal For more than a decade, travel companies have been saying sustainability would gain in importance – Tripadvisor