Travel

Skift Take China’s visa-waiver list has a clear message: it’s rolling out the welcome mat for high-spending, long-staying European travelers. It’s a smart move to capture more of Europe’s thriving outbound tourism market to give China’s tourism sector a fresh boost. Peden Doma Bhutia As China moves ahead with its visa waiver program, it has

Skift Take Ben Baldanza, who pioneered the modern ultra-low-cost business model in the U.S. and turned Spirit into one of the most profitable airlines, has died following a battle with ALS. Meghna Maharishi Ben Baldanza, the former CEO of Spirit Airlines who transformed the ultra-low-cost carrier into a disruptive powerhouse, died on Tuesday. He was

Skift Take Indian airlines have been upgrading their fleets and efforts to cater to the growing demand for inbound and outbound international travel. Bulbul Dhawan Indian airlines accounted for 45.6% of the international traffic in India in the April-June quarter this year. That’s up from close to 44% last year and just 34.7% pre-pandemic.  A

Skift Take The latest acquisition by India’s largest hotel group suggests that “experiential leisure” is becoming popular. “Experiential leisure” means “hotels with small room counts and home-like architecture, so vacationers can pretend they’re not at hotels.” Sean O’Neill India’s largest hospitality company, Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), is expanding its “experiential leisure” segment by acquiring a

Skift Take IndiGo will be the only carrier in the country other than the Air India Group to offer business class. But it’s not giving up on the low prices that made it popular. Bulbul Dhawan Budget carrier IndiGo’s first aircraft with the business class configuration has been unveiled. The plane will fly on the

Skift Take Choice Hotels is adapting its business strategy because it believes the future of travel involves longer stays, Boomers prefering premium brands, and more trips built around sports and music events. Sean O’Neill Choice Hotels International is doubling down on higher-end and extended-stay hotels as it pursues growth beyond its traditional roadside motel roots.

Skift Take As Thailand embarks on this transformation, it would be interesting to watch how it navigates the challenges and opportunities that come with becoming an aviation powerhouse. Peden Doma Bhutia Thailand is looking to streamline its air travel experience. Beginning Friday, domestic travelers would be able to breeze through airport checkpoints through Thailand’s new

Skift Take Skift Aviation Forum is where aviation’s top minds gather to discuss the sector’s most pressing challenges and cutting-edge opportunities. Join us in Dallas on November 12 to gain valuable insights and make key connections for the future of air travel. Nicole Meyer With Skift Aviation Forum right around the corner on November 12

Skift Take Saudi may not hit all its targets, but for CEO Sebastien Bazin, that misses the point: “Even if it’s only half achieved, that’s a remarkable half,” he says. Josh Corder Saudi Arabia’s tourism and economic goals for its Vision 2030 plan are ambitious and there have been reports of delays and scaling back.

Skift Take ChatGPT is now a better place to start making travel plans, but finalizing those plans still needs to happen the traditional way. Justin Dawes OpenAI made arguably its biggest update yet to ChatGPT on Thursday.  Users can now ask ChatGPT to search the web, combining real-time results with AI-generated content. This has obvious

Skift Take Expedia was spun out of Microsoft before the turn of the century, and the two Seattle-based companies have always been tight. They just got a bit tighter. Dennis Schaal Expedia Group several months ago paused the global rollout of its One Key loyalty program beyond the U.S. and the UK, but it’s busy

When CEO Jason Liberty discusses Royal Caribbean Group’s competition, he doesn’t mention Carnival Corp., the company’s bigger rival. Instead, the CEO name-checks Orlando and Las Vegas. That’s because the CEO’s strategy is to steer Royal Caribbean Group toward competing with premium land-based resorts. “We spend almost no time thinking about our cruise competitors,” Liberty told

Skift Take The latest offer includes a 38% general pay raise over four years. The union urged its members to vote in favor of the proposal to avoid a “regressive or lesser offer in the future.” Meghna Maharishi Boeing made another offer to its machinist union that includes a new raise as it looks to

Hyatt Hotels is selective in where and how it adds hotels to meet the expectations of its loyalty program members, who largely have high incomes. “We have so much white space,” said Mark Hoplamazian, president and CEO of Hyatt, on a Thursday earnings call to discuss third-quarter results. “We see places where we are way

Skift Take Delhi Aerocity, with a heavy presence of branded hotels, is a convenient hub for business and leisure travelers alike. Bulbul Dhawan The Delhi government said it would allow restaurants to operate round the clock in the Delhi Aerocity business district near the Delhi airport. The area currently has several 4- and 5-star hotels

Skift Take Major cities have gotten more expensive to visit in recent years, and here’s a look at some of the factors that have contributed to them becoming pricier for travelers. Rashaad Jorden It seems everything is getting more expensive, and travelers are likely seeing it most when they’re booking trips to big cities. Are

Skift Take India has a handful of major gateway cities that get all the attention. But increasingly, travel companies are targeting the up-and-coming regional markets. Bulbul Dhawan Earlier this month, Thomas Cook India’s company – SOTC Travel – unveiled a series of 6 regional film campaigns around travel. The campaign was launched to mark its

Skift Take This comes shortly after a Skift report that Sabre is looking to sell its hotel tech unit. Justin Dawes Sabre is planning to sell its business-travel booking tool, GetThere, for $12 million. Serko, a corporate travel management company based in New Zealand, said Monday that it plans to buy it in early 2025