Travel

Online travel agency Hopper conducted a reorganization this month, its second in a little more than a year. Although the move included layoffs, a Hopper spokesperson declined to say how many. “Two weeks ago, we announced changes to our organizational structure to better align with our strategic goals and initiatives for the year ahead,” the

Airbnb is still working on integrating AI throughout its app, but it won’t include an AI chatbot for trip planning – at least not yet.  Dave Stephenson, chief business officer for Airbnb, said the short-term rental giant worked with OpenAI to develop a chatbot for users. “We were not satisfied with it,” Stephenson said Thursday

India is firmly in the sights of a rapidly expanding Saudi low-cost airline. Flyadeal has ambitious plans to more than double the size of its fleet during the next four years. This will see it transform from a largely domestic airline to one with much greater international connectivity. Speaking at the Skift Global Forum East

Skift Take In the July-September quarter, the occupancy remained consistent as last year, and the growth in revenue was driven by higher room rates: A positive sign indicating travelers’ willingness to spend more on tourism. Bulbul Dhawan The Indian hospitality sector recorded 10.8% year-on-year growth in revenue per available room (RevPAR) in the July-September quarter

Skift Take Croatia is just the latest destination to tackle short-term rentals, but the long-term impact of the government’s proposal is uncertain Rashaad Jorden Croatia is taking steps to clamp down on short-term rentals as part of its efforts to alleviate a shortage of affordable housing. The Croatian Parliament approved a package of draft laws

Skift Take Hilton’s jobs push comes as the hotel giant sees surging demand in the region, with visits to its Middle East properties doubling to 2.2 million in the first nine months of the year compared to pandemic levels. Josh Corder Hilton plans to create about 35,000 new jobs across the Middle East as the

Skift Take Maybe you didn’t need to install that crystal-healing sound bath after all. Namaste, and mind the bottom line. Sean O’Neill A report from consultancy RLA Global found that large wellness facilities did not lead to better returns for hotel companies. The analysis came as major groups like Hyatt, Accor, and Hilton have been rushing

Skift Take Spark hits the sweet spot for Indians seeking the reliability of branded stays without stretching their budgets. Hilton’s plan to open 150 hotels in India might sound ambitious, but a conversion-friendly approach means the company will likely hit that milestone faster than expected. Peden Doma Bhutia Hilton Hotels is bringing its latest premium

Skift Take Spirit made headlines Monday morning when it announced it was filing for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy — here’s what you need to know. Meghna Maharishi Spirit Airlines became the first major U.S. airline in 13 years to file for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy after facing mounting debts and declining revenues.  The bankruptcy filing

Skift Take Thanksgiving this year is shaping up to be a monster travel period, with decreasing inflation helping push more travelers to hit the road for the holiday. Rashaad Jorden Americans are projected to travel in large numbers for Thanksgiving: Close to 80 million travelers will venture 50 miles or more from home over the

Skift Take Bangkok is where some of the most inspiring development is happening. Anyone in the hospitality business should take note. Colin Nagy There is much to love about Bangkok. It’s a city of juxtaposition, where ultramodern skyscrapers rise beside traditional sois and street vendors selling grilled meats. It’s a place where familiar backpacker clichés

Skift Take Low-altitude tourism seems like more than a passing trend in China. As government policies align with private innovation, Chinese skies may soon become a bustling hub of economic and cultural activity. Peden Doma Bhutia The name needs some work, but the trend seems real: “Low-altitude economy” refers to activities within airspace under 1,000

Skift Take Airbnb will try to widen its experiences audience by crafting them for locals, as well as travelers. Experiences will get the “categories” treatment, and a dose of TikTok and Instagram stories-like marketing. Dennis Schaal There has been great interest in what Airbnb Experiences will be like when the company relaunches it after a

Skift Take Goa is trying to be about more than just its beaches. However, with low international tourism numbers, it has a lot of work to do to dig out of its hole. Bulbul Dhawan Goa is not getting enough foreign tourists: Official Goa Tourism figures show that foreign arrivals in 2023 weren’t even half

Airlines have asked planemakers for the same thing for decades: give them aircraft that can fly long-haul at the lowest price per passenger. Over the years, Airbus and Boeing have taken different approaches to this problem. The twin-aisle products on offer have varied from the double-decker A380 to connect slot-constrained hub airports, through to the

Skift Take Now that Marriott International has doubled in size over a decade, it saw an opportunity to rethink its organization and restructure for efficiency. Sean O’Neill Marriott International informed employees this week about a widespread restructuring that may result in hundreds of employees exiting the company, sources within the company told Skift. The cuts

Big Lincoln is the AI chatbot mascot on Enjoy Illinois, the website run by the Illinois Office of Tourism and charged with carrying out travel marketing campaigns for the state.  The organization launched the tool in June and has received more than 8,000 messages from users since then, according to Daniel Thomas, deputy director for

Indian travelers to Singapore have exceeded the 1 million mark, Singapore Tourism Board said on Wednesday. There was a 12% increase in Indian travelers to the country between January and October 2024 year-on-year. With this, India has become the third-largest source market for Singapore. For all of 2023, a total of 1.1 million India travelers