Travel

Skift Take As Yatra looks at ways to workaround competition in its consumer business, the company is continuing to scale its corporate travel segment to drive profitability. Bulbul Dhawan Indian online travel agency Yatra continues to face headwinds with its consumer business – can the corporate travel side pick up the slack? During the July-September

Skift Take Oberoi Hotels’ decision to expand to Europe is part of a trend. Indian hotel chains are establishing a presence beyond India to capitalize on their brand value among Indian travelers. Bulbul Dhawan Indian luxury hospitality chain Oberoi Hotels and Resorts is set to open the first Oberoi Hotel in the United Kingdom. The

Skift Take Delta’s non-unionized flight attendants could make another push to organize “in a few months,” said Sara Nelson, head of a 55,000-member union. Nelson cited broader public support for labor as one driver of change. Sean O’Neill Flight attendants at Delta Air Lines may soon make another push to unionize as broader public support

Skift Take Indian travelers are increasingly traveling internationally: Outbound trips among Indians are expected to reach 50 million a year by 2030. Bulbul Dhawan Brunei’s flag carrier Royal Brunei Airlines has launched a new direct service between Chennai in India and Bandar Seri Begawan. The airline will operate three weekly flights on the route. The

Skift Take Flight Centre has deployed several AI projects, but it’s just scratched the surface. Justin Dawes Flight Centre Travel Group has developed and deployed several AI projects, with dozens more in the pipeline.  It’s been almost a year since the travel agency said that it would be establishing a dedicated team to develop and

Travel + Leisure Co. is trying to get past its traditional timeshare roots. Michael D. Brown, president and CEO, told Skift in an interview that his team wants to evolve the group beyond pure vacation ownership toward a broader hospitality platform while also diversifying its geographic exposure. Here are 5 key themes in the CEO’s

Skift Take Demand for international music events among Indian travelers is not only leading to outbound travel, but is also boosting the domestic music tourism industry. Bulbul Dhawan When Canadian singer Bryan Adams’ Mumbai show was announced in August, it sold out within 24 hours. Two weeks later, over 80% tickets in most venues were

Skift Take Millennial and Gen Z travelers are stress-testing hotels’ ability to keep up with customer technology preferences. Hotel owners and operators need to seek out creative tech features and amenities to help them compete in an ever-changing travel landscape. LG Business Solutions This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a Skift partner. Millennial

Skift Take Was Booking Holdings getting too fat? With operating costs outpacing revenue growth, something had to give. We might not know the exact chess moves for awhile. Dennis Schaal Booking Holdings announced Friday that it will make a variety of “organizational changes,” including layoffs. The Connecticut-based company, among the largest in travel, didn’t provide

Skift Take Even if Uber-Expedia was the right deal — and that was dubious — it was the wrong time. Dennis Schaal Barry Diller, Expedia Group’s chairman and senior executive, this week ruled out an Expedia sale to Uber — or to anyone else at this time. Diller’s comments on CNBC were in response to

Skift Take As The Peninsula’s director of marketing puts it, “Travel is an incredible thing to do and to experience, and who better to tell that story than the people who make it possible?” Sean O’Neill For ultra-luxury hotel brands, marketing often relies on close-ups of infinity pools and champagne flutes. Carson Glover, marketing director

Skift Take Vrbo took a hit when Expedia reduced marketing during its tech migration. Now, the company is doing the work to bring it back. Justin Dawes Expedia Group transferred 1 million short-term rental listings from its Expedia brand to Vrbo, adding more variety to the vacation rental business and a stronger focus on urban

Skift Take IHCL’s bid to manage the Claridges Collection portfolio in India highlights its luxury strategy, especially as it follows the acquisition of the Tree of Life boutique hotels chain. Bulbul Dhawan Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) said Thursday it would take over the management of the iconic Claridges Hotel in Delhi in April. Company executives

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