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Airlines

A set of European country flags flying on poles to a blue sky in the background.

Europe May Finally Charge International Flights for Emissions — U.S. and China Get a Pass

Associations are unhappy with Europe’s plans to make the aviation industry pay more for its international emissions — for different reasons. One side argues proposals don’t go far enough, and the other says they shouldn’t exist at all.

July 17th, 2026 at 2:56 PM EDT

Allegiant, Long an OTA Holdout, Signs an Exclusive Deal With Expedia

A shrinking number of airlines shun online travel agency distribution. Allegiant's deal with Expedia Group means it abandoned its direct-distribution-only strategy — one that it touted as advantageous as late as February 2026.

July 17th, 2026 at 10:55 AM EDT

Tail wings of Delta planes on the tarmac at night.

Delta Adds LAX-Manila Route as the Battle for West Coast and Asia Heats Up

Delta is focusing international growth out of the West Coast, looking to become the dominant carrier out of LAX.

July 17th, 2026 at 9:00 AM EDT

Business Travel

A file photo of a Delta Air Lines Airbus A330.

Delta Expects to Meet Original 2026 Outlook, Despite Fuel Price Uncertainty

Even with Delta’s fuel costs doubling this year, the carrier still expects to meet its original profit outlook for 2026.

July 10th, 2026 at 6:33 AM EDT

Image of screenshots of how Navan's direct connection with Hilton will look for travelers.

Hilton Opens Direct Line to Navan, Cutting Out Corporate Travel Middlemen

Hilton and Navan have launched a direct booking connection that skips distribution middlemen, giving the hotel group more control over retailing. It's an early step in a broader corporate travel push to overhaul how road warriors book hotels.

July 7th, 2026 at 9:22 AM EDT

The skyline of Dubai

UAE Bets on Discounts, Insurance, and New Visa Markets to Refill Hotel Rooms After Iran War Hit

The UAE is running two recovery tracks at once — emergency incentives to plug a war-driven demand hole and multibillion-dollar infrastructure bets. The gap between those timelines is the story.

July 2nd, 2026 at 9:52 AM EDT

Coronavirus

Paris tourists outside of shops selling trinkets.

The Travel Industry’s Immense Potential for Growth

Despite the pandemic’s unprecedented challenges, the travel industry’s recovery is proving to be remarkable.

August 3rd, 2023 at 6:49 PM EDT

Tourists near St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy.

The Travel Industry Surpasses 2019

Today's edition of Skift's daily podcast looks closer at the recovery of the travel industry that have allowed it to surpass spring 2019 benchmarks.

May 26th, 2023 at 2:44 AM EDT

Tourists taking photos on the roof of Milan’s cathedral

Travel Makes a Complete Recovery

Today's edition of Skift's daily podcast looks closer at travel's coronavirus recovery, Airbnb's optimism, and Hilton's extended-stay moves.

May 24th, 2023 at 5:27 AM EDT

Cruises

Awe, Not Excess: The Market Signal Luxury Travel Can’t Afford to Miss

The affluent traveler's definition of luxury has shifted faster than most operators realize. Lindblad Expeditions is proof that the brands built around depth of experience and purposeful discovery are gaining a competitive edge.

July 16th, 2026 at 8:30 AM EDT

Carnival Freedom ship

Middle East War Hit Cruise Bookings, But Carnival Says They’ve ‘Turned a Corner’

Record second-quarter results weren't enough to keep Carnival from trimming its growth outlook — the Middle East war lasted longer than the company expected.

June 23rd, 2026 at 12:54 PM EDT

Cordelia

Cordelia Cruises IPO Bets on India’s Untapped Cruise Market

By 2028, Cordelia will have transformed from a single-vessel operator into a three-ship fleet. The challenge is whether India's still-nascent cruise market can generate demand quickly enough to support a near-tripling of capacity.

June 22nd, 2026 at 11:30 PM EDT

Experiences

Tripadvisor CEO Matt Goldberg

Tripadvisor To Sell TheFork for $700 Million to Fuel Its Bet on Experiences

The sale gives Tripadvisor the cash to chase the $1 trillion experiences market through Viator.

June 15th, 2026 at 9:45 AM EDT

Eric Gnock Fah, President and Co-Founder, klook

Klook Co-Founder Bets AI Can Finally Fix Travel Experiences Discovery

Klook has no grand OTA ambitions, at least for now. Its bigger bet is that AI can smooth out the messiness of experiences booking and help it deepen its lead in the category while pulling travelers into adjacent trip spend.

June 9th, 2026 at 9:26 AM EDT

Abu Dhabi’s Sphere Has a Home: Yas Island

The location was the easy part. Whether Abu Dhabi can fill a $1.7 billion venue with its own original content is the harder question.

May 14th, 2026 at 8:30 AM EDT

Food and Drink

Food tourism

Omakase, Fine Casual… and Burgers: Marriott’s Top Food Trends in Asia

Asia’s food culture, from hawker stalls to omakase counters, has always been vibrant. But it’s now also setting the pace for how food tourism might look globally in the years ahead.

October 14th, 2025 at 4:00 AM EDT

How Tourism Homogenizes Cuisines and What Are Possible Solutions

There is a lot that can be done, both from an awareness and, even more importantly, from a policy perspective. Most of it requires changes that the travelers of today, seeking more authentic experiences, would welcome.

December 12th, 2024 at 7:58 AM EST

Magic Mushrooms in the Minibar

Some will always love a luxury spa. But psychedelics (think psilocybin soundbaths and mushrooms) are the phase in high-end wellness.

December 10th, 2024 at 12:01 PM EST

Ground Transport

Grab

Grab Takes Taxis Across the Singapore-Malaysia Border

“Travel companion” Grab clearly isn’t ready to say goodbye at the border. With its cross-border taxi pilot, Grab is stretching the definition of “last mile” into an international one, keeping travelers in-app the entire way.

May 5th, 2026 at 7:46 AM EDT

Dara Khosrowshahi seated on stage while being interviewed

Uber CEO Says Travel Rivals Like Expedia Can’t Match Its On-the-Ground Edge

Khosrowshahi said there's the usual tension with partners about Uber's travel ambitions, and he obliquely cited Expedia's shortcomings post-booking. If Uber gains traction in travel, you can expect Khosrowshahi to one day step away from the Expedia board, and all of those conflicts to get exacerbated.

May 4th, 2026 at 4:55 PM EDT

Airbnb’s Latest Service Expansion: Rides From the Airport

Pre-booking rides to your Airbnb or hotel may ease the journey when arriving in an unfamiliar destinations, but there doesn't seem to be anything Airbnb-ish about the new service partnership. Maybe Airbnb gets less unique as it grows?

March 31st, 2026 at 5:00 AM EDT

Hotels

a room at a planned Jo&Joe hybrid hospitality project

Hotel Brands Circle Student Housing: 4 Income Streams

The appeal is in diversifying across multiple income streams: students, extended-stay, traditional brief hotel stays, and coworking.

July 20th, 2026 at 9:57 AM EDT

Chris Nassetta Hilton CEO skift global forum SGF23

Hilton’s Chris Nassetta: Why 28 Brands Aren’t Too Many and the ‘Bazillion Points’ Problem

Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta defended the company's need for 28 brands as a data-driven strategy rather than sprawl, while also pointing to AI as the next lever for fixing guest problems in the moment.

July 16th, 2026 at 3:26 PM EDT

exterior image of a pretty timeshare resort in Hilton Head on a sunny day with a water feature in front

Travel + Leisure Buys Into Maui and Hilton Head in $343 Million Deal

The timeshare secret runs best on people who already said yes. So when it gets harder to land first-time buyers, buy someone else's customers.

July 15th, 2026 at 6:44 PM EDT

Luxury

Japanese tea ceremony

When Hospitality Fails, The Problem Might Be the Guest

The best hospitality is not a flawless one-way delivery. It is an exchange — and the guest has to bring attention, curiosity, and presence.

July 13th, 2026 at 10:59 AM EDT

Image of a white sandy beach with the tropical waters in Jamaica on a sunny day with a luxury resort.

Not For Sale: Sandals CEO Shuts Down Deal Rumors

The all-inclusive operator's executive chairman says he isn't selling the company, despite rumors, but is instead pouring tens of millions into properties to drive rate premiums.

June 30th, 2026 at 2:23 PM EDT

Marriott to Enter Branded Apartment Rentals: W Hotels Comes First in 2027

The hotel company's first branded apartment rentals, opening in Cleveland in 2027, will mark a new turn for a real-estate business that has become central to its luxury strategy.

June 23rd, 2026 at 3:17 PM EDT

Media and PR

A Meet Boston ad

‘Come Back Anytime’: How Travel Brands Courted World Cup Fans

Official FIFA sponsors spent millions locking up World Cup rights, but some of the most effective marketing may be based on response time.

July 9th, 2026 at 6:11 PM EDT

The Vancouver Science World geodesic sphere wrapped as a giant soccer ball for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

‘Hey @British_Airways’: Norwegian Air Shows How to Get Free World Cup Buzz

Two carriers with no official World Cup sponsorship have generated one of the tournament's biggest travel marketing moments – all without paying FIFA a cent.

July 9th, 2026 at 1:30 PM EDT

Image of football fans for Scotland's national team and Brazil's national team stuck in an elevator wearing their costumes or outfits, with a Marriott employee in the middle.

Marriott Outspends Rivals on TV, But Airbnb Owns the World Cup

Marriott outspent every hotel brand on national TV, yet Airbnb's World Cup ads have out-reached Marriott's so far. Marketers should note that focus, rather than budget, wins marquee experiences.

July 2nd, 2026 at 2:57 PM EDT

Meetings

5 Ways Meeting in Ireland Balances the Best of Both Worlds

All too often, choosing a destination for incentive travel forces meeting planners to prioritize either a busy city or rural country, business or wellness, modern developments or rich cultural experiences. Here’s how planners get to have it all on the island of Ireland.

December 15th, 2025 at 9:43 AM EST

3 Ways Corporate Meetings in New Orleans Can Fuel Creativity

Beyond the everyday challenges of organizing memorable events that move the needle for companies, today's planners are under mounting pressure to inspire a burned-out workforce. New Orleans combines its rich history, deep culture, and modern innovation to host corporate experiences that spark creativity and foster connection.

December 11th, 2025 at 9:19 AM EST

Visitors at the Yashobhoomi convention and exhibition centre in New Delhi.

Inside India’s Events and Meetings Aspirations

India upped its convention center game for the G20 Summit last year. Now, it is trying to drum up the marketing for these spaces across the country. But is India really MICE ready?

May 27th, 2025 at 11:00 PM EDT

Online Travel

Airbnb Partners With CarTrawler for Car Rentals in 5 Countries: Scoop

Airbnb's partnership with CarTrawler on car rentals is Airbnb's latest step toward becoming a traditional online travel agency. CarTrawler is poised to become an Expedia brand, which will compete with Airbnb on car rentals.

July 17th, 2026 at 6:13 PM EDT

Rajesh Magow, co-founder and group CEO of MakeMyTrip speaking at Skift India Forum.

MakeMyTrip Set to File for India IPO at $1 Billion-Plus: Report

MakeMyTrip has talked about an India listing for months. A confidential filing — if the report holds — would be the clearest sign yet the company is moving from considering it to doing it.

July 16th, 2026 at 9:56 AM EDT

Yatra’s First International Expansion Looks Nothing Like Its OTA Competitors

For a company whose growth has been almost entirely India-centric, Yatra is now betting that enterprise travel technology built for one of the world's most complex markets can travel just as well abroad.

July 14th, 2026 at 8:00 AM EDT

Podcasts

The Hospitality Secrets That Built America’s #1 B&B

On this episode of Suite Success, host Katie Cline sits down with Marco DiDomizio, hospitality strategist, real estate broker, consultant, and coach at InnAdvisors. Before advising hotel owners across the…

July 9th, 2026 at 7:00 AM EDT

GMH Hotels: The Supply Gap That Could Change Hotel Pricing.

Hospitality's new operating principle is "cut the middleman, keep the loyalist" — Mews trims staff for AI, Hilton bypasses the GDS to book direct with Navan, and extended-stay brands strip out service costs entirely

July 8th, 2026 at 2:57 PM EDT

The Race to Own STR Distribution Just Got a Lot More Complex

On Monday's Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Brandreth Canaley and Michael Goldin break down who is actually controlling the relationship between a traveler and a booking right now.

July 6th, 2026 at 3:10 PM EDT

Short-Term Rentals

Casago

Casago Sold Nearly All Vacasa’s Property Manager Acquisitions and Turned Many Into Franchises

It was quite a fall from grace for Vacasa, which as a private company in 2021 had a private valuation of $4.5 billion. Casago acquired it for less than $100 million, and now the last of Vacasa's remnants have been sold off.

July 13th, 2026 at 4:39 PM EDT

An office building in Manhattan.

Airbnb Paid $81 Million for a Building in NYC — the Only One It Now Owns

Airbnb abandoned its asset-light strategy just a tad, purchasing a New York City building for $81.5 million. It will be an office — there are no plans to "Airbnb" it.

July 9th, 2026 at 4:06 PM EDT

One guest in an Airbnb lying on a couch, and another sitting.

Airbnb Moves Into Fintech With a Cancel-for-Any-Reason Feature

Airbnb is selling peace of mind to guests, giving assurances to hosts, and potentially debuting a new fintech revenue stream that’s been so successful for Hopper. The issue is whether this will further alienate hosts, who deal with the logistical hassles of last-minute cancellations.

June 18th, 2026 at 4:07 PM EDT

Skift Originals

Karak Chai, Luxury Retail, and the Invisible Millions of the Gulf Hub Airports: An Audio Essay

The largest purpose-driven travel flow on earth passes through the most commercially aspirational spaces on earth, and the dissonance is jarring if you stop long enough to watch who is actually walking past the glittering Hermes store...

June 20th, 2026 at 11:08 AM EDT

The Lessons Travel Buried After Covid Are Resurfacing in the Middle East

The travel industry edited Covid into a convenient story about resilient demand while ignoring the system’s fragility. We’re seeing the cost of that rewrite in real time.

March 16th, 2026 at 1:02 PM EDT

Building in Travel Has Never Mattered More

Travel is where history gets physical. We're in it. Right where we should be.

January 4th, 2026 at 12:37 PM EST

Startups

People sitting around tables and talking at Fora Travel event.

Fora Travel Is Focused on Growth and a Small Acquisition Helps Build AI Tools

Fora Travel has the luxury of being private and can build its business — seemingly at a decent pace — without getting second-guessed in quarterly earnings calls.

April 21st, 2026 at 9:18 AM EDT

The Hosteller property in Chakrata, Uttarakhand.

India’s Travel Space Heats Up as Niche Players Gain Significance

India’s maturing travel market is allowing for more niche players to strengthen their bases, and it seems like investors are backing this movement.

April 20th, 2026 at 9:18 AM EDT

Webook

What a Siberian Startup and a Saudi Ticketing App Reveal About Travel’s Future

Two startups from two different worlds are quietly rewriting the rules of who controls the travel transaction, with fascinating implications.

February 11th, 2026 at 9:42 AM EST

Tour Operators

The Sunwing Fañabé Beach hotel in Tenerife.

Norwegian Air To Buy Nordic Leisure Travel Group in $843m Bet on End-to-End Travel

Why settle for just the airfare when you can own the whole holiday?

June 16th, 2026 at 6:24 AM EDT

A museum in Egypt

Egypt Emerges as the Winner in the Middle East’s Travel Shake-Up

The Iran war hasn’t destroyed Middle East travel demand — it has reshuffled it. Egypt is picking up what the Gulf is losing.

June 11th, 2026 at 8:49 AM EDT

Europe Visa Bottlenecks Push UAE Residents to Rethink Travel Plans

The visa queue will clear. The question is whether leisure demand comes back with it.

June 8th, 2026 at 8:53 AM EDT

Tourism

Image: Pagodas in Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, Thailand.

How Thailand Is Trying to Win Back Chinese Tourists

Thailand is shifting from reassurance to access, betting that easier travel and deeper ties with China's interior will restore Chinese arrivals before rivals like Malaysia turn their gains into lasting market share.

July 20th, 2026 at 8:18 AM EDT

Ari Emanuel

Ari Emanuel Is Assembling a Live Tourism Conglomerate

The companies that originate trips do not need to call themselves travel companies to capture travel's economics, and Ari Emanuel is demonstrating it across three of them.

July 18th, 2026 at 8:16 AM EDT

Jordan Pickford during England v Panama on 27 June 2026 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup

The Travel Industry Was Banking on a World Cup Windfall. Here’s What the Numbers Show.

The World Cup delivered real, rate-driven gains for hotels and short-term rentals. But the impact was barely noticed by U.S. airlines, and the international visitor boom is falling short of expectations.

July 17th, 2026 at 3:01 PM EDT

Travel Agents

Travel advisors sitting in the audience at a Fora Travel conference.

Fora Travel the Unicorn: It Raised $60 Million at a $1 Billion Valuation

Fora Travel has carved out a nice niche for itself as it taps into the desires of a younger generation of travel advisors passionate about travel and looking for side hustles. Its $1 billion valuation came after just five years in business.

July 16th, 2026 at 1:07 PM EDT

A file image of Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport.

Dubai Strengthens Passenger Rights Rules to Rebuild Traveler Trust

Dubai’s passenger rights framework means one regulator, one rulebook. The details around enforcement are still to come, though.

May 5th, 2026 at 9:44 AM EDT

Emirates Refreshed Business Class on board the A350

American Express Saw Strong Luxury Spending in Q1, Airline Softness in April

A lot of companies are seeing strength among premium customers and hesitancy at lower rungs, but American Express skews toward the upper echelon.

April 27th, 2026 at 11:59 AM EDT

Travel Technology

Travel Marketing’s Next KPI Is Economic Impact, Not Impressions

Travel marketers have become experts at measuring campaign activity. The challenge now is connecting that activity to visitation, traveler value, and economic impact while campaigns are still running. AI-powered measurement can optimize campaigns for business outcomes, not just marketing metrics.

July 20th, 2026 at 9:00 AM EDT

Omio to Buy Rail Europe, Consolidating Ground Transport — Exclusive

By absorbing Rail Europe, a 5-million-ticket rail seller with 90-plus years of operator ties, Omio is consolidating one of travel's most fragmented, hard-to-book corners — and laying groundwork for when AI agents book trips, not just suggest them.

July 16th, 2026 at 12:00 AM EDT

A bed

What If AI Doesn’t Fix Travel’s Labor Problem?

Travel’s AI investment is concentrated in office work while its demographic labor crisis is concentrated on the front line; the jobs aging fastest remain stubbornly physical.

July 15th, 2026 at 9:30 AM EDT

Venture Capital

An EasyJet Airbus A319 at Ljubljana Airport.

Who’s Next After EasyJet? We Size Up 10 Possible Takeover Targets

A U.S. buyer has done what none of EasyJet's past suitors managed: It got the airline's board to the table.

July 8th, 2026 at 5:37 AM EDT

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky speaking with Skift CEO Rafat Ali

Airbnb’s Brian Chesky Is Creating an AI Lab

Is Brian Chesky development of a new AI Lab outside of Airbnb an acknowledgement that building AI capabilities within Airbnb hasn't been up to par? Or are some tech developments like AI too large to sit out without having more skin in the game?

June 4th, 2026 at 6:45 PM EDT

Brook Bay Capital, Inovia, and Highgate Technology Ventures at Skift Data + AI Summit 2026

If you are pitching travel AI to investors, lead with cost savings you can put on the income statement, not revenue lift you can only promise — measurability is what closes the deal.

June 3rd, 2026 at 6:09 PM EDT