All Categories

Airlines

About All that Airline M&A — CEOs Say There’s Nothing to Buy

After a frenzy of speculation about airline M&A, talks have dried up. The industry is too consolidated for the big carriers to merge, and the smaller ones don't have viable partners.

June 2nd, 2026 at 2:53 PM EDT

Allegiant CEO Says Credit Cards Are the Airline’s Biggest Revenue Opportunity

After closing a merger with Sun Country, Allegiant CEO Greg Anderson is eyeing ways to strengthen the carrier’s credit card and loyalty programs.

June 1st, 2026 at 3:43 PM EDT

An easyJet A320neo aircraft on the ground.

EasyJet’s Latest Suitor: Can Castlelake Succeed Where Others Failed?

As consolidation reshapes European aviation, EasyJet remains one of its most prized assets – and seemingly one of its hardest deals to pull off.

June 1st, 2026 at 12:11 PM EDT

Business Travel

See All

How AI Became the Reason Not to Buy the World’s Largest Corporate Travel Company

With most potential buyers citing AI disruption risk and walking away, Long Lake's $6.3 billion acquisition of AmexGBT is the most contrarian bet in travel right now.

May 31st, 2026 at 8:09 PM EDT

people in the corporate travel industry walking around a trade room show floor

Amex GBT’s 12-Year Ownership Saga — Who Won and Lost

A $6.3 billion take-private closes the books on one of the most convoluted cap tables in travel. The scorecard is not what you’d expect.

May 4th, 2026 at 12:34 PM EDT

Paul Abbott, CEO of American Express Global Business Travel

Amex GBT to Be Acquired by General Catalyst-Backed Long Lake for $6.3 Billion

American Express Global Business Travel is going private with backing from major AI and tech investors. Despite a travel-tech experienced backer in General Catalyst, Long Lake will have to prove its mettle.

May 4th, 2026 at 8:25 AM EDT

Coronavirus

See All

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

See All

Royal Caribbean’s Giant Beach Resort Blocked by Mexico after Environmental Backlash

At what point in the investment cycle does environmental risk now need to be priced in? The answer, increasingly, is before the land is bought.

May 29th, 2026 at 9:41 AM EDT

The Alaska Experiment That Could Reshape How Cruise Lines Navigate Wildlife

Alaska’s reputation as a bucket list cruise destination rests largely on its wildlife encounters, especially whale sightings. MSC Cruises is treating its first season in the region as a research opportunity, exploring how marine science can guide operations in high-density wildlife corridors.

May 26th, 2026 at 10:40 AM EDT

$11.4 Billion and Zero Churn: What SpaceX Said About Starlink’s Travel Industry Grip

The competitors to Musk's Starlink will eventually up their game. It's never healthy for customers and end-users to be dependent on a single vendor, regardless of the Starlink's competitive advantage at this moment.

May 26th, 2026 at 9:11 AM EDT

Experiences

See All

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

HBX Group to Buy Bridgify as Part of Broader AI Push

HBX has been trying to diversify from reselling hotel rooms since before it went public. Each time, the answer is new inventory and better tech for selling. Experiences and AI are the latest pitch.

May 13th, 2026 at 11:32 AM EDT

Expedia Spent $279 Million on Acquisitions in Q1, Airbnb Gained $70 Million on Tiqets Deal: Scoop

Expedia was the company that acquired Tiqets. Airbnb didn't buy the experiences brand, but seems to have made a solid return on its Tiqets investment when it cashed out.

May 9th, 2026 at 3:29 PM EDT

Food and Drink

See All

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

See All

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

See All

Marriott’s EMEA Chief 100 Days In: A Region Running in Two Gears

The Iran war has turned Marriott’s EMEA region into two businesses at once. Jones’s bet is that Europe and Africa can carry the 20% of fee business the Middle East has lost — at least until a ceasefire changes the math.

June 2nd, 2026 at 10:30 AM EDT

Oyo-Parent Prism Gets Green Light From Indian Regulator for IPO

Prism’s SEBI approval signals IPO momentum, but timing remains cautious. Stronger profits, Motel 6 integration, and premium expansion may finally give Oyo’s parent company the public-market credibility it previously lacked.

June 2nd, 2026 at 9:09 AM EDT

Barry Diller Moves to Take Over MGM Resorts in $18 Billion Deal

The Las Vegas Strip is consolidating fast. Soon, two billionaires (Barry Diller and Tilman Fertitta) may control a large chunk of its hotel rooms.

June 1st, 2026 at 8:55 AM EDT

Luxury

See All

Luxury Retail’s Hospitality Problem Isn’t a Training Problem

Saying luxury retail should be more hospitable ignores how most of the industry works.

May 29th, 2026 at 12:38 PM EDT

Capella’s New President Wants to Crack Luxury’s Top Tier Within a Year

Capella’s pitch under its new president: scarce, personalized, and aiming for the top tier of ultra-luxury. The growth job goes to Patina.

May 21st, 2026 at 6:00 AM EDT

Luxury Brands Have Been Marketing to Humans. But Their Next Booking May Be AI.

Luxury brands have spent two decades optimizing for the human eye. A meaningful share of their traffic will soon belong to something else entirely.

May 1st, 2026 at 4:52 PM EDT

Media and PR

See All

EternityX CEO Charlene Ree at Skift Asia Forum 2026

Demographic segmentation of Chinese outbound travelers is the wrong unit of analysis.

April 29th, 2026 at 3:39 PM EDT

How TV and AI Are Reshaping Travel Demand

If travel demand is being shaped by entertainment and filtered through AI, what role do travel brands actually play in influencing decisions?

April 24th, 2026 at 6:03 AM EDT

Authorities Around the World Are Banning Flight Ads Due To Climate. But Will It Change Anything?

The bans may not ground a single flight, but they are opening the door to harder policy conversations.

April 17th, 2026 at 1:08 PM EDT

Meetings

See All

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

See All

Who Really Holds Your Travel Money Before You Travel and What Are They Doing With It

Travel companies have built a banking-like float system around consumer prepayments, without banking-like protections, and the scale is now too large to ignore.

June 3rd, 2026 at 9:30 AM EDT

After Sonder’s Collapse, Francis Davidson Returns With an AI Travel Agent

Another AI travel agent might not be news. One built by the founder of Sonder, with something to prove, is.

June 2nd, 2026 at 5:47 PM EDT

Xavier Amatriain chief AI and data officer Expedia

Expedia AI Chief Xavier Amatriain on Trust, Agents, and the Future of Travel — Exclusive

In his first media interview as Expedia’s Chief AI and Data Officer, Xavier Amatriain gives a rare look at the logic shaping one of travel’s most closely watched AI strategies.

June 1st, 2026 at 1:59 PM EDT

Podcasts

See All

Scammers Now Know Your Guests’ Exact Booking Details.

On Monday's Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Brandreth Canaley, Michael Goldin, and Jamie Lane break down a week where the infrastructure of hospitality is being stress-tested from every direction.

June 1st, 2026 at 3:33 PM EDT

Travel’s AI Problem Is Bigger Than Most Companies Realize

Sarah Kopit and Adriana Lee break down why the travel industry may not actually be ready for AI despite the rush to adopt it.

May 29th, 2026 at 8:00 AM EDT

GMH Hotels: Airbnb Just Got Serious About Hotels

On this week's Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast: Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk break down a week where three big stories all pointed at the same shift:…

May 27th, 2026 at 2:55 PM EDT

Short-Term Rentals

See All

Spain’s Top Court Voids National Short-Term Rental Registry

The ruling is a win for Airbnb, but Spain's war on short-term rentals is far from over.

May 22nd, 2026 at 2:44 PM EDT

Airbnb Is Recruiting Creators to Build Out Its Experiences Business

Content creators solve a problem Airbnb has been chasing for years — getting locals to book experiences in their own cities.

May 22nd, 2026 at 12:41 PM EDT

Dubai’s $400M in Tourism Aid Buys Time. Operators See Empty Rooms.

With occupancy at 10% and summer ahead, fee exemptions may matter less than empty rooms.

May 22nd, 2026 at 10:30 AM EDT

Skift Originals

See All

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

Legacy Is When Your Ideas Outlive Their Attribution: The Skift Journey

Skift is an extended argument for a particular way of being in the world: intellectually rigorous, commercially viable, editorially independent, globally aware, personally authentic.

December 2nd, 2025 at 9:50 AM EST

Startups

See All

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

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

See All

A crowd of people sitting outside celebrating

Airbnb Invests in WeRoad — and Hired Its CEO to Lead Hotels

Airbnb has struggled to scale experiences. Investing in WeRoad — and hiring its CEO — is Chesky's preferred move: partner first, potentially acquire later.

May 27th, 2026 at 4:00 AM EDT

UAE’s AI Push Could Reshape How Hotels and Holiday Homes Operate

The biggest win for the hospitality sector will be the elimination of manual licensing and compliance checks that quietly drain operator time and margin.

April 30th, 2026 at 9:40 AM EDT

TUI Downgrades Outlook, Reports Softer Bookings From Iran War

TUI went from reporting record EBIT to suspending revenue guidance as conflict in the Middle East disrupts travel plans.

April 22nd, 2026 at 12:42 PM EDT

Tourism

See All

Iran War Drives Middle East Tourism Slump — and a Global Demand Shift

Demand didn't disappear. It just left the Gulf — and it's not clear when it's coming back.

June 2nd, 2026 at 4:24 PM EDT

Record Seaweed Levels Are Hitting Caribbean Beaches — Hotels Are Cutting Prices

Sargassum has gone from a nuisance to a structural threat for Caribbean tourism, and 2026 is shaping up to be the worst year on record.

June 2nd, 2026 at 8:14 AM EDT

Vietnam’s Tourism Boom Gets a Boost from Latest Philippines Pact

Vietnam is building on one of Southeast Asia’s strongest tourism growth stories through regional partnerships, stronger air connectivity, and infrastructure investment, a strategy that is helping it pull ahead.

June 2nd, 2026 at 5:23 AM EDT

Travel Agents

See All

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

Inside the $2.4 Billion Agency Powering Luxury Travel’s Elite Advisors

For years, Global Travel Collection's $2.4 billion in sales has been spread across legacy brands, masking its true scale. Its brand unification is a signal that scale is becoming the defining competitive advantage in luxury travel.

April 23rd, 2026 at 8:30 AM EDT

Travel Technology

See All

Venture Capital

See All