The Great Merging
How we live, work, socialize and travel have merged into each other, with profound implications for the global industry at the center of selling this dream. How will travel respond?
Accor Takes Over Legendary QE2 Ship For Floating Hotel in Dubai
Well, never accuse Accor of not experimenting with new things, maybe to a fault: it has taken over the operations of the legendary cruise liner and ship Queen Elizabeth 2.…
Amtrak To Add More Trains As Demand Returns
Good news on travel demand, of the rail kind: Amtrak has announced its summer schedule with most Acela frequencies since the onset of the pandemic and Northeast Regional departures nearing 80% of pre-pandemic service…
U.S. Meetings & Events Recovery At About 70 Percent Compared to 2019
Latest data from events business intelligence vendor Knowland for the U.S. market is showing meetings and events data for April had a significant increase of 323 percent over April 2021,…
Tour Operator Intrepid Invests in Remote Eco-Cabins Startup CABN
Intrepid Travel, one of the world's largest adventure travel tour operator is investing about $5.5 million USD into an Australian remote eco-cabins startup CABN. Currently the startup has 11 cabins…
Nat Geo Hires Nathan Lump As New Editor
National Geographic, the 134 year-old media brand now majority owned by Disney, has appointed former Editor of Travel+Leisure Nathan Lump as its new Editor-In-Chief. Lump was most recently serving as…
Phew! Travel Booking Windows Are Increasing Again
Fascinating data point from Expedia Group Media Solutions in its latest Q1 Travel Trend Report: the booking windows which had shrunk dramatically over the last two years of the pandemic…
Business Travel Car Rental Demand Now Above 2019 Levels For Avis-Budget
That's according to Avis-Budget's Q1 earnings release this week. In the earnings call, Avis Budget CEO Joe Ferraro said that "in the latter part of the first quarter, we've seen…
Southwest to Start Testing Free Wifi on Flights
Free wifi on flights is a perennial issue that comes up in news every year or two. Delta has tested it on and off since 2019 and JetBlue has been…
Airbnb’s Flexible Searches Working To Add Demand, Moving Beyond Intent To Inspiration
Airbnb's flexible search -- its "I'm Flexible" feature for those not decided on dates, duration or destinations -- is a big hit, according to the company and in its Q1…