Rafat Ali

The growth-at-all-costs playbook that built online travel platforms is dead. The disruption opportunity with new players isn't theoretical anymore, it's structural, and it rewards depth over scale.

America has become too expensive to visit, and the tourism industry refuses to admit it. We've turned travel – and living – into an extraction operation, and we're surprised when people stop coming.

I’m proud to announce two acquisitions that mark significant steps forward for us in community-driven, multimedia content. These acquisitions are part of our intentional growth strategy, balancing simplicity and complexity to build resilience into our media ecosystem.

Sonder showed us how far you can push tech and design in urban hospitality. Selina pioneered community-driven, affordable stays for new generations of travelers. Both deserve more than a footnote on innovation in travel.

A job-posts deep-dive shows how cruise lines, hotels, theme parks, and OTAs are staffing up for an AI future.

Make no mistake: This is the second big test of India’s travel ecosystem in a year that has also seen India and Pakistan on the brink of war.

At Skift, our job is to pay attention, to connect the dots, even when others can’t or won’t. We’ll keep reporting. We’ll keep listening. Because the story of the travel industry — especially now — isn’t going to tell itself.

Airbnb made big announcements about the future of its business this week. But the CEO is driven by more human factors.

Disruption either forces transformation or accelerates what was already in motion. In the case of travel, Covid was an acceleration.

Vail Resorts is seeking advanced AI, digital logistics, and enterprise software solutions to enhance guest experiences, expand ancillary offerings, and achieve substantial organizational efficiencies, based on AI's analysis of its latest earnings call transcript.