At Skift Global Forum 2025, travel leaders explored how AI is reshaping traveler behavior, forecasting, and marketing strategy, and why human insight remains travel’s greatest advantage.

Once an unreliable luxury, in-flight Wi-Fi is fast becoming a universal expectation — and a fast-emerging channel for travel advertisers. In this talk, Viasat’s Meherwan Polad discusses how combining satellite power with creative monetization models turns connectivity into an engine of both passenger satisfaction and profitability.

Sandals Resorts International is doubling down on its Caribbean identity, expanding its Beaches brand, and leveraging its regional workforce and suppliers to power both hospitality excellence and economic growth. In this talk, Executive Chairman Adam Stewart elaborates on the brand’s bold new chapter.

Evermore shifts Orlando beyond theme parks, positioning itself as a destination in its own right. In this talk, Chris Kelsey, president of Dart Interests, highlights group-focused residences, a Conrad hotel, and a focus on “relational wellness” as the next wave of travel demand.

Today’s travelers expect fast, responsive support when disruptions arise. In this talk, Anna Kofoed, chief officer for travel at Allianz Partners, explained why proactive, seamless travel protection is central to loyalty in today’s industry.

The explosive popularity of gaming and esports tourism is not only an interesting story of rapid growth in and of itself. It represents a completely new category of live tourism that’s breaking down generational and cultural barriers.

MSC Cruises’ newest ship brings its latest sustainability technologies to the U.S. market. Multi-fuel design, shore power, and advanced water treatment illustrate progress toward net-zero marine operations by 2050.

Business travel spending worldwide is projected to hit an all-time high by the end of 2025. Coupled with an explosion in AI tools that promise to turn corporate travel programs into high-performance vehicles for growth and ROI, companies are wise to spend time learning how to steer and navigate the technology before speeding off.

As hotel distribution grows more open and decentralized, infrastructure will define the winners. Nuitée is for hotel distribution what AWS is for computing or Stripe is for payments, helping hotels and new sellers unlock channels, control pricing, and personalize experiences.

Experience Abu Dhabi is taking a fresh look at its approach to family travel marketing by giving children a voice in shaping messaging and experiences. The result is a global campaign with content that feels personal and relevant across markets.