Skift Take

This week in tourism, conventions were top of mind: cities leverage their innovation economies to drive convention growth and at GBTA, corporate travel appears stagnant.

Throughout the week we post dozens of original stories, connecting the dots across the travel industry, and every weekend we sum it all up. This weekend roundup examines tourism.

For all of our weekend roundups, go here.

>>One lucky fan will win a trip to New York City to attend Skift Global Forum! Will it be you? Feeling Lucky? Enter Our Skift Global Forum Giveaway

>>Beyond limiting company spending, there are financial reasons why business travelers feel so constrained by corporate travel-booking policies. It’s time for everyone to be honest about them: The Real Reasons Business Travelers Don’t Get What They Want

>>Many U.S. travelers don’t want to be labeled as racists or bigots, and publicly oppose discriminatory legislation. But that doesn’t mean they won’t take a trip they’ve been planning all year, especially if the legislation doesn’t involve them: Discriminatory Bathroom Bills Won’t Keep Most Travelers Out of Affected States

>>Is affordable luxury an oxymoron? Do luxury products risk diluting their images by brand extensions? How to Create a Better Brand Extension for Luxury Travel Consumers

>>Focusing on current micro-trends will allow prescient travel businesses to get a leg up on the competition. The key, though, is distinguishing between a micro-trend and a fad: How Trends Evolve and Shape Consumer Travel Habits

>>Environmental sustainability will be the mark of luxury as we move into the future with discerning customers demanding that the businesses they patronize do everything possible to mitigate their impact: Environmental Sustainability Is the Next Frontier in Luxury Travel

>>Duffey’s departure is mysterious, but the new (and old) CEO knows the company and headed it for several years. There shouldn’t be too much upheaval or shift in strategy, even if the unexpected change proves distracting for awhile: Six Flags Just Unexpectedly Replaced Its CEO With Its Previous CEO

>>In theory, the merger of iCars and Limos.com promises a thriving black car service for corporate travelers. In practice, there is circumstantial evidence this investment vehicle hasn’t yet left the repair shop: iCars Denies That It Is Spinning Its Wheels in Corporate Ground Transport

>>Another year, another GBTA. It seems like corporate travel is heading in the direction of offering more options to business travelers, but progress remains slow: GBTA Notebook: The Future of Corporate Travel Is Basically the Same as the Past

>>There’s a growing conversation in the U.S. about how city governments and convention bureaus can better pool their resources to promote their local startup and research communities to convention organizers: Cities Want to Leverage Conventions Better to Drive Growth — Meetings Innovation Report

>>Many travel brands had said last year was tough as full-year international visits to the U.S. decreased in 2016 for the first time since 2009: International Tourism to the United States Dropped in 2016

>>New tools streamlining booking and expenses are here from big travel management companies, but they still lag behind consumer products in many ways: The Future of Business Travel — Skift Corporate Travel Innovation Report

>>While growth prospects for business travel spending look strong for next year into 2020, there is still enough uncertainty that experts are adding lots of caveats to their forecast: Business Travel Spending Is Expected to Gain Steam Globally by 2018

insights

Get Skift Research

Skift Research products provide deep analysis, data, and expert research on the companies and trends that are shaping the future of travel.

See What You're Missing

Have a confidential tip for Skift? Get in touch

Tags: tourism, Travel Trends, trends roundups

Photo credit: iCars and Limos.com at GBTA 2017. Corporate travel still struggles to innovate. Skift

Up Next

Loading next stories