2020 Archives

In coronavirus-related travel stories this week, Skift covered Vegas discounting, Visit Baltimore's CEO talking race, the demise of stroopwafels on airplanes, Zoom's views on the future of corporate travel, and Airbnb's changing going-public playbook.

Airbnb launched an investigation into the complaint almost immediately after receiving a letter outlining the allegations. Good to see swift action to get to the bottom of what is being alleged.

You know that hotel ad that appears on every site as you surf the internet? Well, the underlying tech behind it, called the cookie, isn't long for this world. Neither is the mobile identifier on cell phones that some advertisers also use for tracking. So what's a hotel marketer to do?

Hotel construction output lags metrics like occupancy in response to economic conditions. But the slow reaction time also means the development pipeline will likely take far longer to rebound from coronavirus than hotel performance.

Travel startups funded this week include a data exchange platform, a direct booking solution for hotels, an intercity bus service, a listing service for recreational vehicles, a service for virtual experiences, and a ticketing tool for activities operators.

With an ever-growing array of hotel cleaning programs launched in response to coronavirus, a governing body may be what gives travelers the biggest confidence boost to return to vacationing.

Despegar, Latin America's largest online travel company, will pay much, much less than its original $136 million proposed price to buy Mexican travel agency Best Day. Expect similar tough haggling over deal terms by travel companies across the globe.

Even for the likes of Zoom, corporate travel is perceived as important to connect with people. What's reassuring to see is that the company is trying to work out the best ways on its own platform to keep that team spirit alive in these challenging times.

TUI/Musement's new strategic partnership with Booking.com has the potential to reshuffle the powers that be in tours and activities, especially in Europe. But TUI doesn't have a stellar track record in online offerings, and much of the promise will depend on its execution.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Britain has been something of an outlier in Europe — and not in a good way. As travel reopens on the continent, the travel industry is loudly questioning the logic of its quarantine and proposing a better way.