Thailand’s New India Strategy and More Top Stories This Week

Throughout the week we are posting original stories night and day covering news and travel trends, including on the impact of coronavirus. Every weekend we will offer you a chance to read the most essential stories again in case you missed them earlier.

Thailand Drops Test Requirements Just as It Plans to Woo Indian Tourists: After a great deal of will they or won’t they, Thailand has finally decided to simplify travel for visitors. But in the absence of some of its most important source markets, like China and Russia, the country has its sights set on Indian tourists.

A Japanese Reporter’s Travel Diary Shows New Level of Chaos at Airports: Japan remains closed to most tourists, but it has loosened up for some business trips and students. This Travel Voice Japan journalist’s account of a recent trip to Hawaii echoes the experiences of a lot global travelers these days for the mass confusion.

Travelers Plan to Alter Summer Travel Plans Because of Higher Prices: New Survey: Pent-up travel demand meets inflation. Here’s what a new survey found out about how travelers plan to deal with higher prices.

Skift Future of Lodging Forum Preview: Kayak CEO on Gaining a Meta Advantage in Guest Experience: Perhaps the big hotel chains will learn that high tech doesn’t have to mean a lack of hospitality and a guest experience devoid of personality.

Delta Offers Flight Attendants Boarding Pay Amid Union Drive: Delta will pay flight attendants for boarding time in what it claims is a move to improve reliability. But the additional pay comes as the largest flight attendant union tries to organize crews amid a national rise in organized labor.

JetBlue Finds New Revenues as Pilot Shortage Takes Its Toll: JetBlue is struggling to find positive news after operational issues forced it to cancel roughly 10 percent of its flights in April, and scale way back on summer flying. The pilot shortage has come home to roost with some asking if JetBlue is now just a stepping stone for crew members on their way to bigger airlines.

Corporate Travel Giant CWT Names New CEO — Again: Michelle McKinney Frymire had only been in the top job for 12 months, but it probably felt a lot longer considering the turmoil the travel agency’s been through. In theory, incoming CEO Patrick Andersen has a steadier ship to sail.

Carnival CEO Arnold Donald Is Stepping Down: Donald has had to deal with the biggest crisis ever to hit the cruise industry, and leaves the company in still-uncharted waters with an uncertain path to recovery.

Upscale Hotels Bet on Personalization That Goes Deeper: Personalization is a buzzy word on many hoteliers’ lips. But only a handful of operators, brands, and agencies, such as Rosewood, Virgin, The Nines, and Muzéo, seem to be truly learning how to deliver individualized service.

Mondee Reportedly Gets $20 Million From Travelport Owners to Support Going Public: Some recent efforts by businesses to go public via mergers with blank check companies have stalled or fizzled. But it’s a vote of confidence in Mondee that Travelport’s financial sponsors, Elliott Management and Siris Capital, are reportedly putting up money to support the travel tech company in going public.