Skift Take

In Skift's top stories this week, IAG is seeking more customers for its Avios currency, U.S. companies are substantially cutting business travel budgets and Hilton is again pushing sustainability to its corporate clients.

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.

IAG Wants Other Companies – Not Just Airlines – to Use Its Avios Points: IAG’s Avios points are coveted among people who want free or reduced-priced flights. A company might prefer to adopt its currency rather than start its own program. But IAG needs to invest in technology to make earning and burning a more attractive proposition for consumers.

Taj Hotels CEO on the Sweeping Strategy Behind Delivering Best-Ever Financials: Taj parent Indian Hotels Company has a lot going on, all in a good way. CEO Puneet Chhatwal shares with us his plans for building on the 119 year-old legacy of this Indian institution.

U.S. Companies Are Cutting Budgets for Business Trips by 25 Percent: Tighter, leaner policies could put the brakes on the surge in travel that we’ve seen in recent months, a warning sign of economic trouble ahead and more bad news for business travel’s full recovery.

Tourist Destinations Face Dilemma Switching From Quantity to ‘Quality’ Visitor Strategies: In the pursuit of higher quality tourists, destinations need to make sure they maintain a diversity of tourists and local businesses.

Hopper Signs Property Managers Evolve and Vtrips for Vacation Rentals: Hopper will eventually be a force to be reckoned with in vacation rentals. There, we said it.

Hilton’s Plan to Get Travel Managers to Take Sustainability Seriously: Despite environmental impacts topping corporate agendas, Hilton is finding that not all corporate clients are asking it for data around sustainability and other social impact elements. The hotel group is working to overcome the complexities in a franchised world of communicating this information.

Flight Centre Travel Group Plays Down Rumors It’s Buying U.S. Agency Altour: Flight Centre Travel Group has rebuked “media M&A speculation” that it is poised to buy U.S. travel management company Altour.

Becoming a Fora Travel Advisor as a Side Hustle During a Summer of Airline Chaos: Fora Travel has the potential to give impetus to the evolving role of travel agents in an Instagram and TikTok era. It all sounds good in theory, but much depends on whether the agency can deliver on providing adequate training to its burgeoning ranks.

Google Flights Changes to Emissions Calculations Stir Controversy: Google didn’t bow to airline pressure on this one, nor is it trying to greenwash. Instead, Google is trying to get the data right on the non-CO2 climate impact of flights.

Finnair Looks Beyond Russian Airspace Setbacks to a New Qatar Airways Partnership: The first piece of Finnair’s new strategic direction is in place, a partnership with Qatar Airways. What could be next from the Nordic airline?

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Tags: business travel, finnair, flight centre, google flights, hilton, hopper, iag, sustainability, taj hotels, top stories, travel agents

Photo credit: IAG, the parent company of British Airways, is looking to expand the scope of its Avios currency BriYYZ / Wikimedia Commons

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