Skift Take

Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks at the impact of Europe’s energy crisis on hotels, Florida’s push to market new attractions, and Israel’s lure for U.S. airlines.

Series: Skift Daily Briefing

Skift Daily Briefing Podcast

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Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, September 6. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

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Episode Notes

Hotels in Europe have had a strong summer with the continent seeing a surge in visitors in recent months. But Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill reports that trouble is on the horizon for European hotels due to an energy crisis sparked by the war in Ukraine.

As Russia has slashed the supply of natural gas, which is critical for generating electricity and heat for European businesses, hotel owners are preparing for soaring energy costs. The Scotland-based Crieff Hydro Family hotel group has seen its energy costs more than double in the last year. Although European lawmakers have promised roughly $280 billion in relief to businesses and consumers, O’Neill writes the crisis appears to be outpacing the planned help.

We head to Florida next. The Sunshine State is attracting massive visitor numbers in large part due to a marketing campaign highlighting its lesser-known attractions, reports Senior Hospitality Editor O’Neill.

Visit Florida, the state’s tourism promotion agency, estimates Florida surpassed pre-pandemic visitation figures in the first half of 2022. That comes on the heels of Florida establishing a domestic visitation record last year. O’Neill writes that a $16 million campaign that involved local destination marketing organizations helped boost visitor numbers. The campaign featured ads showcasing Florida’s 15 Michelin-star restaurants and opportunities the state provides travelers with disabilities.

Visit Florida President and CEO Dana Young said the agency found travelers were more than twice as likely to visit Florida after seeing its ads. Florida welcomed close to 70 million visitors in the first six months of this year.

Finally, U.S. airlines are eager to cash in on the pent-up demand for travel to Israel. Three major carriers are adding flights to the country to their schedules, reports Contributor Ted Reed.

American Airlines will serve Tel Aviv from Miami starting in November while Delta Air Lines is launching non-stop service from Atlanta to the Israeli city next spring. Meanwhile, United Airlines will operate a fourth weekly flight from Chicago to Tel Aviv from November 1 through March. United has the largest share of the U.S.-Israel market, serving Tel Aviv from Newark, San Francisco and Washington Dulles.

Reed writes those additions come after U.S. travel to Israel rose 4.5 percent in July over 2019 levels. That’s the first increase since the start of the pandemic. The U.S. is typically the largest source of international visitors to Israel, with nearly a million Americans traveling to the country in 2019.

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Tags: delta air lines, energy, europe, florida, israel, marketing, skift podcast, ukraine, united airlines

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