Virgin Voyages Raises $550 Million in Funding With BlackRock as New Backer

Virgin Voyages has raised $550 million in fresh capital led by new investor BlackRock, with additional financing from existing investors Bain Capital Private Equity and Virgin Group, plus support

Cruises

The Alaska Experiment That Could Reshape How Cruise Lines Navigate Wildlife

Alaska’s reputation as a bucket list cruise destination rests largely on its wildlife encounters, especially whale sightings. MSC Cruises is treating its first season in the region as a research opportunity, exploring how marine science can guide operations in high-density wildlife corridors.

MSC Cruises + Skift | 1 week ago

Ixigo Acquires Hotel Booking Platform and Invests in AI Startups

With Brevistay, Ixigo closes the last major gap in its travel stack. Its twin bets on AI infrastructure hint at a larger goal of keeping trip planning inside its ecosystem, rather than letting it migrate to ChatGPT.

Peden Doma Bhutia | 2 hours ago

Tourism

Amsterdam Proposes Tourism Tax Hike to 20%

Raising taxes is easy — actually reducing visitor numbers is the problem Amsterdam hasn't solved.

Rashaad Jorden | 2 hours ago

Travel Technology

Connectivity Is Becoming Travel’s Most Critical Trust Signal

Connectivity has become a foundational layer of the travel experience. As the smartphone becomes the control point for travel, reliable connection is becoming less about convenience and more about trust.

Holafly + Skift | 4 hours ago

The Two-Sided AI Squeeze That Only Travel Faces

Travel is the only major industry getting hit from both directions at once: AI search volumes are exploding without converting while total AI token bills internally are rising.

Rafat Ali | 5 hours ago

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Virgin Voyages Raises $550 Million in Funding With BlackRock as New Backer

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