Rashaad Jorden

Convincing travel companies to take less commission is a tall order, especially coming out of the pandemic. But Niarra Travel believes that getting more money into the hands of local communities requires bold steps and immediate action. The severe downturn in tourism revenue and its impact on Africa's wildlife and communities means that the time is now.

Philippine Airlines has finally exited from Chapter 11, with debts erased and new capital infused. But will these be enough to keep it flying with clearly too many pilots in its cockpit?

In Skift's top stories this week, the Philippines reopens to fully vaccinated foreign visitors, Hyatt unveils its plans for the Apple Leisure Group, and airline executives express optimism about business travel making a full recovery.

Ghana's success in attracting members of the African diaspora to visit should drive its neighbors to develop similar strategies. They can see there's enormous amounts of money to be made from a lucrative African American market re-energizing from the pandemic as tourists are eager for travel to the continent.

As Manila moves to regain lost precious tourism dollars, industry veterans in the Philippines doubt recovery will be swift. Patience will be required.

In Skift's top stories this week, tour operators prepare for Japan to reopen to tourists this year, short-term rental properties in the U.S. become more expensive, and Booking and Expedia develop Super Bowl ads.

The hard-hit tour operator sector is creating opportunities for consolidation, as some savvy players will use travel's recovery to seek out acquisitions to fill significant gaps in their portfolios.

When it comes to sleeping and good sleep habits, hotels would be best served to market the experiential, not just just the material — especially if science supports the potential benefits.

It's a bit presumptuous for tour operators to believe Japan will soon reopen in time for the popular spring season considering that the country doesn't seem to be in any hurry to welcome more foreign visitors despite increasing pressure to do so.

In Skift's top stories this week, Hawaiian Airlines is changing its distribution strategy, Sonder has a disappointing stock market debut, and Hilton unveils its plan to address the labor shortage in the hotel industry.