Skift Travel News Blog

Qatar Airways is introducing a range of new onboard menu items that have been sourced from organic farms in Qatar, in celebration of EXPO 2023 taking place in Doha.

Expo 2023 Doha, which is running through March 2024, celebrates the theme of ‘Green Desert, Better Environment,’ and aims to promote sustainable innovations.

As part of the new food and drink offering, passengers flying Business Class will now be greeted with bespoke beverages curated by food expert Ghanim Al Sulaiti – one of the founders of Qatar’s first entirely plant-based café – and will have access to an exclusive à la carte menu, featuring meals made from organic ingredients sourced from Safwa, a Qatari farm.

Continuing the horticultural theme, the inflight entertainment on Qatar Airways flights will also receive an update, providing passengers with the opportunity to watch a range of gardening-related shows, including Martha Knows Best, Homegrown, Vegetable Garden and more.

The new food and beverage offerings are available for passengers traveling from Doha until March 2024.

The European Commission has proposed revisions that would bolster traveler rights and protections.

Here are some highlights: 

• Persons With Disabilities: If an airline requires they travel accompanied, the person accompanying them will fly with them free of charge.

• Travel Package Prepayments: Travelers will pay a maximum of 25% of the price of travel packages booked up to 28 days before departure.

• Refunds Through Vouchers: Travelers will get an automatic refund if they don’t use their vouchers before the end of their validity period and protection against travel company insolvency.

There isn’t an estimated timeline for the proposals to make it into law, if they are approved. But Europe has some of the world’s most extensive protections and rights for travelers, and the Commission has a strong track record in this area.

Amtrak carried 28.6 million customers on train trips during its latest fiscal year. That number, while an improvement of nearly a quarter from 2022, fell short of its aim to match pre-pandemic ridership of 32.5 million trips.

But even as overall numbers fell short of those four years ago, Amtrak said Thursday that the number of trips across its national passenger rail network had fully recovered — and was up in some places — by September, the last month of its 2023 fiscal year.

“Amtrak ridership continues to set post-pandemic records,” CEO Stephen Gardner said in a statement Thursday. “We’re inspired by the soaring demand for intercity passenger rail and are eager to continue connecting more people and places.”

The railroad has ambitious expansion plans, dubbed Connect U.S. and largely funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, that could see it add dozens of new passenger rail corridors and trains across the country over the next decade. The first route of that expansion could be new service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., sometime next year. The route was previously operated in 2005 but suspended after Hurricane Katrina damaged tracks. And, new engines and passenger cars on order will add capacity and improve service on everything from Amtrak’s high-speed Acela train to its state-funded corridors and long-distance trains.

During the year ending in September, Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor that connects Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C., was once again its busiest route. The railroad carried 12.1 million riders on the corridor, up 31% from last year and down just 3% from 2019. Ridership fell 7% on its second busiest route, the Pacific Surfliner in California, to 1.5 million trips during the year; trains on the corridor between Los Angeles and San Diego were affected for up to six months last fall after coastal erosion temporarily closed the tracks.

Amtrak’s ridership numbers indicate that privately owned Brightline’s new Miami-Orlando passenger rail line that opened in September will likely be the second busiest intercity passenger train this year.

Amtrak posted some of its biggest ridership gains on state-supported routes in Connecticut, North Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia. The largest jump was to Norfolk where ridership doubled from 2019 to more than 480,000 passengers this year; Amtrak added a third daily train to Norfolk from Washington in 2022. And, affirming the maxim “build it and they will come,” ridership climbed nearly 72% compared to four years ago to nearly 87,000 passengers on the railroad’s Ethan Allen service to Vermont that was extended to Burlington last July.

Amtrak leadership will discuss the railroad’s performance and plans at a public board meeting on Friday.

Accor said on Thursday it would appoint Gilda Perez-Alvarado as CEO of Orient Express, its luxury hotel brand, effective January 1.

Just last month, Perez-Alvarado became the chief strategy officer for the Paris-based hotel giant group, a role she’ll retain. Previously, she was global CEO of the hotel brokerage firm JLL Hotels & Hospitality. 

Accor added that Omer Acar would, on January 1, become the CEO of Fairmont while remaining CEO of Raffles as well.

Acar replaces Mark Willis, who will become an advisor to Sébastien Bazin, the group’s chairman and CEO. Skift profiled Fairmont’s luxury hotel strategy earlier this year.

Acar spoke on-stage at Skift Global Forum in New York in September about Raffles’ evolution.

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund will acquire a 10% stake in Heathrow Airport, the busiest airport in Europe. Saudi is buying the share off of Ferrovial of Spain, while Paris-based Ardian will acquire 15 percent in a deal worth £2.37 billion ($3 billion) The deal is being made by the Public Investment Fund, known as PIF, which is chaired by the kingdom’s crown prince.

Ferrovial has owned its stake since 2006. The new deal is still subject to regulatory conditions

Heathrow’s parent company TGP Topco has various different owners, including other sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East. Here’s what the ownership looks like:

• Qatar Investment Authority: 20%
• Ardian: 15%
• Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec: 13%
• GIC: 11%
• Australian Retirement Trust: 11%
• PIF: 10%
• China Investment Corporation: 10%
• Universities Superannuation Scheme: 10%

Heathrow regained its top spot as the busiest airport in western Europe last year, after sliding down the rankings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of passengers at the London airport has been on the rise. Between January and the end of September, Heathrow’s terminals saw 59.4 million passengers, an increase from 44.2 million during the same period in 2022.

This year, the airport has been experiencing financial losses due to substantial debt, influenced by sharp increases in borrowing costs. Losses in the first nine months of this year were £19 million (approximately $24.1 million), down from £442 million (approximately $561.5 million) in the same period in 2022.

The airport still has more than £14 billion (approximately $17.7 billion) in debt.

Saudi Arabia’s ambitious mega-development Neom continues to announce small boutique hotels. With more than half a trillion dollars at its disposal, Neom could build the biggest hotels in the world, but, for now, is opting to unveil properties no more than 100 keys in size.

Siranna is the latest. A 65-room hotel with 35 residences attached as well. It will also have a beach club, a “sunset terrace,” and a string of high-end restaurants. It joins two other futuristic hotel projects within the surrounding Gulf of Aqaba region, including Epicon and Leyja. All three projects maintain a focus on integrating themselves with nature and disconnecting guests from the noise of modern life.

To this end, architects involved in Siranna say they have drawn inspiration from the architecture of the ancient world.

No opening date, operator or price tag was announced with Siranna, as is the norm with Neom. Thus far, we know that Leyja will be operated by barefoot luxury brand Habitas, which received a $400 million investment from the Saudi government earlier this year.

Neom’s Potential Boutique Hotel Collection

Earlier this month, Skift reported that Neom had trademarked a dozen terms under the “hotel services” category, suggesting a big push into hospitality by the Saudi giga-project. These trademarks included Epicon and Leyja, as well as Siranna, which is now confirmed this week.

You can see all the other trademarks here.

Leyja Hotels At Neom

Saudi’s Leyja project announced last month comprises three hotels with 40 keys each in the mountain area near the Gulf of Aqaba. Habitas has been confirmed as the operator, and its founder and CEO has promised he will create something people will flock to.

“Human connection is at the core of our brand and ethos,” said Habitas CEO Oliver Ripley, during a virtual press conference in the metaverse. “We want to send guests on a transformative journey and they are invited to attend a welcome ceremony. Really, the essence is about reconnecting with themselves, their loved ones and with new friends and people. It’s all about human connection.”

Epicon Hotels At Neom

The plan for Epicon, situated along the Gulf of Aqaba coastline, comprises a select few hotels and restaurants, including two towers – one standing at 225 meters and the other soaring to 275 meters. These towers will host an “ultra-premium” 41-key hotel and 14 suites and apartments constituting luxury residences. Near the hotel, the Epicon resort offers 120 rooms and 45 residential beach villas. Neom has not disclosed the opening date or development cost. In addition to the accommodations, Epicon will encompass beach clubs, lounges, restaurants, and boutique shops.

Destination Canada has joined forces with Nicole Byer, host of the Netflix show ‘Nailed It!’, on a series of short videos designed to teach viewers ‘how to winter the Canadian way.’

The campaign is made up of four short videos, which sees Byer in a series of humorous sketches and locations as she shares her tips and techniques on how to navigate the Canadian climate from the perspective of a cold weather novice.

The tongue in cheek videos cover a range of topics, including how to fall with grace when skiing, how to ensure your winter wardrobe is couture, how to get involved in winter sports (or at least pretend you know the rules), and how to master the cold plunge.

You can watch the full video series on the Destination Canada website.

Accor has announced the signing of the first Tribe Nation hotel in China, in partnership with Guiyang Chengnan Investment and Development Company Ltd.

Located in in Huaxi District, a National All-For-One Tourism Zone in the southern part of Guiyang, the 136-room hotel is set to open in January 2025, and will offer a ‘new urban lifestyle hospitality experience to modern and Gen Z Chinese travelers.’

According to a release from Accor, Tribe Nation Guiyang South will be designed to provide guests with ‘a creative hub to relax among a like-minded community of locals and travelers’ and ‘surprise travelers with an original and creative type of hospitality that redefines the hotel experience and amplifies style.’

The hotel will also feature eco-friendly amenities, two restaurants, a gym, swimming pool, and meetings and function spaces available for celebrations or conferences. 

Tribe Nation Guiyang South is one of 50 new Tribe hotels that are being built globally, with the brand expecting up to 100 new addresses to open over the next five years.

Avianca CEO Adrian Neuhauser will take the helm of the Latin American airline group Abra in January. He will pass the reins of the Bogotá-based carrier to its Deputy CEO Frederico Pedreira.

Neuhauser, who oversaw the U.S. bankruptcy restructuring of Avianca into something of a low-cost global carrier, will oversee Latin America’s second largest airline group in his new role. Abra, which includes Avianca and Brazilian carrier Gol, is second only to Latam Airlines in size in the region. Neuhauser replaces Constantino de Oliveira Junior who has led Abra since its creation last year.

“I have full confidence in [Pedreira] and his leadership in executing Avianca’s next steps,” Neuhauser said. “I look forward to continuing to work with him and the entire team for many years to come.”

Neuhauser’s promotion to Abra, and Pedreira’s at Avianca comes amid a broader management shuffle at the group. Oliveira will become executive chairman of Abra’s board in January, and current chairman Roberto Kriete will step down but remain on the board.

Abra, despite its size, is not as large as initially envisioned. A planned merger between Avianca and Colombian discounter Viva Air ran afoul of competition regulators, and Viva entered liquidation in June. And plans to incorporate Chile’s Sky Airline have yet to occur.

Still, Abra will fly more than 18% of all airline capacity within Latin America this year, according to Cirium Diio schedules. Latam will fly 24% and Volaris, the third largest airline in the region, nearly 12%.

The French Senate has greenlit measures to apply value-added tax (VAT) to Airbnb and similar platforms, aiming to address perceived competition imbalances with the hotel sector. 

Under the existing system VAT is levied on furnished tourist accommodations based on specific services like breakfast, regular cleaning, and the provision of household linen. The proposed amendment contends that this is “distortion of competition” between holiday rental companies and hotels, which are already VAT-subject. 

Currently, Airbnb collects tourist tax predetermined by regions (usually 10%) and additional taxes depending on the departments. For instance, the Île-de-France region recently introduced an additional “Grand Paris” tax of 15%. 

Finance minister Bruno Le Mair had suggested increasing taxes on Airbnb rentals, in June this year, to align them with regular, non-tourist rentals. Currently, tourist rentals, including those through Airbnb, enjoy a special tax rebate in France. Le Maire emphasized the need for fairness in taxation and expressed concerns about excessive benefits and favorable tax treatment. 

Despite Senate approval, the government retains the right to reject the measure. The Senate previously endorsed a measure to regulate furnished tourist accommodations by reducing tax deductions in areas with rental pressure.