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Coronavirus and Travel

Coronavirus

Japan Finally Shows Signs of Recovery: Skift Travel Health Index

Poor travel performances in Russia and China, which did not come as a surprise, suppress an otherwise strong continuation of travel’s recovery in March 2022 that finally saw Japan make some gains, according to our Skift Travel Health Index.

Wouter Geerts | 2 years ago

Hotels

FILA, Toy Story, and Hello Kitty Latest to Jump on Hotel Branding Trend

To lose connection with your customer is to lose meaning in your message. After a time of social-distancing, brands are coming up with ways that bring them closer to their consumers than ever before.

Mary Ann Ha | 2 years ago

Airlines

United, Delta, American, Other U.S. Airlines Quick to Drop Mask Mandates After Judge’s Ruling

A Florida federal judge and Trump appointee has liberated the U.S. airlines from the tyranny of having to enforce mask mandates. The five largest U.S. airlines didn't wait long, dropping their mask requirements within hours of the judge's ruling.

Tom Lowry and Madhu Unnikrishnan, Skift | 2 years ago

Business Travel

Companies Still Snub Airbnbs for Biz Trips: New Deloitte Study

Don't underestimate the power of big chain loyalty points, which business travelers will be keen to start collecting again to fund their next vacation.

Matthew Parsons | 2 years ago

Skift Meetings

Events Industry Confronts Yet Another Wave of Covid

The new Omicron subvariant BA.2 is on the radar of event planners as the number of worldwide cases ticks up. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , this new variant is even more contagious than the last strain of Omicron.

2 years ago

Business Travel

Amex GBT Assures Investors Pandemic Just a Blip for Corporate Travel

The corporate travel agency’s management team was fairly bullish during an investor day at the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, but can anyone really predict the true shape of business travel in the next year or two?

Matthew Parsons | 2 years ago

Hotels

Indonesia’s Hospitality Growth Driven by Easing of Restrictions

The confidence of the hospitality sector in Indonesia seems to be getting stronger as the archipelago relaxes arrival restrictions. As hotly anticipated properties now announce opening dates, Indonesia is clearly emerging as a key market in Southeast Asia's hospitality ecosystem.

Peden Doma Bhutia | 2 years ago

Tourism

Will Cautious Thailand Lose Out in Southeast Asia’s Tourism Recovery Race?

It's good to be cautious, but Thailand may pay the price of being cautious to a fault. Having already lost out on the first-mover advantage, will the delay in reopening deal a major blow to the already-fragile economy of Southeast Asia's biggest tourism hub?

Peden Doma Bhutia | 2 years ago

Business Travel

Former Travelport Execs Launch Platform to Boost Struggling Agencies

ATPI's new TripStax travel tech platform has experienced Travelport alumni at the helm, but its all-in-one retailing philosophy might limit its appeal.

Matthew Parsons | 2 years ago

Business Travel

Indian Online Travel Agency Yatra Looks to Raise Up to $100 Million From IPO

Long-struggling Yatra picked the day before India reopened its borders to kickstart its public listing plan. It's now got one year to convince investors online travel is the future in India.

Matthew Parsons | 2 years ago

One of India’s biggest travel agencies wants to raise up to $100 million from a public listing on India’s stock exchange. Despite losing money over the past couple of years, Yatra has managed to weather the pandemic, even surviving a battle with an activist shareholder. Recruiting Sabre’s chief commercial officer Roshan Mendis onto its board seems to have marked a new chapter in the company’s fight for survival — which also included a failed merger with Ebix in 2020. On Friday, Yatra said it had filed a "red herring prospectus" and had began talking with potential investors. It expects the process will be completed in the third quarter. The initial public offering could raise $100 million, while there's a secondary offering of almost 9 million equity shares by THCL Travel Holding Cyprus Limited, a subsidiary of Yatra Online. That amounts to about 8 percent of the shares outstanding. Yatra said the additional resources from the IPO would accelerate growth and capture significant opportunities. More importantly, it gives the company access to Indian investors who are currently excluded from investing in Yatra Online’s listing in the U.S., due to regulatory constraints. Yatra is listed on the Nasdaq exchange, where its shares fell at the start of the year following the spread of Omicron. However, with the reopening of scheduled flights on March 27, its shares are starting to recover. "Since India opened to international travel, we've seen meaningful uplift for travel on the leisure and corporate side," said CEO Dhruv Shringi during an investor call on Friday. Shringi added there were growing opportunities to acquire other corporate travel agencies in India. Yatra also aims to invest further in technology and corporate infrastructure for its freight delivery business. Meanwhile, it has just appointed three new non-executive independent directors, according to reports, including a former government minister and former global sales vice president for Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces.