Support Skift and Independent Journalism During the Travel Industry's Moment of Crisis.
Give NowBreaking news and in-depth reporting on how COVID-19 is impacting cruise lines, travel agents, ports of call, and major brands including Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, and more. For broader coverage of coronavirus and its impact on the travel industry, please visit our liveblog.
Sarah Young, Reuters
The UK's biggest travel firm has paused and canceled all hotel stays and vacation packages until May 14. It has put Marella Cruises sailings on hold until June. A new TUI River Cruise product won't start until November. Sensible.
12 hours ago
Rosie Spinks, Skift
Carnival is facing two unprecedented crises: Lost revenue from the complete cessation of its cruising operations and an optics nightmare that puts the future of cruising's popularity in genuine doubt.
2 days ago
Curt Anderson, Associated Press
The cruise industry, with most lines ceasing operations, is still very much in the process of disembarking passengers. It will be a considerable period before operations get restarted.
4 days ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
Quarantines and lockdowns are driving huge spikes in online traffic, and digital marketing may be more effective than ever when the crisis ends. In the meantime, ad tech companies need to prove their worth by helping suppliers plan how to re-activate their marketing campaigns at the right time — and in the best ways.
5 days ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Like any great speech, CEO videos about the coronavirus crisis need to be straightforward, authentic, and personal — and most important there needs to be substance to reinforce the message. Some brands have been able to deliver these crisis communications messages much better than others.
7 days ago
Brian Sumers, Skift
Lots of travel brands are eligible to earn U.S. government money through the so-called CARES Act. But firms will need to move fast to get their share. Here's how it could all shake out.
1 week ago
Tom Lowry , Skift
In a new roundup of coronavirus-related news, we look at how the airlines will handle having the U.S. government as a shareholder under an economic stimulus package. Plus, the latest on hotels deals and financing. It's not pretty. And Skift Research looks at the eventual opportunities for venture capital in travel that may come from this crisis.
2 weeks ago
Erin McCormick, The Guardian
Ship that together carry almost 10,000 passengers are stranded at sea after their destinations are refusing them entry. The sailings generally took place before March 8, when the U.S. and some other nations began advising people to avoid taking cruises. A difficult situation all around.
2 weeks ago
Rosie Spinks, Skift
Corporate bailouts are never popular with the average voter. But bailing out the cruise industry — which goes out of its way to avoid paying U.S. federal taxes — is proving a particularly hard case to make as the travel industry appeals to Congress for help.
2 weeks ago
Faye Chiu, Skift
In tourism news this week, nothing is business-as-usual now for tourism marketers right now, so setting the right tone in the time of coronavirus will matter in big ways. Plus, travel's disruption arrived. However, coronavirus was not what everyone was expecting. What lessons can we learn now to deal with looming climate change later?
3 weeks ago
Xinyi Liang-Pholsena, Skift
A greater appreciation of travel and its many segments could be a positive outcome of the coronavirus pandemic. But until the storm blows over, many small businesses in the Asian tourism industry are facing survival threats.
3 weeks ago
Sarah Marsh, Reuters
Passengers can breathe a sigh of relief.
3 weeks ago
