Travel News: Latest News, Breaking Stories, and Analysis of Travel

News Blog

Deutsche Bahn Pushes For More Investment as Riders Surges

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn expects a very good year in 2023. Ridership on its long-distance trains is forecast to be "well over" 150 million passengers, exceeding the peak before the pandemic of 150.7 million riders, CEO Richard Lutz said Thursday. But while that outlook shows the strong demand for travel and resilience of rail…

Edward Russell | 3 mins ago

Tour Operators

Leveraging Travel Experiences Through TV and Movie Hits

The desire for unique, all-access travel experiences continues to come into its own, with movies and TV shows offering an unending source of creativity for travel companies — with the right collaborations sifting the exceptional from the average.

Selene Brophy | 1 hour ago

Hotels

4 Charts and a Paris Hilton TikTok: Lessons From Skift’s Future of Lodging Forum 2023

Sometimes charts and even a TikTok capture 1,000 words. A handful relay some of the opportunities facing the hotel industry today.

Sean O'Neill | 3 hours ago

Short-Term Rentals

HomeToGo Still Waits on Vacation Rental Acquisitions for Elusive Profits

HomeToGo is eager to prove itself as a sustainable and yet growing business in vacation rentals. However, for it to succeed in the long game, the Berlin-based company will need a razor sharp focus on geographical expansion and organic growth — not just acquisitions.

Srividya Kalyanaraman | 4 hours ago

Skift Meetings

MPI Reconnects with Its European Community in Brighton

Two years later than initially planned, Meeting Professionals International (MPI) hosted its European Meetings and Events Conference (EMEC) in Brighton, UK, this week. Twice postponed due to the Covid pandemic, the conference finally attracted around 300 participants, thanks to persistent efforts from MPI and the local host committee led by IMEX. This was the first time this conference was held in the UK since 2008, when it was held in London with a record-breaking attendance of 538. MeetEngland and VisitBritain supported the conference and organized hosted buyer groups that toured the UK before the conference. Hosted buyers from Europe and the U.S. took part in pre-conference business appointments.

5 hours ago

Tourism

Why So Many Souvenirs Gather Dust on Travelers’ Shelves

Souvenirs are an essential part of the travel experience, but they still haven't under gone the revolution like other parts of the travel economy. New innovative ways to support local artisans and communities in tourism are still unrealized.

Dawit Habtemariam | 5 hours ago

Hotels

Las Vegas Hotels Deny Conspiring to Artificially Raise Room Rates

Attorneys representing Las Vegas' most prominent hotels argue the lawsuit alleging a conspiracy to keep room rates high lacks a very important piece of evidence — proof of communication between any of the defendants.

Mike Scarcella, Reuters | 5 hours ago

Airline Weekly

Istanbul Airport Lands EasyJet, Wizz Air Among 15 New Airlines Helping Drive Growth

Istanbul is the hot, new European destination for airlines.

6 hours ago

Tourism

Thailand’s Maya Bay Sees Sharks and Tourists Fight for Space

The famous bay, which is part of Phi Phi Leh island, has seen a post-pandemic boom in both rates of tourists and sharks, leading to questions over how best to balance nature with tourism — now such an integral part of Thailand's economy.

Kanupriya Kapoor, Reuters | 7 hours ago

Hotels

Hilton Wants to Use AI to Personalize Hotel Bookings

Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks at Hilton’s AI hopes, Jumeirah’s expansion, and tours tech in Southeast Asia.

Rashaad Jorden | 9 hours ago

Skift Meetings

Kentucky Slashes Exhibitor Sales Tax

A looming state tax on exhibitors would have been an enormous blow to Kentucky’s lucrative convention business. Impacted organizations successfully joined together to fight this, and legislators have rescinded the second layer of tax.

10 hours ago