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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.

4 mins 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 | 15 mins 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 | 40 mins 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.

2 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 | 2 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 | 4 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.

5 hours ago

Travel Technology

Generative AI Can Be Used for More Than Just Travel Booking

As announcements have been made around ChatGPT and consumer-facing travel booking tech, other companies have been quietly working away on business-to-business generative AI products. There's more to come, no doubt.

Justin Dawes | 8 hours ago

Tourism

Skift India Daily: Telecom Firms Asked to Set Up Safe Buffer Zones for 5G Near Airports

Government agencies, planemakers, and telecom companies still have work to do to ensure safe flight operations around airports with 5G airwave infrastructure.

Amrita Ghosh | 11 hours ago

Short-Term Rentals

Airbnb Mulls New Revenue Stream — Charging Hosts for Additional Services

Airbnb has lot on its plate: suspensions in multiple jurisdictions, incessant regulatory hurdles and more. But when its comes to business focus, the company is growing and paying more keen attention to how it serves the hosts on its platform.

Srividya Kalyanaraman and Dennis Schaal, Skift | 19 hours ago

Hotels

Pandemic First Mover MCR Still Going Strong on Hotel and Tech Investments

MCR is using the expertise from its growing hotel enterprise to inform the development of its own growing hotel tech companies. What better strategy to solve some of the industry's biggest problems and make money doing it?

Justin Dawes | 20 hours ago