Skift Originals

Eventbrite closed 2019 stronger than expected, but the company's stock still stumbled after last week's earnings call. The events industry is clearly at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.

We've decided to move two of our forums to new dates in light of the coronavirus outbreak. Skift Forum Europe will now be held on June 29–30 in Madrid, and Skift Forum Asia in Singapore on Oct. 13–15. We hope you can join us for these seminal travel industry events.

The travel arrangement and reservation services sector has experienced strong growth for the past few years and outperformed other major travel verticals. We believe this trend will continue in the next few years, aided by more digital transformation.

Travel advisors still exist; tour operators are the last sector to move to digital; online travel platforms are scrambling to keep the growth rate high. We are expecting to see more changes shaping the travel arrangement and reservation services sector in the next few years.

There is no doubt that the latest wellness trends will impact the travel space. Just how fast companies will begin implementing the trends is the real question.

One of our goals is to always surprise our readers. So we asked our editors to push the envelope on making predictions for the New Year. They did not disappoint, from Amazon buying Expedia to JetBlue going away. What we are really trying to do here is prepare our readers for more of the unexpected in 2020 — and we'll be there to cover it.

The recent development of high-end niche travel marketplaces demonstrates that luxury travel is expanding in depth, breadth, and focus.

Skift Design Awards celebrates the trailblazers transforming the travel industry through human-centered design and experiences. Find out who's leading the pack before we reveal the winners at Skift Global Forum 2019.

We look forward to seeing you and 1,200+ other travel industry leaders in New York City this September. Here's who else you can expect to see.

Given the macro shift toward wellness in culture, it shouldn't be surprising that travel brands, with their expansive reach, need to be innovating in this space as well. Some of the smartest brands here are trying thoughtful new strategies to improve guest comfort and boost well-being.