Latest news with #SkiftTravelPodcasts
Skift
26-06-2025
- Business
- Skift
Italy's Overtourism Campaign, Trump's Student Visa Rules and Ritz-Carlton's New Cruise Ship
On today's pod we look at Italy's push to expand tourists' bucket lists, Trump's student social media interrogations, and Ritz-Carlton's latest yacht. Skift Daily Briefing Podcast Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Skift Travel Podcasts Good morning from Skift. It's Thursday, June 26. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. Italy has launched a new national tourism campaign aimed at combating overtourism, writes Global Tourism and Experiences Reporter Jade Wilson. The goal of the campaign — called '99% of Italy' — is to expose travelers to less popular parts of the country. About 70% of international travelers converge on just 1% of the country, according to Visit Italy. CEO Ruben Santopietro said that, without a rebalanced approach, Venice could turn into a lifeless backdrop while Rome could become a parking lot for tour buses. The campaign comes as tensions around overtourism rise across Europe. Residents in cities such as Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, and Venice have called for tighter restrictions on short-term rentals and limits on cruise ship arrivals. Listen to This Podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube | RSS Next, the U.S. State Department is requiring applicants for student visas to make all their social media accounts public for vetting, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. Maharishi reports the requirement only pertains to those applying for student visas. The State Department recently said it would resume interviews for international students but with enhanced social media vetting. The department stated student visa applicants have been required since 2019 to submit their social media accounts on application forms. However, applicants weren't required before to make their accounts public. Finally, the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is ramping up its presence at sea with the launch of a new ship in July, writes Hospitality Reporter Luke Martin. The Ritz-Carlton said on Wednesday that its third vessel, Luminara, will debut in the Mediterranean before sailing past Africa and across the Indian Ocean. In addition, the brand's first Asia-Pacific cruises are set to begin in December as Luminara will embark on a slate of 19 voyages, including new ports for the Ritz-Carlton across Southeast and East Asia.
Skift
11-06-2025
- Business
- Skift
Airbnb's Poaching Experiences, IHG's U.S. Bounce and Meliá's Expansion Plans
For today's pod we look at Airbnb's aggressive expansion approach, IHG's good news in the U.S., and Melia's equally good news about Mediterranean numbers. Skift Daily Briefing Podcast Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Skift Travel Podcasts Good morning from Skift. It's Wednesday, June 11. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. Airbnb has been outed by two tour platforms for trying to poach their guides as the short-term rental giant looks to relaunch its Experiences business, writes Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. ToursByLocals and Withlocals said separately that people with Airbnb email addresses created accounts on their sites, and then violated their terms and conditions by messaging tour guides on their platforms to recruit them to Airbnb Experiences. ToursByLocals CEO Lisa Chen said those creating accounts on the site sought to take the conversations off the platform. She said ToursByLocals disabled the Airbnb accounts. Withlocals CEO Matthijs Keij wrote about Airbnb's activity in a recent Linkedin post, saying it wasn't in the spirit of fair play. Listen to This Podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube | RSS Next, InterContinental Hotels Group CEO Elie Maalouf is downplaying early-year turbulence in U.S. inbound travel, writes Hospitality Reporter Luke Martin. IHG saw a drop in transatlantic bookings in March, which Maalouf partly attributed to Easter taking place in April. However, he noted IHG saw travel from Europe to the U.S. rebound in April. Maalouf added that international visitors make up just 5% of IHG's bookings in the U.S., with only a small portion coming from Europe. Maalouf also said IHG is bullish on expansion in Asia, citing younger populations and faster-growing economies across the region as drivers of growth. IHG expects to open its 1,000th hotel in China within the next two years. Finally, Meliá Hotels has seen a surge in U.S. travelers at its resorts in the Mediterranean. And CEO Gabriel Escarrer is looking to expand in what he considers emerging destinations, writes Hospitality Reporter Luke Martin. Escarrer said in an interview with Skift that Meliá has not seen a slowdown in demand thus far, adding the company has been encouraged by the number of forward bookings across its European properties. He also said that Meliá is pursuing an expansion strategy focused on what he calls a 'vacation axis' spanning regions such as the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and the Middle East. Escarrer pointed to Albania, where he said Meliá is the number one hotel company, as a priority for the company.
Skift
06-05-2025
- Business
- Skift
JetBlue's VC Sale, Airbnb's Cleaning Fees and Social Commerce's Impact
On today's Pod, we explain how JetBlue sold off its venture capital arm, which destinations charge the most short-term cleaning fees, and the combined power of social media and e-commerce in travel. Skift Daily Briefing Podcast Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Skift Travel Podcasts Good morning from Skift. It's Tuesday, May 6. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. JetBlue announced on Monday it sold its venture capital arm as part of its strategy to return to profitability, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. JetBlue sold its venture capital subsidiary to Sky Leasing, an asset management company that specializes in leasing aircraft. Maharishi notes the sale comes as the carrier has struggled since the collapse of both the Northeast Alliance with American Airlines and planned merger with Spirit Airlines. JetBlue Ventures' equity investments were recently valued at $89 million and include flying taxi company Joby and airline retail platform Flyr. Listen to This Podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube | RSS Next, we take a look at cleaning fees in the short-term rental industry. As Airbnb is now including cleaning fees in its upfront price globally, Contributor Clara Awuse breaks down how they vary around the world. Using data from Airbnb and Vrbo, AirDNA found close to 90% of listings in the U.S. charge cleaning fees. Among global regions, North America and the Caribbean have the highest rates of listings with cleaning fees while Eastern Europe and the Middle East have some of the lowest percentages. Finally, a report from Skift Research reveals how social commerce — the fusion of social media and e-commerce — is reshaping the travel industry as platforms such as TikTok and Instagram have become full-fledged booking engines. Research Analyst Robin Gilbert-Jones notes younger travelers now treat social media as their default search engines for travel inspiration, adding that authentic short-form videos can build trust and drive bookings. Skift Research also found that influencers are increasingly acting as travel agents themselves. Gilbert-Jones writes that social commerce in travel could be worth up to $7 billion across accommodations and airlines alone. He added that travel brands must stop treating social media as a PR add-on and instead embrace it as a primary sales channel.
