Skift Take Expedia’s B2B business has penetrated international markets through partnerships that its consumer businesses have been unable to reach. Competitors are watching and are trying a similar tack. Dennis Schaal Is Expedia Group’s $25 billion B2B business diluting its consumer businesses, including Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo, or is it a big advantage for the Group? The...
Misguided stereotypes often define inbound tourism to South Africa. Think: “exotic” safaris with Out of Africa, Lion King, or Tarzan themes — and poverty voyeurism. Yet there’s increasingly a hunger for authentic, respectful experiences. A handful of emerging homegrown players look to feed that need, filling a market gap. But these rising entrepreneurs often find that getting the right marketing...
Announcements Industry Leaders Unpack Travel’s Future at Skift Global Forum East this November As excitement builds in the lead up to Skift Global Forum East, we take a look at the current speaker lineup and the topics they will cover, which includes top industry leaders from Etihad Aviation Group, Booking.com, Airbnb, Hilton Middle East & Africa, Emaar Hospitality Group and more. Adam...
Skift Take Accor shares details on its growth plans in Australia and India, California sees a cooling in hotel deals, and other news worldwide in hotel development. Sean O’Neill Here are some excerpts from Daily Lodging Report from the past week. If you’re not a subscriber, you should be. Get news on hotel deals, development, stocks, and career moves. Sign up here, now. Sunday, Sept. 11...
Skift Take Come for the rides, stay for the food. Dara Khosrowshahi joined Uber as CEO when ridehailing was everything. Now he’s navigating a multi-product approach. Yet when it comes to profits, Uber’s still en route. Sean O’Neill Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said his strategy is to expand the mobility company’s delivery business. But Uber won’t expand into selling flights or...
Skift Take As more people in India are seeking upscale living options that blend luxury with convenience, IHCL is leveraging its strong brand and hospitality expertise, to step into this space to meet these evolving demands. Peden Doma Bhutia The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) is diving into the branded residences market with its first Taj Branded Residences in Chennai. “This is a very...
Skift Take In this video recording from Skift Global Forum, we hear from Joseph Rajadurai, vice president & general manager, travel & hospitality, Cognizant, and George Turner, chief commercial and technology officer, IHG Hotels & Resorts, who discussed digital strategies that started in response to the pandemic and are now influencing the future of the travel industry. Cognizant...
Skift Take Most environmental, social and governance (ESG) reports include a company’s aspirations to reduce carbon emissions and combat global warming, but at an operational level it seems there’s little regard for the impacts of travel. Matthew Parsons Companies are making little effort to track and reduce the carbon emissions within their travel programs, according to two reports...
Skift Take The travel industry in Southeast Asia is continuing to grow, and so is the short-term rental industry worldwide. Justin Dawes Five travel tech startups have announced fundraises this week totaling more than $144 million. >>Gother (formerly TraveliGo), an online travel agency based in Thailand, has raised $25 million from Kasikorn Bank Group. The news about the funding and rebrand was...
Skift Take As Tongcheng Travel waits for China to relax restrictions and open travel, the online travel company has used the downtime to diversify its user base. Now if only the borders would fully reopen! Peden Doma Bhutia Catch them young clearly seems to be the mantra for Tongcheng Travel as the Chinese online travel agency has been steadily ramping up efforts to enhance its brand influence...