Skift Take
Good early morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, June 1, in New York City City. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
Rashaad Jorden
Today’s edition of Skift’s day-to-day podcast goes over why service travel is expanding despite the financial hit, why Qatar will limit non-World Cup visitors in December, and how hotels are attempting to relieve arriving visitors’ stress.
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Episode Notes
Inflation is a major problem for tourists planning their summertime vacations, however companies are pushing aside any issues about rising rates to send out workers back on the roadway, composes Corporate Travel Editor Matthew Parsons.
Adam Knights, a local handling director at corporate travel agency ATPI, believes customers aren’t worried about inflation due to the fact that they need to get their companies back to typical, which includes sending out personnel back on service journeys. While Knights said he’s seen the volume of business travel plateau at 80 percent of 2019 levels, the amount spent on company journeys has currently reached pre-Covid levels. He included that corporate travel costs will continue to skyrocket.
However, agents from the Global Organization Travel Association and the UK-based Institute of Travel Management said they haven’t found out about any worries relating to inflation.
We head to Qatar next. The Gulf State, which will host soccer’s World Cup in November and December, may just allow visitors during the event with a valid match ticket due to a lack of hotel rooms, reports Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia.
Philip Dickinson, the vice president of global markets for Qatar Tourist, said the nation hasn’t made a decision about the concern. However he confessed that it’s unlikely that those without World Cup tickets will be able to get in the nation throughout the competition– unless they are homeowners or Qatari people. Dickinson stated Qatar does not have an abundance of hotel rooms for fans since they’re designated initially to groups, federations and sponsors.
Bhutia composes that Qatar has developed ingenious solutions to accommodate the approximated 1.5 million World Cup visitors. The country will be housing tourists in floating hotels, which are essentially rooms aboard cruise ships. In addition, Qatar Airways announced recently that fellow Gulf State airlines would operate more than 160 day-to-day shuttle flights during the event, allowing fans remaining in major cities in the region to fly into and out of Doha on the exact same day.
Finally, a growing number of tourists are experiencing difficulties such as delays and cancellations en path to their final location. But hotels are taking actions to reduce tension guests are feeling during their travels, reports Contributor Carley Thornell.
Thornell points out the Four Seasons Resorts Scottsdale as one hotel positioning an increased focus on wellness steps. General Manager Kelley Moreton said the hotel provides guests a meal in their spaces if they have actually a postponed or late-night arrival, including it desires visitors to focus on relaxing upon coming to the property. The Four Seasons also offers guests the chance to participate in a series of Jet Lag Rescue routines, which include activities created to bring back customers’ circadian rhythms after long flights.