Skift

Antarctica had about 122,000 visitors in the 2023–24 season, up from some 8,000 in the early 1990s. Veteran guides say ship capacity has grown faster than the pool of experienced guides. The tour operators' group disputes that standards have slipped. hubs.li/Q04CSc0x0

IndiGo CEO Willie Walsh wants more revenue from each passenger through premium seats, paid extras, and loyalty. Fuel costs jumped 67% last quarter, and the airline lost about $197 million. hubs.li/Q04CY2GT0

Thailand cut its 2026 arrivals forecast to 33 million from 36.7 million, but hotels and airlines are still expanding: Phuket alone has 30 hotels with 5,517 rooms on the way. hubs.li/Q04CSc9M0

Dubai holiday-home operator Silkhaus will shut down at the end of November, citing the U.S.-Iran war. November forward bookings for Dubai short-term rentals are down 37.5% from a year earlier, according to AirDNA. hubs.li/Q04CWXg10

What does sustainable hospitality look like across 5,800+ hotels? Accor's Coline Pont discusses how its Hosting Change strategy connects resource efficiency, guest experience, talent, and community impact. Read more: hubs.li/Q04CThWz0 In partnership with Accor

After President Donald Trump insulted Norway, Visit Norway refreshed an old page about its scenic public toilets: Norway makes restrooms 'great again!' Views ran more than 540 times the week before. hubs.li/Q04CWw0-0

Could AI agents become travel’s new digital front door? At Skift Global Forum, Sierra CEO Bret Taylor explained how AI could connect booking, service, and loyalty into a more seamless traveler experience. Watch the conversation: hubs.li/Q04CNR-_0 In partnership with Sierra

Long Lake paid $6.3 billion for American Express Global Business Travel, betting artificial intelligence can make it more productive. The test: whether gains beat ordinary merger cost cuts and justify the price. hubs.li/Q04CScvB0

Most travel membership programs don’t protect partner pricing. Luxury Escapes built one that does. Adam Schwab on why exclusive inventory is the moat as AI agents arrive. Growing Beyond the Core Business, Skift Commerce Summit, Nov 11, NYC. View more: hubs.li/Q04CJRGQ0

Norwegian Cruise Line's turnaround is showing early traction. Third-quarter results beat its forecasts, and late-2027 bookings are tracking even with last year at higher prices. Shares rose more than 13%. hubs.li/Q04CRKfr0

Egypt is targeting $36 billion to $40 billion in tourism receipts by 2030, up from $18.6 billion this year. Close to 90% of its planned hotel rooms are luxury or upscale, HVS said. hubs.li/Q04CRKcJ0

Accor's paid loyalty subscription has more than 485,000 members, about 95% in Asia Pacific. They booked more than 3.8 million room nights in the past year. China is next, via WeChat. hubs.li/Q04CRK6N0

Resilience used to be the contingency plan. In the Middle East, it’s the business plan. At Skift Global Forum East (Abu Dhabi, December 8–9): Etihad, Accor, Almosafer, and Wego on keeping routes, rooms, and bookings moving under pressure. Register Now: hubs.li/Q04CybF_0

Hyatt’s growth now runs through affluent vacationer.s In Q3, its U.S. RevPAR climbed 8.2%, including a lift of 50 basis points from the World Cup. “Luxury leisure has just remained the juggernaut of growth for us,” its CEO said on an earnings call. hubs.li/Q04CRvPD0

"The smartphone has increasingly become the control center of our lives. We have our boarding pass on it. If we lose connectivity, that's a crisis." — Richard Trinder, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships, Holafly at Skift Global Forum hubs.ly/Q04CQ7Tm0

Wyndham is moving into curated vacation rentals with its new brands Homes & Havens. Whether it can compete with Marriott's far larger collection is an open question. But for Wyndham, this is only day one. hubs.ly/Q04CQ5Y70

Record revenue, rising fuel costs, and diverging results: Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat break down third-quarter U.S. airline earnings, from JetBlue's struggles to Southwest's turnaround. hubs.li/Q04CMrwQ0

An Airbnb host says lock records and camera footage showed a guest never arrived. Airbnb twice refused to remove his one-star review, then took it down after she posted on X. hubs.li/Q04CLc280

Vrbo launched Reserve Now, Pay Later, with nothing due at booking. Airbnb's free cancellation window can close much closer to the stay. Airbnb said adoption topped 70% of eligible bookings. hubs.li/Q04CJFVq0

Frontier's average fare revenue per passenger rose 71% in the third quarter, and revenue hit a record. It still posted a $104 million net loss as its fuel bill rose 82%. hubs.li/Q04CJG-s0