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The Skift Travel Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Skift
Get the latest from the most-trusted travel industry news source. Skift sits down with creatives, executives, and entrepreneurs from across travel to discuss their insights and perspectives on the hows and whys of travelers’ habits, industry patterns, and the seismic changes happening across the industry. Listen for exclusive conversations with travel leaders and Skift's own in-house editors and analysts. Read the latest news every day at skift.com/news.
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- Yesterday42 min
What Earnings Season Reveals About Travel Right Now Subtasks
Fora became travel's newest unicorn, Amazon is pushing deeper into AI travel booking, and earnings season is revealing where the industry is gaining momentum. Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko discuss how AI is changing travel distribution and what the latest results from Hilton, JetBlue, and Royal Caribbean say about the second half of the year. Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry. 00:00 Fora Hits Unicorn00:56 Beach Vacation Banter02:40 Why Fora Matters03:31 AI Revives Travel Agents05:26 Alexa Books Travel07:53 Does Voice Really Work10:40 Amazon Travel Déjà Vu12:40 Old Ideas Return14:39 2018 Report Flashback16:06 IHG Conversational Search19:26 No Single Front Door21:32 Google Still In Play22:41 AI vs Travel Giants24:06 Hilton Fee Cut27:50 Incentives and RevPAR28:42 JetBlue Turnaround Plan30:40 Low Cost Carrier Squeeze33:00 LaGuardia Marine Terminal35:25 Winners and Losers35:45 Royal Caribbean Fuel Hit36:47 Space Licensing and Tourism39:29 Long Term Outlook Farewell
- 1 weeks ago51 min
We Graded Our Biggest 2026 Travel Megatrends
The U.S. passport is no longer among the world's most powerful. Skift revisits its biggest travel megatrends of 2026, and The Odyssey is already driving tourism in Norway. Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko discuss what shifting passport rankings reveal about global influence, which travel megatrends have held up through the first half of the year, and why movie tourism continues to be a powerful force for destinations. Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry. 00:00 Passport Power Rankings 02:35 Dressing Up to Travel 03:32 Ironing Boards Crusade 05:03 Henley Index Deep Dive 07:52 Megatrends Midyear Game 10:34 Tourists Skip the US 13:13 Marketing for AI Search 14:44 Sustainability Reality Check 16:51 Mocktails Take Over 20:07 Luxury Boom Debate 21:58 Self Driving Trend Watch 23:37 Train Renaissance Tease 23:48 Train renaissance check-in 25:18 Flying taxis progress 25:56 Music tourism boom 27:50 K-beauty travel trends 29:46 OTA oligopoly cracks 31:30 Vibe coding tsunami 37:39 World Cup matrix reveal 44:30 Winners of the week 48:32 Wrap and sign-off
- 2 weeks ago36 min
The New Economics of Travel: Fewer Tourists, More Money
The World Cup didn't deliver the inbound tourism boost many expected. Delta still posted strong earnings despite soaring fuel costs. And new Skift Research points to Latin America as one of travel's biggest growth opportunities. Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko explore why the travel industry is shifting toward higher-value travelers, premium experiences, and a new definition of growth. Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry. 00:00 Tourism Drop Shock 01:48 Why World Cup Didn’t Boost 03:47 Value Over Volume Travel 08:14 Group Stage Travel Surge 10:35 Live Tourism Everywhere 11:30 Spain Eclipse And Overtourism 13:28 Delta Premium Revenue Milestone 18:40 K Shaped Travel Economy 23:55 Skift Premium Trend Report 26:31 Winners And Losers Segment 29:02 Brand USA Takes The L 30:33 Ennismore IPO Buzz Wrap 33:42 Closing Thanks And Goodbye
- 3 weeks ago38 min
AI, Visa, and the New Battle for Travel Customers
Visa is becoming a travel company. Mews is restructuring around AI. And Gen Z is already reshaping business travel. Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko explore how new competitors, artificial intelligence, and changing traveler behavior are rewriting the rules for travel companies—and why these seemingly separate stories all point to the same shift happening across the industry. Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry. 00:00 AI Layoff Banter 00:48 Delta One Unbundled 02:37 Basic Business Breakdown 03:12 Seat Selection Stories 04:27 Booking Friction Risks 06:43 Muse Cuts Explained 11:00 AI Jobs And Economy 14:55 Visa Travel Portal 17:27 Can Visa Compete 19:16 Ground Game Logistics 19:35 Lotus Hotel Points Find 21:13 Credit Card Hotel Portals 21:36 Visa Luxury Collection 22:49 Gen Z Business Travel Habits 24:17 Corporate Tools Limit Choice 25:01 Gen Z Trip Growth Stats 27:19 Business Trip Anxiety 30:02 Gen Z Workforce Shifts 31:55 World Cup Winners Losers 35:07 Signing Off Next Week
- 4 weeks ago45 min
Are Hotel Brands Worth It Anymore?
More than 1,200 hotel franchise agreements are set to expire by 2030, and some owners are deciding it's time to leave the big brands behind. Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko explore why independent hotels are becoming a more realistic option, how technology is changing the franchise equation, and why new Skift Research suggests consumers—and AI—may no longer see meaningful differences between many hotel brands. 00:00 1200 Expiring Flags 02:16 Why Go Independent 02:34 Series Origins Minnesota 04:46 Meet Pritesh Patel 06:36 Do Brands Drive Demand 09:40 Gary Patel and Airbnb 13:32 Territories and Soft Brands 16:54 Perfect Storm Renewals 19:42 Financing Without a Flag 22:25 Bankers See It Coming 22:54 Reporting Heartland Hoteliers 24:24 Financing Surprise and Data 25:47 Franchise Model Under Strain 28:57 Fees Soft Brands and Flex 30:48 Skift Decision Brief Launch 33:00 Too Many Brands Problem 35:46 Decision Pathways for Brands 38:08 Winners and Losers Segment 40:19 Freddy Quits X Finale
- Jun 26, 202640 min
The World Cup's Most Unexpected Winner: America
The World Cup brought international visitors to America, expecting one thing and finding something completely different. Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko discuss the Knicks' championship, sports tourism, viral European road trips across America, and why the World Cup may be reshaping global perceptions of the United States in real time. Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry. 00:00 Knicks Drought Ends 00:58 Vacation and Intro Banter 01:58 Plane View and VPN Save 05:05 NYC Street Watch Parties 07:42 World Cup Overlap Logistics 10:30 Tourists Love Middle America 13:47 Brand USA Reset Moment 15:25 Why Americans Feel Friendly 18:11 DMOs and Small Town Appeal 20:08 Prediction on Inbound Rebound 20:33 Olympics Travel Momentum 21:38 Politics Off The Feed 22:35 Buc-ees Goes Viral 24:53 Most American Experiences 28:06 Rediscovering Niagara Falls 30:32 Early Hotel Data Boost 32:50 Winners And Losers 33:18 Mexico Sargassum Crisis 36:49 Cenotes And Closing
- Jun 19, 202653 min
$3.4 Billion Is Pouring Into Travel Startups. Here's Why.
Travel startups raised $3.4 billion last year, but AI may be reshaping where the next generation of travel companies emerges. Seth Borko and venture capitalist Gilad Berenstein discuss travel startup funding, hotel robotics, the future of travel distribution, and the race to own the AI agent that could eventually plan and book your trips. Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry. 00:00 Travel VC Snapshot 03:23 Deal Sizes Rising 05:49 What Makes VC Backable 07:59 Travel as Luxury 09:25 Founder Problem Fit 12:51 Hotels Get Smart 18:20 Robots in Hotels 23:00 Travel Tech and Distribution 24:24 OTAs vs Direct Debate 26:10 Points Change Expectations 27:22 Brands Versus OTAs 28:48 Personal Travel Assistant 29:31 Who Owns The Agent 30:32 Trust Layer Moat 31:35 AI Swarms And Ecosystems 33:19 Work And Company Brain 34:13 AI Backlash Politics 36:36 AI As Tool Or Agent 38:56 Venture Valuations Reality 41:19 Travel Investment Categories 45:44 Pitch Killers And Moats 46:42 Best Bets By Sector 48:30 Travel IPO Watchlist 50:24 Wrap Up And Plugs
- Jun 12, 202649 min
Hotels Tried to Cut Out Expedia. Here's What Happened.
Seth Borko and Sean O'Neill discuss the biggest lessons from Skift's Data + AI Summit and revisit a decade of hotel direct-booking strategy. They examine why hotels improved profitability without significantly reducing OTA share, how loyalty programs reshaped distribution economics, and why AI could become the next major disruption in travel booking. Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.
About The Skift Travel Podcast
Get the latest from the most-trusted travel industry news source. Skift sits down with creatives, executives, and entrepreneurs from across travel to discuss their insights and perspectives on the hows and whys of travelers’ habits, industry patterns, and the seismic changes happening across the industry. Listen for exclusive conversations with travel leaders and Skift's own in-house editors and analysts. Read the latest news every day at skift.com/news.
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