Skift

What works well in China may not translate internationally. That’s the lesson one prominent leader of a one-stop travel platform took away after its first foray into other countries. The initial strategy was to partner with wholesalers to scale quickly and plant successful Chinese leaders in the new markets. The attempt failed. Here's what worked, according to seasoned operators: hubs.li/Q04dXWzg0

Roger Sharp has watched travel distribution get rewired before. When online travel agencies emerged in the early 2000s, they rerouted billions in hotel and airline revenue through a handful of new platforms. At Skift Forum Asia in Bangkok this week, speaking on a panel alongside founders and investors, Sharp, chair of Web Travel Group and North Ridge Partners, said artificial intelligence is about to do it again. He called it “OTA mark two,” describing the rise of a new generation of online travel agencies. hubs.li/Q04dZsNq0

G6 Hospitality, a subsidiary of India’s Prism, has launched Studio 6 Plus, a new extended-stay brand for the U.S. market. G6, which also operates the Studio 6 and Motel 6 brands, said Atlanta-based Natson Hotel Group committed to build the first 15 properties at a cost of roughly $200 million. Why it matters: The new brand is a first attempt by Prism to try to make a “premium economy” model work in the U.S. and elsewhere. hubs.li/Q04dWRsB0

Most travel brands are sitting on a goldmine of customer data — and still can't personalize at scale. Why? The foundation is broken. New research from Skift + Amperity (350+ travel leaders) breaks down what it actually takes to fix it. 👇 hubs.li/Q04dPmkL0 In partnership with @Amperity

Booking Holdings saw a negative impact from the Middle East conflict in the first quarter, but executives pointed to progress in the U.S. as a bright spot. Room night growth in the U.S. was in the low teens, the fourth consecutive quarter of acceleration. “We are taking share,” CEO Glenn Fogel told analysts during the company’s first quarter earnings call Tuesday. hubs.li/Q04dShFp0

Riyadh Air flights between the Saudi capital and London Heathrow are on sale to the general public, despite no formal announcement from the carrier that sales have opened. The kicker? The most digitally ambitious airline start-up in a generation is going on sale the old-fashioned way: through the OTAs. hubs.li/Q04dSdMW0

Minor Hotels is in the final planning phases of a private jet experience under its Anantara luxury brand, with a launch targeted for 2027, Ian Di Tullio, the company’s chief commercial officer told Skift exclusively on Wednesday. Di Tullio said the company is “looking at jets” as part of a broader effort to offer travelers seamless, end-to-end journeys across Minor’s portfolio of hotels, boats and experiential products. He provided the additional detail in a conversation after appearing on stage at the Skift Asia Forum in Bangkok, where he spoke briefly about the plan. “We’ll be flying in an Antara jet next year,” Di Tullio said at the forum. hubs.li/Q04dRT5-0

Skift Asia Forum 2026 is underway in Bangkok. From AI readiness and superapp economics to the future of luxury hospitality and China's changed outbound traveler, the day promises to be one of the most substantive conversations the industry has had about where Asian travel is actually heading. Follow along on the livestream (available to Skift subscribers): hubs.li/Q04dRM4b0

Oman has joined its Gulf neighbors in formalizing tourism regulation, with a new framework that requires every tourism business in the sultanate to obtain a government license. The rules will test smaller, informal operators far more than the large ones. “No tourism activity may be practiced, nor any tourist or hotel establishment operated or managed, unless a license has been obtained from the Ministry,” the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism said Monday. This move reflects a move to bring consistency across the sector, particularly as the market matures and attracts a more diverse mix of international operators and investors. hubs.li/Q04dLG5l0

JetBlue is squarely focused on turning Fort Lauderdale into a focus city even as Spirit Airlines is in talks to receive a possible bailout from the government. Company president Marty St. George said that JetBlue added “significant capacity” to Fort Lauderdale without any expectation that Spirit would go out of business “We have now added significant capacity down there,” St. George said. “We’re double the size of our next biggest competitor. We did not go into this with any expectation of Spirit going away.” hubs.li/Q04dPqGx0

SkiftX spoke with Hitit CEO Nevra Onursal Karaagac about how airlines are approaching modern retailing, what a successful transition requires, and where Hitit Oxygen fits into that evolution. Read the Q&A here: hubs.ly/Q04dPf9h0 In partnership with @hititCS

What does the future look like for real climate innovation in travel? 🌍 In our latest IDEA Awards webinar, Chris Miller, Senior Vice President of Sustainability for Aspen One shares sharp insights on where the industry is making meaningful progress and where it still needs to go. 🎥 Watch the full conversation: hubs.li/Q04dzZSK0 Think your company is pushing boundaries in travel innovation? Apply for the Skift IDEA Awards and get recognized: hubs.li/Q04dzYvK0.

The slowdown in international tourism to the United States has been especially hard on vacation rentals, according to AirDNA data shared exclusively with Skift. First-quarter data on short-term rental demand largely mirrors the inbound tourism slowdown tracked across the U.S. since early 2025, with the analytics firm tracking a decline from some of the largest sources of tourists. But AirDNA’s data shows even sharper declines. International short-term rental demand was down 4.7% in January, for instance, compared with a 3.5% decline in international visitation. See the data in our story: hubs.li/Q04dLnSx0

⛴️Private islands are becoming central to how cruise lines differentiate their product. MSC Group is expanding its Bahamas island portfolio with the addition of Sandy Cay, while deepening its investment in Ocean Cay to serve a growing, more segmented passenger base. Read the interview here: 🔗 hubs.li/Q04dKy030 In partnership with @MSCCruisesUSA

Meet Wei Manfredi. SVP of AI & Architecture at IHG,Wei Manfredi is leading AI strategy across one of the world’s largest hotel groups. Formerly at Google Cloud, Visa & more - and named one of the top AI leaders in the U.S. Hear from Wei at Skift Data+AI Summit (June 3 | NYC) 🎟️ Seats go fast - register here: hubs.li/Q04dwK4t0

TikTok users last week may have noticed a surge in content filmed aboard a Virgin Voyages cruise ship. There were passengers showing off their outfits of the day. A creator in a wheelchair breaking down the ship’s accessibility features. A pastry chef reviewing the desserts (the pistachio macarons were “outstanding” while the chocolate brioche was “a little dry”). The videos stemmed from Virgin Voyage’s latest creator cruise: a three-night voyage to the Bahamas with more than 1,100 content creators. hubs.li/Q04dDGsC0

The Middle East’s travel and tourism sector grew 5.3% in 2025, outpacing the global average of 4.1%, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council’s latest Economic Impact Research released on Monday. The Middle East contributed $385.8 billion to World GDP, supported 7.1 million jobs, and saw international visitor spending rise 5.2% during 2025, nearly double the global rate of 3.2%. Within the global travel and tourism landscape, the Middle East ranks second on the list in terms of growth. hubs.li/Q04dDJ3v0

Tim Clark has delivered a withering response to European airline bosses who claim Gulf carriers are siphoning away their long-haul traffic. Speaking at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit, the Emirates president was asked about claims from European legacy carriers that policymakers have handed the Gulf ‘Big Three’ – Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways – too much access to European skies. “What am I meant to do… come out with the most enormous box of tissues?” Clark quipped, rejecting the idea that Middle East firms had stolen market share. hubs.li/Q04dDJwB0

What do American Express' earnings tell us about travel? - It saw strong growth in luxury retail and hospitality spending in Q1, with an 18% increase in luxury retail and a 50% jump in Fine Hotels and Resorts and Hotel Collections lodging spend. - Airline spending grew 8% in the quarter but softened at the end of March and early April due to the Middle East conflict, leading to about 18,000 ticket refunds. - AI is making customer service more efficient at American Express, resulting in fewer service jobs, but the company commits to always providing a human representative for customers. hubs.li/Q04dDNSt0

Credit card platforms are becoming a go-to for booking travel among Gen Z and Millennials — second only to booking direct through airlines and hotels. 💳✈️ Skift x Allianz Partners explore how banks and card issuers can unlock deeper loyalty by delivering high-value travel benefits, elevating cardholder care, and forging smarter travel partnerships. Get the report here: hubs.ly/Q04dm4bc0 In partnership with @AllianzTravelUS