Open Skies Deal + Tourism's Eco-Friendly Stumble + Hilton Exec Talks Personalization

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

May 14, 2018 View in browser

Editor's Note We've all had that self-congratulatory moment when we thought we were doing the right thing in our hotel room by hanging our wet towel on the rack to use again. But the next day we discover a fresh towel waiting for us. You thought you were doing your part to save the planet, only to discover the hotel had fallen short. The travel industry has made big strides toward reducing its carbon footprint, but all too often it just doesn't execute well on those good intentions, writes Tourism Reporter Dan Peltier in today's story. It cuts both ways, of course. Travelers need to feel invested, too. But the tourism industry has much to learn about educating and coaxing consumers to go along. The efforts are often measured in financial terms, as our story points out, but maybe the industry needs to rethink the true return on investment. — Tom Lowry, Managing Editor Winning Over Today's Chinese Travelers Means Harnessing the Power of Digital Sponsored by Mailman X The number of Chinese passport holders is expected to double by 2020, and digital and social media fuel the decisions they make. Destinations looking to attract this valuable group of travelers need to get fully on board with digital to grab their attention. Read More Top Stories We're Less Than One Month Away from the Inaugural Skift Tech Forum Define the future of travel tech with us at Skift Tech Forum in June. With merely 50 seats remaining and less than 30 days left until the event, you should act quickly to secure your spot! U.S. and United Arab Emirates Reach Deal to Solve Open Skies Spat The big three Gulf carriers are still very important, but because of a variety of reasons, they're no longer as scary as they were a few years ago. Still, this is good news for U.S. airlines. Travel Industry Is Still Searching For Ways to Make Eco-Friendly Habits Stick It's not that most travelers don't want to pitch in and do their part to save the planet. Travelers learn by example and more companies are understanding that it's not so easy to train employees, who are also consumers, on how to lead the way. Caribbean's New Marketing Campaign Is Launching Ahead of 2018 Hurricane Season The Caribbean is rolling out its first regional marketing campaign in more than a decade, just in time for the next hurricane season that starts in June and while many destinations are still recovering. It's a cycle that's probably going to get a lot more normal for the region. Skift Tech Forum Preview: Hilton's Chief Commercial Officer on the Future of Personalized Travel Balancing our desires for more personalized experiences with regard for privacy will be a major challenge for travel brands like Hilton going forward. American Invests in Catering at Lounges as United Scales Back New heartier options are coming to American's airport lounges while at United in-flight meal service is being reduced. Spirit Airlines Is Adding Super-Fast Wi-Fi as It Gets More Flyer-Friendly Travelers love to hate Spirit Airlines, and considering the way the carrier treated its customers for about a decade, that makes sense. But come next year, Spirit will offer a decent experience to its passengers. Will that help it attract more flyers? Popular Now Airlines to Test Consumer Payments That Bypass Credit Cards for Direct Sales Care to buy a plane ticket without needing a credit card? Soon a few airlines will test enabling air travelers to pay for their tickets by taking payments directly from consumer accounts. Three cheers for testing innovations. Agoda Names New CEO as It Aims to Go Global Agoda's new CEO John Brown will be leading the company to increasingly push into Europe and the Americas, beyond its traditional online travel agency turf of Asia Pacific. The early numbers show that parent company Booking Holdings is putting its money where its mouth is. Skift Podcast: Why Accor Had No Choice But To Change Tune in for a candid conversation about the strategy behind AccorHotels' many acquisitions, why the company wants to be part of consumers' everyday lives, and what the CEO has learned from spending hundreds of millions of dollars on startups. For Gmail users: If you are using the tabbed inbox, Skift emails may be pushed to the 'Promotions' tab. To get updates from Skift direct to your primary inbox, drag and drop this email to that tab. You received this email because you are subscribed to Skift Daily Newsletter from Skift.

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