Alexa Enters Hotel Ops + Thailand Tourism Gives Back + Momondo Vet Nurtures Startups

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

October 22, 2018

Editor's Note In the six months that Skift Senior Research Analyst Rebecca Stone has traveled and worked across the globe as part of a special work-abroad program, she has tried to look at each of her destinations with a fresh eye on tourism. The latest dispatch in her Data & Discovery series comes from her month in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, from where she tells the story of four tourism projects that are doing good for the betterment of the country. With so much press these days about the negative effects of tourism and crowded cities, we think you'll find Stone's story refreshing. As she points out, tourism will never be perfect, but sometimes it's up to us, the travelers, to "stay longer, spend more, understand better." — Tom Lowry, Managing Editor Skift Global Forum 2018 Recap: Humanizing the Travel Experience Is Key to Building Loyalty Sponsored by Olson 1to1 Integrating new technology to improve your brand offerings is great, but there's no value in it without connecting to customers on a human level. Read More Top Stories Hotels Are Discovering Back-of-House Uses for Voice Technology If voice technology can do more than help facilitate guest requests for forgotten toothbrushes, there's a good chance it will be more than the latest hotel tech fad. 4 Ways This Thailand Destination Shows How Tourism Can Be Used for Good Tourism isn't perfect, but sometimes its mission can be. Four projects in northern Thailand are dedicated to creating more sustainable livelihoods for locals, preserving customs and traditions, and developing better conservation efforts for elephants. This is the good that tourism can do. Former Momondo CEO Hugo Burge Serves as a Startup Guardian Angel Having sold his business to Booking Holdings last year, former Momondo CEO Hugo Burge has had more time for venture investing. His views on travel startup funding are insightful. And we're not saying that just because we hope to be invited to see the gorgeous mansion in Scotland that he's been refurbishing. Why Viva Air Wants to Put Latin America's Startups on the Map VivaAir is the latest carrier to take a Silicon Valley-style approach to improving its technology, recently announcing that it has partnered with local universities, government entities, and startups to create an innovation lab. If executed well, this could raise the bar for customer service in the region. InterContinental Hotels Still in the Market For Small Acquisitions Never say never, but it doesn't sound like IHG is looking to spend big for deals. Popular Now Qatar Air CEO Threatens the Airline Could Exit Oneworld 'Soon' Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker may be posturing about leaving Oneworld, but he is indeed making alternative plans nonetheless. Online Travel Agency Kiwi Has a Plan to Fight the Giants Kiwi has grown fast without venture capital or marketing gimmicks. The online travel agency's story shows what it takes for a startup to scale today. Its story also reveals the long shadows cast by the mighty travel conglomerates. Why American Airlines Is So Obsessed With On-Time Departures Deep down, American Airlines President Robert Isom is an operations guy. We've rarely seen someone get so excited while talking about what it takes to make sure an airplane departs on time. 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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