June, 2023

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Inside NEOM: Saudi Arabia’s Ambitious Blueprint for a Sustainable Tourism Economy

Skift Blog

Skift Take: Saudi Arabia’s giga-project NEOM envisions a revolutionary future for travel — one that blends sustainability, innovation, access to nature, and luxury to redefine the way we explore the world. As its ambitious plans come to life, NEOM could become the world's first destination to establish a groundbreaking standard in immersive, eco-conscious, and transformative travel experiences.

Tourism 363
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Five Best Practices to Increase Market Share and Gain Loyal Guests for Resorts

Lodging

Today’s hospitality markets have new challenges to overcome—especially resorts. No sooner have they begun to regain market share in a post-pandemic world when an economic recession is causing guests to become more cautious of where and when they spend their money and time. The good news is that they continue to spend. According to American Express Global Business, during the third quarter of 2022, business travel reached 71% of pre-pandemic levels.

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How Your Sales Coaching and Method Have a Direct Impact on Your Results

Anthony Cole Training

Every organization has sales coaching and a sales method. What many companies either don’t know or unsure of is this: What direct impact does our sales coaching and sales method have on improving sales?

Sales 296
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Marriott invests in next gen talent with student apprenticeship program

Hotel Management

Marriott International is investing in hospitality education and developing its teams of the future with the launch of an apprenticeship-style program through the International College of Management Sydney (ICMS). The four-year hotel degree program will give hospitality students from ICMS the opportunity to work at numerous Marriott properties, and each year a High School graduate will be offered a spot on the program.

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Smart Tools & Strong Teams: A People-First Approach to AI in Sales

Speaker: Matt Sunshine, CEO at The Center for Sales Strategy

AI isn’t replacing salespeople—it’s empowering them. The most forward-thinking sales organizations are using AI to enhance human performance rather than eliminate it. From coaching and messaging to prospecting and pipeline accountability, artificial intelligence is giving managers and SDRs the new tools they need to work smarter, sell better, and close more.

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Travel CEOs Talk Artificial Intelligence

Skift Blog

Skift Take: Today's edition of Skift's daily podcast looks closer at Agoda’s competitive edge, Hostaway’s funding, and what travel leaders are saying about AI.

Travel 362
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American Tourists Drive UK’s Recovery

Skift Blog

Skift Take: Like other European destinations, the UK is benefiting from Americans hungry to travel internationally.

Travel 344

More Trending

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Airbnb Says These Rules Chill the Host Registration Process in New York City

Skift Blog

Skift Take: It is a charade for New York City to require hosts to have no locks on any bedroom door in their unit so guests and hosts can live in a "common household." On the other hand, requiring platforms to submit transaction reports doesn't seem unreasonable.

Travel 331
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The Case for Expedia Narrowing the Profit Gap With Booking Holdings

Skift Blog

Skift Take: In some ways, Expedia Group's potential narrowing of the take rate gap with Booking Holdings has a lot to do with Booking's strategic decisions — pushing more into the U.S. and expanding its lower-margin flights business.

Business 328
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American Airlines Pilots Union Board Rejects Merger With Larger Labor Group

Skift Blog

Skift Take: A 21 percent pay raise for pilots at American likely didn't provide much momentum toward a union restructuring.

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FAA’s Interim Head Is Polly Trottenberg

Skift Blog

Skift Take: Polly Trottenberg has her work cut out for her running the FAA, with the agency having faced a spate of safety-related issues this year.

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How to Coach Reps on Overcoming Sales Objections with Confidence

Speaker: Brendan Sweeney, VP of Global Sales and David Phelan, Account Executive

In a world where buyers are more informed and objections are more nuanced, confidence isn't optional—it’s a competitive advantage. In high-stakes conversations, knowing how to handle pushback can make or break the deal. Join industry experts Brendan Sweeney and David Phelan for a behind-the-scenes look at how teams are transforming sales coaching with real-time feedback, objection-handling role plays, and pre-call preparation that actually sticks.

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Qantas Unveils a Wellness Zone as Part of Its A350 Cabin Design

Skift Blog

Skift Take: The design is the first of its kind and is one of many innovative ideas by Qantas as it implements Project Sunrise.

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Airbnb Lawsuit Against NYC: A Solitary Effort That Got Results, For Now

Skift Blog

New York City's hammer blow against short-term rentals is back into the tool box for a couple of months, but it may be just a reprieve.

Travel 317
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Champions League Final Will Bring Thousands to Istanbul. It’s Worth More Than Just the Game.

Skift Blog

Skift Take: When a city bids for a chance to host a major event, it's always about more than the event itself. Istanbul has leveraged the attention to grow as a destination and add thousands of hotels over the last two decades.

Events 317
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Google and Tripadvisor Could Be Edging Toward a New Partnership After All These Years

Skift Blog

Skift Take: Frenemy relationships have a storied history in the push and pull of the travel industry. Tripadvisor's relationship with Google seems to have improved, and there are probably several areas where they might collaborate further.

Travel 316
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Welcome to the Future of Hospitality: Smart Rooms Start Here

Speaker: Jady West, VP of Hospitality & Chris Bennett, Head of Sales & Engineering

The modern hotel room is no longer just a place to stay—it’s an experience to remember. Today’s guests expect seamless 5G connectivity, personalized comfort, and high-tech convenience. From AI-powered smart room controls to in-room entertainment and app-based services, technology is redefining hospitality from the inside out. In this new session featuring industry pros Jady West and Chris Bennett, we’ll explore how high-speed, high-bandwidth connectivity powers the innovations that are enabling

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Announcing the Skift Short-Term Rental Report: Latest News, Deals and Insights

Skift Blog

Skift Take: We’re doubling down on our coverage of one of the most dynamic sectors in travel with the Short-Term Rental Report — a smart, concise premium newsletter designed to keep you up-to-date on the latest market news.

Market 316
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FAA Lacks Plan to Fix the Air Traffic Controller Shortage, Audit Finds

Skift Blog

Skift Take: The FAA is not only short air traffic controllers, but also a plan to staff back up.

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5 Ways AI Will Boost Travel: “More With Less,” Says Microsoft Exec

Skift Blog

Skift Take: There are so many ways travel could benefit from generative AI, but there's a lot of data cleanup and investment that needs to happen first.

Travel 312
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Booking’s Very Expensive Marketing Piece of the Pie

Skift Blog

Skift Take: Travel bargain hunters are a fickle bunch, visiting more than two dozen websites on average before they book. Booking.com and its rivals spend billions annually to woo those travelers who wouldn't otherwise click over to their platforms.

Market 312
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State of AI in Sales & Marketing 2025

AI adoption is reshaping sales and marketing. But is it delivering real results? We surveyed 1,000+ GTM professionals to find out. The data is clear: AI users report 47% higher productivity and an average of 12 hours saved per week. But leaders say mainstream AI tools still fall short on accuracy and business impact. Download the full report today to see how AI is being used — and where go-to-market professionals think there are gaps and opportunities.

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India Daily: Airbnb Partners With Tourism Ministry to Boost Heritage Properties

Skift Blog

Skift Take: Legacy wouldn't last unless there was community support, and also that tourism has a multiplier effect on jobs and livelihoods. After all, there’s no greater motivation than protecting one's heritage.

Tourism 312
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Lionel Messi’s $25 Million Saudi Tourism Deal: Details Revealed in New Report

Skift Blog

Skift Take: Saudi Arabia is being extra cautious, leaving absolutely nothing to chance while attempting to give its global image a makeover.

Tourism 312
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Highest-Paid Hotel CEOs

Skift Blog

Skift Take: Most CEOs at the largest hotel companies ended 2022 with less actual overall compensation than they might have. We know this fact thanks to a splendid new U.S. reporting requirement, which cast pay packages in a fresh light.

Hotels 311
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Online Travel Brands Take No Summer Vacation

Skift Blog

Skift Take: Already on vacation? Catch up on what happened with Booking, Tripadvisor, Google, Hopper, and more this week.

Branding 310
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Don't Let AI Pass You By: The New Era of Personalized Sales Coaching & Development

Speaker: Brendan Sweeney, VP of Sales & Devyn Blume, Sr. Account Executive

Are you curious about how artificial intelligence is reshaping sales coaching, learning, and development? Join Brendan Sweeney and Devyn Blume of Allego for an engaging new webinar exploring AI's transformative role in sales coaching and performance improvement! Brendan and Devyn will share actionable insights and strategies for integrating AI into coaching and development - ensuring personalized, effective, and scalable training!

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U.S., China Address Drag in Flights Between the Two Countries

Skift Blog

Skift Take: The 24 weekly commercial flights between the U.S. and China, compared to an estimated 350 flights before the pandemic, speak volumes about the relations between the two countries.

Tourism 310
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Chicago’s Taylor Swift Concert Was a Tourism Boost. City Hopes There’s More to Come.

Skift Blog

Skift Take: Taylor Swift's concert showed Chicago can host large events. But the city's tourism industry is still combatting negative images around public safety.

Tourism 306
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Property Manager AvantStay Lays Off 10% of Staff, Third Round of Job Cuts in a Year

Skift Blog

Skift Take: Early in the pandemic, a bunch of property managers handling multi-family buildings went out of business. Many vacation rental property managers have recently faced a softer reckoning, but an inflection point nonetheless.

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India Daily: New U.S. Consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad Could Speed Visa Approvals

Skift Blog

Skift Take: In what might seem like a much-needed relief to end long visa delays, how efficiently backlogs are cleared remains to be seen.

Tourism 305
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Diving into Diversity: Decoding the Foundations of Inclusion in Hospitality Talent Acquisition

Speaker: Lauren Fernandez - CEO & Founder, Full Course

Companies all over the world, including Marriot International and Hilton Worldwide, are aware of the value of including DEI in their talent acquisition strategy. However, despite these initiatives, there is still plenty that the hospitality sector can do to promote DEI. When comparing the hospitality industries in India, Iraq, the UK, and the US, you will see that there is a consistent underrepresentation of persons from different ethnic, gender, and disability origins across all levels of the i

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CheapOair Offers Savings Accounts for Trips as an Alternative to Going Into Debt

Skift Blog

Skift Take: Save Now, Buy Later may contribute more to traveler well-being than having to worry about the bills later from a trip that you really couldn't afford. Anyway, it's a novel way in travel to market vacations.

Travel 306
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Female Business Travelers Still Face Safety Concerns

Skift Blog

Skift Take: Making business travel more inclusive for women would go a long way in helping the sector make more progress in its recovery. But companies still have a lot of work to do help female business travelers overcome the challenges they face.

Business 306
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Amazon Web Services Execs on AI ‘Hyper-Personalization’ in Travel

Skift Blog

Skift Take: Advanced AI is expected to allow travel companies to provide a higher level of personalization than ever, and there's big value in that.

Services 299
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Luxury Travel Companies’ Push for Extreme Experiences

Skift Blog

Skift Take: Today's edition of Skift's daily podcast looks closer at extreme luxury adventure trips, hotels' AI labors solution, and Bhutan's push for longer tourist visits.

Travel 299
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New Research-Backed Strategies to Empower Managers as Culture & Engagement Leaders

Speaker: Beth Sunshine, SVP, Up Your Culture

When culture isn’t consistently lived out across the organization, engagement suffers—and it often starts with a disconnect at the top. In this session, Beth Sunshine, SVP of Up Your Culture at The Center for Sales Strategy, will reveal how HR and executive leaders can close the gap between vision and execution by equipping frontline and mid-level managers to become culture carriers.