The Artificial Intelligence Driving Travel Innovations

If you missed Skift’s big news about its AI chatbot this week, we suggest you go to Ask Skift to pose questions that can’t be easily tackled by traditional search engines. Let us know what. you think of the tool by leaving a comment or using the thumbs up/down button. You can read more about what the tool does and why we built it in this story.

Skift started the week with a look at tourism influencers and how they are impacting the choices both destinations and consumers are making. In a companion podcast, Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam said “These destinations are using these influencers to show visitors things on the ground that they would not have found if the potential visitor was just searching online.” Click through to read the story, then listen to the podcast for more insights and background.

Top Headlines

A Growing Influencer Class Attracts a Larger Piece of Destination Marketing

As the social media influencer industry evolves and matures, destination marketing organizations are, in turn, taking them seriously as agents in their efforts to grow visitation. Bonus: Listen to the author discuss the story on the Skift Daily Briefing

Airbnb’s New Strategy to Re-Engage Gen Z

Airbnb’s strategy boils down to this: Staying relatable to the typical 26-year-old could give the company an edge over rivals who often woo older travelers.

Free Webinar: Are Airlines Ready for a New Era of Retailing?

In this upcoming panel discussion, industry leaders from Sabre, Travel in Motion, and Oman Air will join Skift for a discussion about the best way to recalibrate conventional retailing around a traveler-centric model. Register now to join us on May 31 at 11am ET.

Expedia to Power Travel for Mastercard-Connected Banks

Expedia Group has a strong – and growing – business to business segment that is about a quarter of its overall revenue. Booking Holdings and Hopper are nipping at Expedia’s heels. Also: Why Expedia’s Chairman Thinks it Has an AI Edge

Google’s New Generative AI Tools for the Travel Sector

Google may be behind OpenAi regarding generative AI, but it’s getting closer to catching up. Interestingly, it used a few travel-relevant examples when demonstrating its latest batch of capabilities. More Google Travel: Google Travel Eliminated Trip Summary Feature

Skift Short-Term Rental Summit: New Speakers Added

The speaker line up for Skift’s Short-Term Rental Summit keeps on growing. We have added the founder and CEO of UnderTheDoormat Group, the CEO and Co-Founder of Placemakr, and the Global Head of Real Estate for Airbnb. You won’t want to miss these luminaries speaking on the future of the sector. Join us June 7 in New York City.

UK Online Travel Entrepreneur Hugo Burge Dies at 51

Burge’s death leaves a void for those who worked with him in online travel and at startups he invested in. His more recent support of artists and other creators left a cultural legacy in the UK.

Soho House Wants Members to Buy Extras in Path to Unlocking Profits

Know what’s cool? Having cool people join your member’s clubs. Know what’s even cooler? Having members buy your high-margin upsells, like food and skincare products.

Chart of the Week: Ultra Low-Cost Carriers Are Winning

Ultra low-cost carriers had explosive growth between 2013 to 2019. What’s even more impressive is that the trend has continued during and after the pandemic. The exponential growth in market revenues and passengers enplaned has helped this category of airlines to mitigate the effects of the pandemic and recover quickly to pre-pandemic level. Read more in the new Skift Research report U.S. Airline Sector: Skift Research Estimates 2023/2024

Ryanair and Boeing Make Up

Ryanair gave Boeing a boost, and let bygones be bygones, by ordering up to 300 new 737 Maxes. It’s the European discounter’s largest-ever order. Edward Russell and Jay Shabat discuss the deal on this week’s Airline Weekly Lounge podcast. Plus, Air France-KLM and IAG’s first-quarter results.