Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, September 14. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
31.08.2023 - 11:35 / skift.com / Dennis Schaal / Rashaad Jorden / Eric Garcetti
Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, August 31. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts
Airbnb hosts in New York City are rapidly approaching a September 5 deadline to register with the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement. So the company could see a large reduction in its New York City listings, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal.
Airbnb had 23,000 active listings in the city as of July and Schaal writes many would be unable to accept stays under new enforcement. Airbnb has said it generated $85 million of revenue in New York City last year. Schaal adds due to regulatory pressures and other factors, Airbnb is a shadow of itself in New York compared to pre-pandemic years. The company had 36,000 active listings in New York City in July 2019, according to AirDNA.
Next, the U.S. overseas travel boom is showing no signs of slowing down. Americans are traveling abroad in large numbers for Labor Day weekend, reports Associate Editor Rashaad Jorden.
International travel bookings have risen 44% this Labor Day weekend from last year, according to travel organization AAA. The group also said international hotel bookings have increased 82% from last year’s holiday. AAA Spokesperson Aixa Diaz said pent-up travel was a major factor in the high number of international bookings.
Meanwhile, travel news site The Vacationer found 57% of American adults plan to travel over the Labor Day weekend. That’s a 4 percentage point jump from last year.
Finally, Indian travelers looking for a U.S. visitor visa will now find the process substantially less time consuming. Visa applicants can book interviews at U.S. consulates in India with no wait time, writes Middle East and Asia Reporter Amrita Ghosh in the Skift India Newsletter.
The U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai said that applicants can schedule appointments for visa interviews within the standard time frame. It added that more than 900,000 nonimmigrant visa applications are being processed at the moment. U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti had said the goal for 2023 was to process at least one million visas.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, September 14. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
What impact would Airbnb’s diminishing New York City footprint have for hotels? One major hotel operator in the city believes the shortfall will contribute to a significant “tailwind” for hotels in 2024.
Artificial intelligence has been a major discussion in travel over the last year, and that’s why the theme of the Skift Global Forum is Connection in the Age of AI.
Looking for a short-term rental stay via Airbnb, Vrbo or Booking.com in New York City for the Thanksgiving holiday? One week after the city implemented tough host registration requirements, you can expect to see listings that violate the rules, more hotels, and stays in New Jersey.
Florence has been at the top of my travel bucket list for years, and this summer I finally crossed it off. It's since made its way to the top of another list of mine—my ranking of favorite cities. The food, the architecture, the rich history, and, of course, the gelato make it a city like no other. What I loved most about Florence was how surprisingly small it is—every restaurant, museum, and tourist attraction I hoped to visit was in walking distance of one another, which made seeing everything I possibly could see during my three-day stay doable. Hoping for an accommodation that was a little more homey and spacious than a hotel, my partner and I booked a gorgeous Airbnb with a private terrace in the heart of Florence.
The late Jimmy Buffett’s popular song “Margaritaville” was based on his time in Key West. Although Margaritaville was a fictional oasis (turned restaurant and resort) where people operated on island time, the Florida Keys is a real-life sanctuary where the sun sets in the west and it's always five o’clock. It's also a great place for a group trip. I hadn’t been on one of this magnitude since my high school marching band and I bombarded the staff at Kalahari. During the week-long vacation with 14 friends, I was most interested in going to the beach, enjoying the pool, and napping in the sun (lathered in sunscreen, of course) without a care in the world.
New York City’s short-term rental regulations could slash up to 70% of Airbnb’s 23,000 active listings in the city after September 5. Experts are divided on how the move might affect hotels, and their forecasts are foggy. Yet the analyses reveal interesting details about this critical lodging market regardless.
Staying in an Airbnb when visiting Kyoto is a great idea for anyone looking to experience the city like a local. An Airbnb rental gives travelers access to unique neighborhoods and accommodation options that can’t be found elsewhere. Furthermore, many Airbnb rentals are located close to popular tourist attractions, making them ideal for those who want easy access to the area’s must-see sights. These Kyoto Airbnbs showcase the best of the city.
Airbnb and New York City have often had a tough relationship, one marked by lawsuits and other disputes. Airbnb has argued that New York City’s regulations have hurt its ability to do business, which the company believes will become more challenging when the city starts enforcing its host registration law regarding short-term rentals on September 5.
Thousands of Airbnb listings could be at risk after September 5 when New York City has said it will begin to enforce its host registration law regarding short-term rentals. Estimates are a moving target.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, August 29. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
Airbnb was the top-spending travel brand on U.S. national TV during the first 11 months of 2022 at an estimated $86.5 million, but it was merely the ninth most-seen among travel websites, hotels and motels, resorts and theme parks, cruise lines and airlines.