India’s sports tourism market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 17% and reach $53 billion by 2033. A new report by KPMG – ‘Harnessing India’s Sports Tourism Potential’ – looks at the challenges India faces in capturing this potential.
14.10.2024 - 10:53 / skift.com / Sean Oneill / Geoff Ballotti / Richard Verma
Top executives in the U.S. hospitality industry are urging the government to take action to lift international tourism, which continues to lag in key markets.
“We’re a net exporter of travel,” said Geoff Ballotti, president and CEO of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, at this week’s Lodging Conference in Phoenix.
Last year, nearly 99 million U.S. citizens traveled abroad, while about 67 million visitors arrived. Ballotti emphasized the need for a more competitive approach to attract international visitors. He noted the issue of visa wait times and comments by a State Department official at last month’s Skift Global Forum.
“At Skift Global Forum, you had [Deputy] Secretary of State [Richard] Verma up on stage talking about all the steps that our government is taking, and he was quick to admit they need to do more in terms of attracting inbound visitors,” Ballotti said. “Wait times, which have come down under his leadership from 400 days to 250 days, are still 250 days to get a visa. There is so much opportunity.”
Verma said the State Department has largely been able to get visa wait times back to pre-pandemic levels but acknowledged there’s more work to be done in some countries, including Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and India. He said wait times are affected by the strong demand for travel to the U.S. and America’s security concerns.
Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma said at the Skift Global Forum that the State Department is still working to reduce wait times in countries like Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and India.
What am I looking at? The performance of hotels and short-term rental sector stocks within the ST200. The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets, including international and regional hotel brands, hotel REITs, hotel management companies, alternative accommodations, and timeshares.
The Skift Travel 200 (ST200) combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number. See more hotels and short-term rental financial sector performance.
Read the full methodology behind the Skift Travel 200.
India’s sports tourism market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 17% and reach $53 billion by 2033. A new report by KPMG – ‘Harnessing India’s Sports Tourism Potential’ – looks at the challenges India faces in capturing this potential.
Elliott Investment Management has ramped up its battle with Southwest Airlines by formally calling for a special shareholder meeting on December 10, during which shareholders could vote for a new set of directors to steer the company’s strategy.
Hotels and resorts can now become wellness certified, thanks to the industry’s first program focusing on ways that accommodations amplify and offer ways for their guests to be well, launched by Wellness in Travel & Tourism (WITT).
My family of six recently visited both Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, October 15, 2024, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
It's 12 p.m. on Thursday and I am running through the streets of Brooklyn. I have to be out of New York City and on the highway north to reach Storm King Art Center by 3 p.m., when Charli XCX will be bumping her new album at a surprise listening party. Streaming in from directions unknown, hundreds of other fans have likewise shirked their responsibilities for the day—skipping work and school, canceling plans, ditching kids with partners—and booked it to this 500-acre sculpture park in New Windsor, New York, on the vague premise of exclusively hearing Charli XCX's latest music the day before the album's release. Some have taken four-hour trains; others, carpooled with strangers; the most die-hard brats are seeing her for the fourth or fifth time, after having followed her to California, Spain, and beyond. For her part, I know Charli herself will be on a plane the minute the show ends, given she's in the middle of her North America tour.
Elliott Investment Management said Monday that it is requesting a December 10 special meeting for Southwest Airlines shareholders, kicking off the hedge fund’s first proxy fight since 2017.
Unite Here, a national hospitality labor group with members currently on strike across several U.S. cities, is calling on state attorneys general to investigate hotel loyalty programs for what the labor group says are deceptive practices and devalued awards.
Daniela Jacobs, the founder and designer of Arc, a line of minimalist jewelry and home goods, is perhaps best known for her porcelain creations in shades of ecru and eggshell. But in 2018, a translucent organza garment that Jacobs created for a photo shoot led to such an unexpected swell of purchase inquiries that she decided to create a handful of one-of-a-kind garments to sell, titling it her Invisibles collection. Now, after 10 years in business, Jacobs is releasing a new batch of designs that explore the concept of invisibility with Arc Glass, a limited-edition capsule of rings, bangles, candle holders and plates made of borosilicate glass. In addition to pieces that are completely see-through, a handful of the designs are rendered in black, as well as a smoky hue that changes in different lights. “It almost has a turquoise tint to it, which feels right to me because of the Mediterranean vibe,” says Jacobs, who splits her time between New York and Majorca. As with her porcelain pieces, Jacobs’s glass creations require a bit of mindfulness when worn, but she insists that they’re made for everyday use. “I wear them on the subway. I wear them biking. I wear them when I’m in Spain. When I go to the sea, I take them off and put them on a rock; I come back, they’re fine,” she says.
Update: October 8, 2024, at 1:40 p.m. ET
It's been one month since the U.S. State Department updated its travel advisory for Mexico, one of the few countries broken down by states rather than an all-encompassing advisory.
Baja California has solidified its position as a world-class wine region, securing 32 of the 52 medals awarded to Mexico at the prestigious 2024 Bacchus International Wines and Vermouth Competition. This remarkable achievement underscores the exceptional quality of wines produced in the region.