Hotelbeds Hires Banks to Prepare IPO

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Hotelbeds shared insights at an event called “Global Trends in the Tourism Sector,” in the growing Spanish destination of Palma de Mallorca. 

India-headquartered online travel agency Yatra Online plans to launch its initial public offering (IPO) on September 15. The company, which is listed on the Nasdaq since 2016, had filed a draft red herring prospectus on March 25 last year with the Indian regulatory body Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) with a goal of raising up to INR 7.5 billion.

After playing three years with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and establishing himself as one of the nation’s best college tennis players, Christopher Eubanks turned pro in 2017 and recently won his first ATP title at the 2023 Mallorca Championships. Before he began competing in the 2023 US Open, I met with Eubanks at Parker’s at Thompson Central Park — a craft cocktail bar in the lobby atrium redesigned by Thomas Juul-Hansen and named after Jazz legend Charlie Parker — where we discussed his warm-up music, playing Pickleball with Jamie Foxx and the power the crowd can have during a tennis match.

U.S. airlines and airports have geared up for a busy weekend ahead of the Labor Day holiday as travelers plan to jet off to international locations and cooler destinations.

Hotels in the U.S. continued their steady their pace of hiring in August, recording higher job growth in August than in July.

Colorado’s Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa hires Scott Steffek for unique new position.

Buoyed by the strong recovery in India’s domestic travel demand, online travel company Yatra.com plans to launch its Indian initial public offering by March next year.

Surf Air Mobility plans to list directly on public markets in the U.S. after ending a planned $1.4 billion special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, listing.

Looking to position itself as a leading tourism destination in the Middle East, Dubai has scrapped the 30 percent municipality tax on alcohol for what has been called a trial period of one year, till December 31. Also, tourists and expats will no longer need to pay a fee to secure a personal liquor license to purchase alcoholic beverages. However, an Emirates ID, or passport for tourists, will still be required. The change that came into effect from Sunday, was confirmed by Maritime and Mercantile International, one of the biggest alcohol retailers in the United Arab Emirates and a subsidiary of the state-owned Emirates Group.

Sam Gilliland, who was the CEO of Sabre Corporation for 10 years, is taking the top role at Accelya.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Monday, February 6. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

The initial public offering of India-based budget hotel operator and aggregator Oyo may be further pushed back from its intended deadline of a launch within the first quarter this year.