Meet the 2024 Skift IDEA Awards Judges

Rows of purple, fragrant flowers are a treat to see and smell. But when lavender is in full bloom, destinations around the world celebrate their flowers with everything from lavender-flavored ice cream to yoga sessions amid the fields.

Searching for the safest places to travel? Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection (BHTP) recently unveiled its annual State of Travel Insurance Safest Destinations report, which ranks the world’s 15 safest cities to travel. This year, two U.S. cities made the list, with Honolulu named the safest city in the world.

As someone who has been running award programs for the last decade, it’s safe to say I have seen my fair share of award submissions – the good, the bad and the ugly. So today, I am going to share some of my insider tips to make sure that your Skift IDEA Awards submission stands out in the crowd.

In April 2020, United MileagePlus removed its partner award chart. Partner awards continued pricing at the lowest Saver level from the last-published award charts for a while. But over time, United Airlines has slowly raised its unpublished partner award rates. Last month, United devalued first-class partner redemptions, increasing award prices up to 100%. Now, the loyalty program has struck again with another devaluation.

The U.S. travel industry will see a full recovery in Chinese and Japanese tourism by 2026 — one year earlier than previously projected, according to the U.S. National and Travel Tourism Office’s latest annual forecast released Tuesday.

Cruise vacations are a wonderful way to visit multiple destinations in one trip and unpack only once. And while cruises may not give people multiple days in each destination, it acts as a sampler for people to discover new places that they may possibly want to return to later.

Earlier this week, Jefferies CEO Rich Handler sold $65 million worth of stock in the investment bank — enough to warrant a press release — partly to buy a yacht from his friend and client, hospitality billionaire and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta.

Boater or fascinator? A hat is said to bring good luck for those who are celebrating the 150th run of the Kentucky Derby, (rather than Star Wars Day) on May 4. Derby style advises that the topper dictates the rest of your wardrobe. A flamboyant hat may call for a more streamlined outfit, where a simple chapeau invites a flashy ensemble. Whatever you choose, there’s a spot in Boston to show it off. The festivities this year range from drop-in drinks to elegant soirees. Here’s a round up of top spots for watching the most exciting two minutes in sports.

Actress Samantha Pauly is starring as Jordan Baker in the hot new Broadway musical “The Great Gatsby,” based on the famous F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. The show opened April 25th.

Before joining TPG in 2021, I was a newbie to the world of points and miles. Despite traveling frequently throughout the previous decade, I was oblivious to the benefits of loyalty programs or how straightforward it could be to earn points or miles for airfare and hotel stays.

It’s inevitable: Every spring when we pull together the Hot List, our annual collection of the world’s best new hotels, restaurants, and cruise ships, a staffer remarks that this latest iteration has got to be the best one ever. After a year’s worth of traveling the globe—to stay the night at a converted farmhouse in the middle of an olive grove outside Marrakech, or sail aboard a beloved cruise line’s inaugural Antarctic voyage—it’s easy to see why we get attached. But this year’s Hot List, our 28th edition, might really be the best one ever. It’s certainly our most diverse, featuring not only a hotel suite that was once Winston Churchill’s office, but also the world’s largest cruise ship and restaurants from Cape Town to Bali. We were surprised and inspired by this year’s honorees, and we know you will be too. These are the Hot List hotel winners for 2024.

The 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season is well under way - this year featuring a record 24 races, a record in the sport’s 74-year history. Coming off the past two years of great success in Miami, F1 fans are getting revved up once again for another Miami Grand Prix 3-day weekend extravaganza May 3rd - May 5th in Miami Gardens. The excitement for race week is not only on the track but off as well with amazing events and activations highlighting the best of Miami’s culinary culture, luxury hospitality, and fan-focused experiences.