Brand travel tips

A senior U.S. official found himself explaining to world leaders how tourism works within the U.S. government.

Reducing visa delays has been a priority for the U.S. consulates in India as wait times for visitor visas has gone down from more than 600 days to 247 days in New Delhi, 332 days in Mumbai, 357 days in Kolkata, while in Chennai the wait is still around 680 days. Skift had earlier reported about how the U.S. Consulate in India had been taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to reduce visa wait times. India ranks sixth among the top source markets for the U.S, said Jackie Ennis, vice president, global markets for Brand USA. A total of 1.25 million arrivals were registered from India in 2022. The latest figures in February revealed that 203,540 Indians travelled to the U.S. so far between January and February. In 2019, Indian travelers spent $16.5 billion in the U.S. The destination marketeer for the U.S. — Brand USA conducted its 2023 India Sales Mission in Mumbai and Delhi last week. Speaking at the event Ennis spoke about how the air connectivity between the two countries has been strengthened with Air India launching two direct flights to San Francisco from Bengaluru and Mumbai in December last year and from Mumbai to New York (JFK) in February. With this, Air India now has 46 weekly non-stop flights between the two countries, in addition to seven weekly direct flights operated from Newark to Delhi by United Airlines and seven weekly direct flights from New York (JFK) to Delhi by American Airlines. Calling India a fast-growing market with tremendous potential for growth in tourism, Ennis added, “We are thrilled to see a heightened interest in exploring beyond the gateways to lesser-known destinations.”

Expedia Group Media Solutions, Expedia’s travel advertising division, has released a new media platform that allows travelers to shop and book travel as they watch content. One of its first partners will be Brand USA, the U.S.’s national tourism marketing agency.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Monday, May 8. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

International travel to the U.S. has been recovering faster since the U.S. lifted its vaccine requirement for inbound travelers in May, said Brand USA CEO and President Chris Thompson at a U.S. Senate hearing Tuesday. The absence of China, however, will prevent a full recovery.

Brand USA is hosting its first sales mission in Japan since the country opened to travel in October. The mission this month comes as Japan — a top U.S. tourist market — has been slow to rebound to its 2019 level.

U.S. destination marketing organizations plan to ramp up their marketing activities in China later this year. How much depends on progress the two governments make on restoring air service to pre-pandemic levels. 

Chris Thompson will step down as president and CEO of Brand USA, effective May 31, 2024. Brand USA is the U.S. ‘s destination marketing organization. Brand USA’s board of directors will work with an executive search firm to find a successor.

International travel to the U.S. has not returned to its 2019 peak, though some markets are doing better than others. Germany, for example, likely needs another year to recover, while India should exceed it this year, said Brand USA President and CEO Chris Thompson. None of that, however, will be enough to make up for the loss of China.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, August 8. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

American Airlines and Delta Air Lines will both add more flights to China this fall and winter as geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China begin easing.

IHG needed a new brand to appeal to two audiences — guests looking for something cheaper than the company’s 70-year-old flagship, Holiday Inn, and developers looking for a more cost-effective brand to run. The UK-based hotel giant on Wednesday took a step to fill this market gap by officially launching its 19th hotel brand, Garner an IHG Hotel.

The battle over the budget traveler rages on in the hotel industry, but the latest option appears to have more amenities than some of its competitors also in development.

New York City's bustling fashion scene is set to be invigorated by French "It" girl Jeanne Damas, who is bringing her renowned lifestyle brand Rouje to the heart of the Big Apple. Slated to open on August 28th, Rouje is not the first French label to grace New York. Still, its arrival signifies a unique convergence of two cultures that champion style, sophistication, and empowerment.

I’ve waxed poetic about Away’s suitcases and underseat bags in the past. After all, the brand’s Bigger Carry-On is the only suitcase I used when I spent two years traveling full-time — allowing me to hop from country to country without ever checking a bag, and enabling me to hoist my suitcase onto the high shelves of a train without having to ask a stranger for help.

What’s next in hotels? We are.

This week, Hilton revealed the newest addition to its brand arsenal with Tru by Hilton, a so-called “revolutionary midscale brand.” While it bills itself as filling a void in the midscale hotel category , it comes across more like a way of competing with boutique hotels and shared accommodation platforms such as Airbnb.

Two months ago, when Alaska Airlines bought Virgin America for $4 billion, the consensus prediction was that San Francisco-based Virgin would be slowly integrated into Alaska until it was nothing more than a historical footnote. In other words, what customers love about Virgin would be lost in transition.

With around 638 properties in its network, Hyatt is one of the smallest of the major hotel chains.

The island of Maui has a brand-new luau to share with visitors.

A cofounder of a hard-seltzer brand said a Delta Airlines employee "robbed" him after he was charged $200 for an overweight bag — but TikTok users aren't on his side.