Policy tips

The boss of the world’s biggest corporate travel agency has clashed with a top European politician over the best way to lower carbon emissions.

Millions of FIFA World Cup fans won’t be able to attend the tournament in the U.S. if they can’t get a visitor visa. That was one issue raised this week by hundreds of travel industry professionals at the U.S. Travel Association’s annual Destination Capitol Hill conference.

Chinese hotels and restaurants are seeking employees amid demand recovery in the services sector after the end of Beijing’s zero-COVID protocols, with a survey by a leading recruiter showing a surge in job openings in the hospitality industry.

Intrepid Travel, one of the world’s largest tour operators with a reputation for responsible tourism, has cleaned up its wildlife tours offering, maintaining its animal welfare policy standards.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, February 21. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday called on U.S. airlines to follow American Airlines in committing to eliminating family seating fees as part of their customer service plans.

India is on the cusp of an aviation boom as many call the country the “most promising aviation market” globally post-Covid.

India will soon declare a national tourism policyand is also planning a global tourism investment summit, said Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy. “Without private investment, we cannot become a global destination,” he said, adding the government is allowing 100 percent foreign direct investment in tourism. Speaking at the third G20 tourism working group meeting in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar, Reddy said the tourism ministry is working closely with all the other ministries and state governments to encourage tourism. The new national tourism policy for the country has been in the making for almost two years, with the current one dating back to 2002. The policy would help lay down a framework to make India more competitive in the international market, at a time when the world is reopening to tourists. It aims to increase visitation, stay and spend and make India a year-round destination, besides creating jobs and opportunities in the sector. Last month, Tourism Secretary Arvind Singh highlighted India’s plans to open up to 50 new tourism destinations, promote green tourism, launch a publicity campaign in overseas markets and operationalize 59 new air routes this year. 

Online travel marketplace Klook is ending the sale of certain exploitative wildlife attractions on its platform, with a new animal welfare policy, set to come into effect on 31 October.

Expedia Group’s vacation rental brand Vrbo for the first time reversed its traditional guest refund policy, and is mandating that hosts refund guests in Maui.

The Department of Homeland (DHS) plans to continue its confusing and controversial policy on searching some electronic devices at U.S. airports. In remarks to the Senate Homeland Security Committee, DHS Secretary John Kelly claimed the searches are valuable in the fight against terrorism.

One year ago, Harvard Business School researchers released findings about the home-share rental platform Airbnb—and they weren’t good. The university created Airbnb user profiles under names that are common among African-Americans, and found they were 16 percent less likely to be accepted for a booking. Real Airbnb users of color said they weren’t surprised. Black users shared stories of repeated cancellations and failed booking attempts, using #AirbnbWhileBlack on social media.

We’re proud to align with the new policies of our sister sites TripAdvisor and Viator, and to no longer report on tourism experiences where travelers come into physical contact with captive wild animals or endangered species, including but not limited to elephant rides, “swim with” programs where tourists touch or ride on dolphins, and the petting of captive wild or endangered species.

The Choice Privileges program has distinguished itself in recent years on both the upside and the downside.

The “Do Not Disturb” sign is a ubiquitous part of the hotel-stay experience. And many would argue that it’s essential to a restful stay. After all, who wants to come out of the shower to find a housekeeper tidying up your room?

The travel blogosphere lost its collective mind earlier this week when Southwest peremptorily made it more difficult to earn what might be that airline’s most coveted award.

Everything you thought you knew about American Airlines’ upgrade policies will change this weekend.

With a travel insurance policy (and any other kind of insurance coverage) the devil is in the details—more specifically, the fine print. And one word can make a huge difference in your risk coverage: “unforeseen.”

When you purchase travel insurance, it’s not unreasonable to assume that you are, well, insured for all aspects of your trip. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Travelers are frequently frustrated to find that their travel insurance coverage is full of holes—with exclusions that are typically stated in the fine print but nonetheless confusing and sometimes counterintuitive.

For the last few months, Delta has been the lone U.S. airline holding out and leaving middle seats empty, but that’s about to change. Delta CEO Ed Bastian just announced that the airline will be unblocking the middle seat and booking flights to full capacity starting May 1.

Wondering what will happen if you actually try skiplagging?