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Operating performance at many hotels worldwide is getting closer to pre-pandemic levels, according to a Hotels Global Asset Management Report released on Tuesday by JLL Hotels & Hospitality — an investment advisory firm that helps manage more than $6.8 billion in hotel assets.

Despite lots of vacation rental industry talk about making inroads in attracting more direct bookings, a global survey of property managers and individual hosts reported those percentages were stable, if not decelerating.

The U.S. Department of Justice is expected to sue to block the proposed merger of JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines, Politico reported late Friday.

Japan intends to draw a record number of inbound travelers in 2025, according to a draft of a government plan seen by Kyodo News on Thursday.

The inner workings of the travel industry are changing as different sectors look for less expensive means of doing business, and much of that change could have a negative impact on the longevity of Sabre and companies like it. 

Indian airlines are expected to record a consolidated loss of $1.6 to 1.8 billion in the financial year 2023-24 ending March 31, 2024, according to aviation consultancy CAPA India. The full-service carriers are predicted to incur a loss of $1.1-$1.2 billion. With a net induction of 132 planes next fiscal, Indian airlines are estimated to take the total fleet of all carriers to around 816 aircraft. However, more than 100 aircraft from different Indian carriers are grounded as a result of supply chain and other issues. Highlighting the potential for growth in aviation, India’s civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that it was time for India to look at manufacturing aerospace products. He added that the aggregate fleet size of domestic carriers is estimated to reach around 2,000 aircraft over the next five to seven years. He claims that by the end of this year, up to 15 Flying Training Organizations (FTOs) could be established, bringing the total number of such organizations to 50 from the current 35. He emphasized the expansion of the drone industry, stating that it is projected to reach a value of approximately $40 billion by 2030 and produce about 250,000 million employees. All industries have an S-shaped evolution curve, and the minister noted that India is currently in the “infancy and growth phase” of its civil aviation industry.

Travel bookings in China have recovered to pre-pandemic levels after being suppressed last year by zero-COVID policies, and are set to boom for the upcoming May Day holiday, according to data from popular booking apps.

Driven by the resurgence in demand for travel, Saudi Arabia-based travel services provider Seera Group reported its first yearly post-pandemic operating profit of $800,000 in 2022, compared to a loss of $76 million in 2021. This return to profit for the group for the year was mostly bolstered by Seera’s financial results for the third quarter in which the group had reported a post-pandemic operating profit of $8 million. In 2022, the group generated gross booking value of $2.5 billion, a 94 percent growth relative to the $1.3 billion recorded in 2021. Almosafer, Seera’s travel platform, which operates the consumer and business travel business lines, as well as the destination management company Discover Saudi and Hajj and Umrah tour operator Mawasim, achieved around 74 percent growth in gross booking value to $1.6 billion in 2022 compared to 2021. Almosafer noted that travel demand in 2022 surged across inbound, outbound and domestic tourism and at times, exceeded 2019 levels. With the full reopening of travel in 2022, the company noted that Almosafer’s consumer travel business saw an unprecedented surge in bookings, which led to an aggressive demand capture ahead of a full-blown travel season in 2022. Fueled by the unwavering appetite for leisure travel following the removal of nearly all pandemic travel restrictions in many countries across the world, Almosafer’s consumer business saw 2022 booking volumes exceed pre-pandemic levels. With an average of 35 percent share of booking volume, domestic tourism continued to be an important contributor to the success of the company’s consumer business. Seera also observed that the digital adoption rate for its travel management portal reached 40 percent in 2022 as companies made bookings through Almosafer Business’ digital portal. Seera continues to expand the group’s hospitality footprint nationwide, primarily in the mid-market and upper mid-market segments. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has also acquired a 30 percent stake in Almosafer for $412 million.

Choice Hotels International has signaled an intent to acquire Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

To better understand how people working in the travel industry feel about new AI tools, like ChatGPT and its many extensions, and the impact it will have on their job and company, Skift Research recently launched a short survey. 

Online travel agency Booking Holdings Inc is expected to receive an EU antitrust warning about its 1.63 billion euro bid for Sweden-based Etraveli Group, three people familiar with the matter said.

Lufthansa finally has a deal. For ITA Airways that is, and according to reports.

When we said Skift is committed to our coverage of short-term rentals, we meant it. Ahead of the sold-out Short-Term Rental Summit in New York City, we’re launching the Skift Short-Term Rental Report, a premium newsletter that will hit your inbox three times a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) starting June 13.

Posted five weeks ago, this Instagram post from renowned footballer Lionel Messi on Saudi Arabia, marked as a paid partnership with Visit Saudi, has garnered around 17 million likes and more than 78,000 comments.

Here are the top stories from Daily Lodging Report in the past week. If you’re not a subscriber, you should be. Get news on hotel deals, development, stocks, and career moves. Sign up here, now.

During the next few weeks, public hotel companies will report their financial performance for the second quarter. Here’s what analysts at investment banks are watching.

A string of Greyhound bus cancellations left dozens of travelers stranded at a truck stop in Boise, Idaho, local news outlet KTVB first reported. 

Iraq's prime minister has launched an investigation after a bear being transported on a commercial airplane escaped from its crate in the cargo hold.

Even though it seems like the summer travel season is flying by, those still looking to book a European getaway have some cheap options for a last-minute trip, according to a new report.

A Delta Air Lines passenger threatened to hurt a flight attendant on board a recent flight to New Orleans, according to a report by the local television station FOX8. 

An Australian sailor and his beloved dog, Bella, were recently reunited after surviving two months stranded in the Pacific Ocean.