Travel's Powerful Women, Airbnb's Experiences Reboot and Saudi’s Tourism Numbers

13.09.2024 - 13:48 / skift.com / Brian Chesky / Amber Asher / Dennis Schaal / Rashaad Jorden

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, September 12, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

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A growing number of women are making waves in leadership positions throughout the travel industry, and Skift is featuring 25 of them in our inaugural list, Generation Next: The Women Shaping Travel’s Future. We’re showcasing disruptors and innovators poised to take the industry to new places.

We’re highlighting executives such as Standard International CEO Amber Asher, who has helped take the brand global, and Amelia DuLuca, who is playing a leading role in Delta Air Lines’ sustainability efforts. Our list includes leaders in all sectors of the travel industry around the world, such as Saudi Arabia’s Vice Minister of Tourism Princess Haifa. 

Next, Airbnb has relaunched the application process for experiences sign-ups after a roughly year-and-a half pause, writes Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. 

Airbnb confirmed the relaunch after a LinkedIn user saw a prompt to host an experience. Schaal notes that experiences have been a passion project of CEO Brian Chesky for years. However, the company hasn’t established a  successful product yet. 

The short-term rental giant halted experiences during the pandemic, restarted them later and then paused accepting new host applications for experiences around April 2023. 

Finally, a recently published report reveals Saudis are exploring their own country in bigger numbers while foreign visitors are spending large amounts of money, writes Middle East Reporter Josh Corder.

A report by the International Monetary Fund said Saudis were largely responsible for the surge in visitor numbers. Domestic tourists represented about 75% of visits in the kingdom last year. Although the Saudi government doesn’t share how it defines a domestic tourist, the country’s tourism authority told Skift it partly involves tracking mobile phone signals to see when people cross land borders. 

Meanwhile, international travelers were the driving force behind the increase in tourism spending. Overseas visitors spent a little more than $37 billion last year — roughly $7 billion more than domestic travelers.