West Maui will officially welcome visitors again next month following the devastating wildfires that swept the paradise destination in August.
25.08.2023 - 13:19 / skift.com / Dennis Schaal / Rashaad Jorden
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Several major U.S. cities are facing a similar challenge in their quest to make a full recovery from the pandemic — the absence of suburban residents. Urban destination marketing organizations acknowledge they need the critical group to help boost visitor numbers, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam.
Habtemariam reports that prior to the pandemic, suburban residents often commuted to the city for work and then attended various events. Those activities kept businesses running and cities vibrant, which benefited local tourism industries. However, destination marketing organizations admit to having to counter negative perceptions about crime in their cities. In addition, the rise of remote work has made promoting activities more difficult to suburbanites making fewer trips downtown.
Habtemariam writes some cities are launching campaigns to convince suburban residents to frequent urban attractions, citing Chicago and Minneapolis as examples. He adds that suburbanites can be ambassadors for nearby destinations, often helping encourage travelers to spend time in major cities.
Next, executives from Amazon Web Services are bullish on artificial intelligence transforming how travel companies offer personalized customer service — possibly as early as next year, writes Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes.
Amazon Web Services representatives at this week’s HITEC travel tech conference in Toronto explained how they’re working with major travel brands eager to incorporate advanced AI into their operations. Amazon Web Services has found only 15 percent of travel companies are using AI at an advanced level. But one executive said she expects to see more hyper-personalized content in the travel industry. Amazon Web Services has already worked with Hyatt to help the hotel giant make personalized recommendations for customers, including specific hotels that matched their interests.
Dawes adds that hyper-personalization means companies will be able to present images and text based on detailed data customers provide.
Finally, Booking.com is rolling out on Wednesday an artificial intelligence-powered trip planner as part of its Genius travel rewards program. But that trip planner will use OpenAI’s ChatGPT as its base instead of Google Bard, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal.
Schaal writes Booking.com’s decision is somewhat surprising considering its long relationship with Google. Booking.com is one of Google’s largest travel advertisers. However, Schaal notes critics have largely held OpenAI’s ChatGPT in higher regard than
West Maui will officially welcome visitors again next month following the devastating wildfires that swept the paradise destination in August.
Skift has looked into the hurdles that several major U.S. cities face in trying to boost tourism — San Francisco and Portland are just two examples.
Centered on the pivotal theme “Transforming Demand Trends to Reshape the Future of Intra-Africa Travel,” the 2023 ATLF & Awards is poised to offer unparalleled networking corridors, growth-centric business prospects, and cutting-edge educational modules.
HotelTonight founder and CEO Sam Shank helped build the fastest and easiest to use hotel booking app in the world — initially focused on guests booking last-minute and same-day hotel rooms, sometimes from the local bar — but he hung around Airbnb for three years and eight months after the short-term rental site acquired the business, and Thursday was his last day there.
United Airlines is taking a subtle dig at rival Southwest Airlines’ massive number of holiday season cancellations in an ad it’s airing during the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Jude Bricker, CEO of Sun Country Airlines, said it’s premature to reach definite conclusions regarding the airline industry seven months into its recovery, especially pertaining to business travel’s ongoing rebound.
Sun Country Airlines CEO Jude Bricker believes it’s premature to draw firm conclusions about the emergence of new travel patterns seven months into the travel industry’s recovery. But Bricker said at the recent Skift Aviation Forum that surging airfares are changing travelers’ behaviors, including driving more consumers to fly on Tuesdays instead of the weekend.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, January 19. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
Rural and outdoor destinations are contending with slower growth rates compared to their pandemic boom as big cities become competitive again and Americans travel internationally.
British birdwatcher Harriet Babeo arrived at Cuba’s Bay of Pigs earlier this week and promptly racked up 80 species for her list including the world’s smallest hummingbird and the elusive red, white and blue Cuban trogon, rarities found only the island.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, March 1. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
Tourism businesses that talk about how sustainable they are won’t win points with Generation Z travelers. In fact, they run the risk of pushing them away, said Etienne Matichard, director of sales at Ennismore, a collective of 14 brands owned by Accor, during a panel this week at ITB Berlin titled “GenZ and the Transformation of Travel.”