Skift

2024 marked a turning point for global travel. Unlike the previous years, 2024 saw the industry shift focus to real growth.

About half of employees work in a “hybrid” capacity — a dramatic drop from about 70 percent a year ago. See how still-shifting workplace dynamics are impacting the future of corporate travel and expense management in our new report sponsored by Navan https://hubs.li/Q034HNhL0

❝ This was the first event where I truly felt the pulse of India’s travel revolution. It wasn’t just talk; it was actionable.❞ - CEO, Leading Travel Tech Startup Hear what others had to say about attending last year and reserve your seats for Skift India Forum on March 17-18 this year: https://hubs.li/Q034LcC_0

HCMI has been a great starting point for standardizing how hotels measure emissions, but it may not capture the full picture. Expanding the way emissions are counted could give the industry better data. https://hubs.li/Q034QBDP0

President Donald Trump announced he is appointing current FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau to be the acting head of the agency. https://hubs.li/Q034QBZ40

At Skift India Forum, industry leaders will gather to explore the forces shaping this transformation and what lies ahead. here’s why you should join us: https://hubs.li/Q034QC0G0

Having become the third-largest domestic aviation market, India is now setting sights on positioning itself as a hub connecting the East to the West. Perhaps this could also boost the lagging international inbound segment. https://hubs.li/Q034D0zT0

If 2024 was a wake-up call for short-term rental investors, 2025 is the year to take action, according to AirDNA’s 2025 Best Places to Invest in Short-Term Rentals report. https://hubs.li/Q034PLzP0

The National Transportation Safety Board provided steps on how it plans to investigate a deadly plane crash near Washington, D.C., that occurred Wednesday night. “This is an all-hands-on-deck event,” NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said during a press conference on Thursday. https://hubs.li/Q034PXTX0

There’s been a lot of talk in the travel business about the importance of “live tourism.” It’s more than just a temporary trend. According to new research from Skift and Qiddiya | القدية, nearly 90% of travelers said that participating in entertainment, sports, and cultural events when they travel is important to their overall sense of happiness and well-being. A couple takeaways follow from this topline insight (and there are many more in the associated report — linked in the comments): 1. The next phase of global tourism, focused on the power of play, will run so much deeper than the age of influencer imitators. Curious travelers are tired of “best of” lists and overcrowded tourist sites. They want travel to be meaningful to them as individuals, and they’re looking for events and experiences that inspire them personally vs. checking off a bucket list created by someone else. 2. For too long, play has been trivialized and infantilized as superfluous. As Millennials barrel toward empty nests and retirement (!) and Gen Z incomes ratchet up, they are looking for travel experiences that offer a feeling of freedom from their day-to-day stressors and authentic community-building with their global peers. Competing with countless others for the perfect Instagram post doesn’t hit the same way as singing in unison with 50,000 like-minded music fans for an “in-the-moment” moment in a new space and time, for example. Travel is changing in front of our eyes. It may seem subtle — after all, hasn’t travel always been about “experiences”? — but the mindset shift is actually quite drastic. Sponsored by Qiddiya | القدية