Hotel & Accommodation Skift Global Forum Preview: IHG’s Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer on Making Hotels Legible to AI September 18, 2026 Soka Rick Namo The hospitality industry is currently standing at a crossroads. For decades, the primary battleground for customer acquisition was the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) and the dominant Online Travel Agencies…
Cruise & Maritime Travel Explora Journeys Unveils 2027-2028 Journeys Collection September 18, 2026 Soka Rick Namo The announcement outlines a comprehensive deployment strategy that sees the fleet spanning the globe. While the newly detailed itineraries focus on EXPLORA I and EXPLORA V, they complete a broader…
Hotel & Accommodation Grand Ji Hotel: H World Group’s Strategic Leap into Culturally-Infused Premium Hospitality. September 18, 2026 Soka Rick Namo The global hospitality landscape is currently witnessing a profound shift as domestic Chinese brands transition from being masters of scale and efficiency to becoming architects of high-concept, premium experiences. At…
Hotel & Accommodation U.S. Inbound Tourism Faces Steep Decline as Summer Travel Season Falls Short of Expectations. September 17, 2026 Soka Rick Namo The United States travel industry, which had entered the peak summer months with high expectations for a robust recovery and record-breaking visitor numbers, is now grappling with a sobering reality…
Cruise & Maritime Travel Beyond the Lagoon: Discovering the Lasting Legacy of the Venetian Empire on a Mediterranean Cruise September 17, 2026 Soka Rick Namo One of the highlights of European cruising always used to be gliding into the Venetian Lagoon: seeing the domes of St. Mark’s Basilica and the gleaming marble of the Doge’s…
Hotel & Accommodation U.S. Budget Airlines Lobby for Federal Fuel Tax Relief Amid Mounting Economic Pressures September 17, 2026 Soka Rick Namo The domestic aviation landscape is currently witnessing a strategic pivot as ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCCs) and budget airlines, grappling with a volatile economic environment, have initiated a concerted effort to secure…
Hotel & Accommodation What It Takes to Make AI Booking Work at Scale September 17, 2026 Soka Rick Namo This "pilot purgatory" is where most travel tech companies currently reside, struggling to bridge the gap between a generative AI response and a confirmed, paid booking. However, the landscape is…
Hotel & Accommodation Cleartrip Rethinks Loyalty Strategy with "Elite" Program Aimed at Mitigating Travel Anxiety September 17, 2026 Soka Rick Namo The Indian online travel landscape is undergoing a fundamental shift as Cleartrip, the Flipkart-owned travel intermediary, moves to redefine the traditional concept of customer loyalty through the launch of its…
Cruise & Maritime Travel The Meteoric Rise of Adventure Tourism: How Niche Markets are Scaling New Heights in the Global Economy. September 17, 2026 Soka Rick Namo In the traditional lexicon of the business world, a “niche” is defined as a small but highly dedicated segment of a broader market. These are the consumers who might not…
Hotel & Accommodation United Still Expects to Pass On 100% of Jet Fuel Costs. Says Industry Is Turning More Premium. September 16, 2026 Soka Rick Namo The aviation industry is notoriously sensitive to the price of Brent crude and, more specifically, the "crack spread"—the difference between the price of crude oil and the refined products produced…
