‘I wanted every decision made for me’: a package holiday to Corfu

Trek the Himalayas if you feel like it, but sometimes all you really want is for someone else to do the cooking Over the pandemic I sat in my house and dreamed of a holiday. I sat in my house, the same chair, the same view, the same arguments over the same toys, and over the months I honed this dream. Some people fantasised about trekking through the Himalayas. Some about exploring jungles, or paddling on a secluded beach, or dashing through Manhattan. I wanted somewhere I wouldn’t have to cook. I wanted a holiday where every decision was made for me, where we could make up for some of lockdown’s panic by lying worriless in the sun, some of lockdown’s lack of childcare by sending the children to play in a room that did not also contain us. I wanted an all-inclusive family resort, somewhere warm, and I wanted it badly. So, having started idly scrolling options in 2020, two treacherous years later there I was, on a package deal to Corfu. We hadn’t been on holiday in three years: a lot was riding on this. I was travelling with my family, including a toddler born at the beginning of the first lockdown, who had never had a holiday in his life. We were curious to see what he would think of swimming pools, of other people, what he would think of the sea, and of being lifted 31,000ft into the air while beside him a stranger watched Friends without headphones. Turned out the answer was: liked it. Continue reading...

Brexit and Covid leave London’s Savoy hotel shaken, stirred – and short staffed

Britain’s top hotels are suffering from bartender shortages, with many leaving the industry or moving to new projects For those in the business, the role of head bartender at the Savoy’s American bar in London is much more than a job – it’s the chance to join a prestigious club of just a handful of people and to earn a place in history. In its more than 130-year existence, only 13 people have held the role, inventing cocktails such as the Moonwalk and the Hanky Panky, and serving clientele including Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Ernest Hemingway and Winston Churchill. Continue reading...

Travel Agents’ New World and Other Top Stories This Week

In Skift's top stories this week, travel agents describe their changed roles, the highest-paid hotel CEOs are revealed, and Vancouver Island Tourism adopts a new tourism model. -Sonia Menken

Aviation’s Endless Hangover

Demand to fly is off the charts, but airlines are besieged with longtime issues and a bunch of new ones that have come to roost at the same time, never mind the lingering pandemic drag. -Tom Lowry

American Express Gets a Boost From Increased Travel Spending

American Express raising its annual revenue forecast, in large part due to increased travel spending, is a major sign a possible recession won't dent travel's recovery. -Rashaad Jorden

Dover port declares ‘critical incident’ as travellers face six-hour queues

Kent port apologises for delays and blames French border control as summer getaway kicks off The Port of Dover has declared a “critical incident”, blaming “woefully inadequate” French border control staffing for queues of up to six hours as the busiest summer getaway in years kicks off. The Kent port apologised to travellers facing long waits to cross the Channel on what was also expected to be an extremely busy day for air, road and rail travel as most schools across England and Wales break up for the holidays. Continue reading...

American Airlines’ Amazing Earnings

Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks at American Air’s stunning quarter, Airbnb’s departing founder, and the startups helping solve tourism labor challenges. -Jason Clampet

Blame Airlines for Slowing Travel Recovery

Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks at the speed bump slowing summer travel, why Qatar Airways isn’t thrilled with the World Cup, and why meetings are bouncing back. -Jason Clampet

A great Dorset coast walk to a great pub: the Sailor’s Return

A hike over rolling hills, taking in a ghost village and smugglers’ coves, ends with delicious seafood and a pint Despite its name, only a traveller coming from Poole will need a ferry to reach Dorset’s Isle of Purbeck, an island that’s not really an island, famous for its chalky downland, cliffs and quarries. Tucked into Purbeck’s hills, the village of Chaldon Herring, known also as East Chaldon, feels remote and sequestered. It’s the perfect place for a varied walk, with few roads, quiet valleys, a spectacular coastline and some intriguing history. I made my way from the village green between thatched cottages past the church, where rooks noisily established their order of things. Leaving the village, I walked down a lane between rolling fields – plastic sheeting had been laid to warm the soil for crops, so the view resembled the swell of the sea, the foraging rooks imitating gulls. Under the long-nosed hill of High Chaldon at the end of the lane was West Chaldon, only a few houses and a farm, but once part of a larger settlement, Holworth, abandoned in the 15th century. The ebb and flow of human life over millennia is written into the ground in Purbeck. Just north of Chaldon is a barrow grouping known as the Five Marys. When excavated in the 1860s by an exiled Bourbon princess, the Duchess of Berry, the remains of two adults were discovered, one male, one female, both in sitting positions, stag antlers resting on their shoulders. Continue reading...

10 Skift Megatrends That We Got So Right

These Megatrends over the years transitioned from predictions to facts. You could look it up. -Dennis Schaal

World's oldest male giant panda dies at age 35

An An, the world's oldest male giant panda in captivity, died Thursday following health problems at age 35.

Sardinia's '100 Towers Path,' one of Italy's most stunning coastal hikes

Made up of over 1,000 kilometers of mostly oceanfront trails circling the island of Sardinia, the 'Cammino 100 Torri' -- or 100 Towers Path -- might not be Italy's most famous hike, but it's certainly of its most spectacular.

How Cancun Supercharged Its Recovery

Mexico’s risky policy to stay open while other countries closed during the pandemic has paid off for the state of Quintana Roo. The state wisely used the time to hone its brand as more than a beach-going destination and expand its air accessibility long term. The payoff is evident in recent surging tourism numbers. -Dawit Habtemariam

Drifting with dragonflies: a canoeing trip on the River Severn near Shrewsbury

While the Wye struggles with pollution, an overnight paddle and camping trip in Shropshire points the way to a gentle wildlife revival alongside England’s longest river My first solo swim outdoors – when I was about 10 – was across the River Wye. I had just read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and thought that the swim would be good preparation before I built a raft and escaped to another adventure. The slow, muscular water picked me up and carried me downstream, brushing through patches of water-crowfoot, with its sinuous underwater fronds and flowers that protrude, miraculously, from the riffles and rapids. The first tickles made me gasp in fright, but I got used to it. I had no idea at the time that this plant was an important signifier of river health. When I reached the other bank there were some cows staring down at me. I turned and fled back into the water. The Wye has been synonymous with beautiful countryside since the 1770s, when William Gilpin bestowed on it the title “picturesque”. By about 1800 there were 20 guidebooks to the area, and the crowning achievement of many an education was a watercolour sketchbook of river views. Little did the Reverend Gilpin suspect, however, that the same industrial society that fast-tracked his romantic appreciation of natural beauty would also threaten to gobble up his favourite topographical feature. In the past decade, the Wye has started to deteriorate. Instead of insects, the air is filled with clouds of bluster, thicker than a sewage soup, blanker than the walls of a chicken megafarm. The anglers catch no salmon. Swimmers get sick. Birders are birdless. Continue reading...

Porter Airlines Tops Up Embraer Order to 100 Jets at Farnborough

Canada’s Porter Airlines is in a much better place compared to the pandemic, when it furloughed 90 percent of its staff. It's just ordered an additional 20 E195-E2 aircraft from Embraer, which also won an eight-plane order from Alaska Air Group. -Matthew Parsons

It was a normal summer in London. Then he met David Bowie

Teenager Brad Miele spent the summer of 1984 exploring Europe by rail. One night in London, Miele says he unexpectedly crossed paths with cult musician David Bowie and ended up cameoing in a Bowie music video.

World's best restaurants for 2022 revealed

It's another good year for Copenhagen as, for the second year in a row, a restaurant in the Danish capital has been named the best on the planet at the World's 50 Best Restaurants awards.

Airbus Planning Carbon Capture Pact With Several Airlines

Plucking out carbon from the atmosphere is expensive. It's all about scale, and if Airbus and some of the world's biggest airlines can't do it, there may be doubts over the aviation sector’s ambitious bid to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. -Matthew Parsons

Travel tech: the best gadgets to pack on your holiday this summer

Technology to keep you entertained when you’re away, from headphones to TV streaming sticks and more Summer is finally here, and after two years of disruption, many people will be getting on a plane, long-distance train or ferry for the first time in a long while. A lot of us will inevitably be chucking a few gadgets and gizmos into our suitcases and hand luggage – from essentials such as travel adaptors to the items that can make a journey more pleasant, such as headphones and portable handheld fans. Continue reading...

Ukrainian chef to launch London restaurant staffed by refugees

Renowned Ukrainian chef Yurii Kovryzhenko and his partner were visiting London when Russia invaded their homeland. Now the couple will are opening a restaurant in the city's Chelsea suburb to help support those affected by the conflict.

Scaling the peaks of Mingulay: great Scot! – a photo essay

Taking in the rugged plains, sheer cliffs and remarkable wildlife of the Outer Hebridean island, with the first Briton to conquer Everest without bottled oxygen I thought the sun had blinked, but we had been caught in the shadow of a golden eagle passing low overhead. There were five of them over the hill, Cnoc Mhic-a-Phi, two of them tumbling out of the blue sky, lost in a playful, taloned dogfight. Golden eagles Continue reading...

What 12 Hotel CEOs Were Paid in 2021

Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks at hotel CEO pay, the Spirit-Frontier-JetBlue takeover drama, and surging short-term rental prices in the U.S. -Jason Clampet

Tourist Quotas Come To French Countryside to Combat Overtourism

National park and rural authorities in France have absorbed lessons from domestic overtourism during the pandemic. -Dawit Habtemariam

A local’s guide to Naples: pizza, palazzos and dancing under the stars

Restoration architect Mariano Mazzella knows where to find the best pizzerias, palazzos, bars and views of Vesuvius in Italy’s most vibrant city Our pizza, pastries, pasta and ice-cream are wonderful, but not that healthy. To prove that good food can be good for you, fitness fan Marco Pera and friends set up restaurant Sano Sano in central Naples. They source organic vegetables and grains, fish and meat from within 20km, cook at low temperatures where possible (there’s no deep frying), and use top-quality, single-estate olive oil. Unusually for Italy, its two floors and terrace are open from breakfast until midnight. I love its linguine with cherry tomatoes and almond pesto, but the skin-on roast potatoes are glorious too, as is seafood salad with blueberries and redcurrants. Continue reading...

The Highest Paid Hotel CEOs

Take a look at last year's hotel CEO compensation tables. The top bosses did well, and why not? Navigating the pandemic was tricky. Yet there was a wide disparity in the pay between most CEOs and workers. That's harder to defend. -Sean O'Neill

Rising Interest Rates Are Scrambling Hotel Deal Calculations

Baron Ah Moo works for PKF Hospitality and is a former hotel CEO. So he's well-connected among private equity firms and other dealmakers. Here's what they're telling him now. -Sean O'Neill

10 glorious UK garden fantasias to visit this summer

Inspired by exotic travels and distant history, these lesser known British spaces are bursting with colour, idiosyncrasy and creative flourishes If you are holidaying in the West Country, don’t miss one of the very limited chances to visit Wildside, a few miles north of Plymouth, which opens at the end of the month, and again in August. If you’re not, it’s worth a special trip. Wildside is the most exciting of gardens – the extraordinary creation of Keith Wiley, an obsessive gardener, tirelessly driven by horticultural curiosity, ecological exactitude, rage and grief. He ignores all the usual gardening rules and makes new ones, guided by his close observation of plant communities in natural landscapes across the globe. (It is only by casting off the straitjacket of long-established horticultural practice, Wiley insists, that gardeners can discover their true creative potential.) There are myriad unusual plants to see, and plants used in imaginative ways. It is no surprise that Wildside has been hailed as the most adventurous garden in the UK. Continue reading...

SAS Restarts Talks With Pilot Unions to Secure New Pay Deal

A one-day strike has already hit the airline by up to $123 million, as the 2,550 flight cancellations affected 270,000 passengers. Unions have the upper hand, so we may see a breakthrough today. -Matthew Parsons

A canal and seaside walk to a great pub: the Hest Bank, near Morecambe Bay

Taking in medieval and more recent industrial history, a stroll along this flat route is rewarded by a lovely old pub, great beer and views of the bay Lancashire’s great seaside resorts were built close to mill towns, mining towns, cities and soot. Railways siphoned the sun-starved to the resorts, which grew and grew, until they looked a bit like the places the daytrippers and Wakes weekers were trying to escape. That’s why Hest Bank, north of Morecambe, is special. It is scenic. It feels almost pastoral. It’s small and tranquil. And it has a namesake pub that combines the salty air and big skies of the foreshore with a cosy, village quality. People from all over Lonsdale come here for lunches and beer-garden sessions. Continue reading...

IHG’s Crowne Plaza Wants to Shake Off Traditional Business Traveler Image

It’s a bold decision for a hotel brand to reposition itself when the world of work is on the cusp of change. If it's the wrong call, it loses sight of its core market and winning back once-loyal business travelers may take a while. -Matthew Parsons

How Travel Companies Are Handling Covid-Related Refunds Now

Covid is still wreaking havoc on many consumers' travel plans, but some companies act like that's not the case, considering the loops they're asking travelers to go through to get a refund. -Rashaad Jorden

Romans, Druids and Camelot: the UK’s best ancient sites, as chosen by readers

Atmospheric forts, solstice circles and exquisite Roman mosaics feature in readers’ pick of the UK’s finest ancient monuments Brooding high up in the hills above the Conwy valley in Snowdonia lies Capel Garmon burial chamber, an almost symmetrical three-chambered Cotswold-Severn-style neolithic tomb, denuded and exposed to the surrounding peaks, sheep and tempestuous climate. Sited in a field with easy access from the road or marked footpaths, it makes a great mini pilgrimage on foot from Betws-y-Coed (approx three miles), or parking is easy, just under a mile south from Capel Garmon village. Matt Lunt, West Kirby Continue reading...

Expedia Goes Heavy With TV Ads for Loyalty Program

Expedia is doing some smart things. Focusing on luring repeat customers and thereby limiting payouts to Google can't hurt. -Dennis Schaal

Best places in Europe to visit: A modern-day Grand Tour

The Grand Tour was a rite of passage for men and women of certain wealth and status in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, taking in the best Europe had to offer.

Delta Expects Big Return of Business Travelers This Fall, Recession or Not

Airline industry bellwether Delta has spoken and the outlook is good. Operational issues are easing in the U.S. and travel demand, particularly among corporations, continues to pick up even as the economic outlook sours. -Edward Russell

Call Centers Could Turn to Artificial Intelligence to Face Flight Madness

Between permanent shifts into remote working, the Great Resignation, and spikes in flight cancellations, investing in advanced automation technology could be the only way call centers in the travel industry can show consistency long-term. Or just hire more humans. -Mary Ann Ha

Travel Innovators of Summer 2022

Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks at the travel industry’s latest innovators, Turkey and Greece’s Aegean squabble, and human trafficking in hotels. -Jason Clampet

Three-quarters of UK adults can’t read a map – here’s how to get better

A study by Ordnance Survey to coincide with National Map Reading Week paints a sorry picture of our navigation skills. But there are ways to improve … Just how far is it to the pub? Three-quarters of UK adults are in danger of never finding out, according to a poll commissioned by Ordnance Survey to mark National Map Reading Week (11-17 July). It found that 77% of respondents couldn’t recognise the most basic OS map symbols, such as viewpoints and pubs. (The latter is marked with a classic pint “jug” glass with handle, so could the ignorance be down to the switch to straight beer glasses?) But despite the popularity of walking – and the huge boost it saw during and after lockdowns – it seems most of us are still woefully bad at using a map to guide us. Continue reading...

I took the train to Antwerp, Belgium – here’s my guide to the city

In the final leg of our odyssey to celebrate 50 years of Interrail, we explore a city that’s seriously hip, but also caters for those who are just beer-curious Is it Colin Farrell’s fault that Antwerp isn’t better known, or loved? Ever since the 2008’s In Bruges, that is the city that has cornered the market as Belgium’s quirky tourist destination, while the country’s actual coolest city flies under the radar. With a historic centre that’s a blend of picturesque streets and shopping heaven, Antwerp ought to be far better known. In size, population and cultural significance, it’s comparable to Edinburgh, and if you’re coming from London the train journey is an hour faster. Fashion rules here, thanks to the global influence of a breakthrough group of 1980s designers that included Dries van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester. The Antwerp Six, as they became known, cemented the city’s reputation as a happening place, and their legacy manifests today in the hundreds of ateliers, outlets and concept stores among the shopfronts. Many of the streets have their own individual feel: Meir, the most famous thoroughfare, is dominated by high-street brands, Schuttershofstraat offers high-end luxury labels, while Nationalestraat and Kammenstraat are the places to go for new names and local designers, from haute couture to streetwear. The ModeMuseum (or “MoMu”) has been hosting impressive exhibitions of contemporary fashion for 20 years, with a library, bookshop and cafe that have turned it into a spiritual home for fashion students and industry professionals alike. Expect it to be an even more popular hangout when it reopens in October after a major expansion and two-year renovation. Continue reading...

Tell us about your favourite outdoor pool for the chance to win a £200 holiday voucher

Where will you be cooling down as the mercury rises? The best tip wins a voucher for a Sawday’s stay As the heatwave continues, many of you will be heading to glorious outdoor swimming pools for an invigorating dip. There are lidos dotted across Britain, many run by volunteer groups, some set amid beautiful countryside and some are even heated. So whether you are heading to the Edwardian Thames lido in Reading or taking a dip in Hathersage pool with the dramatic peaks as a backdrop, let us know about your favourite swimming spots. If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words that will be judged for the competition. Continue reading...

Heathrow asks airlines to stop selling summer flights as it caps passengers

Airport admits it is struggling to cope with surge in demand and its new staff are ‘not yet up to full speed’ Heathrow has asked airlines to stop selling summer tickets and imposed a daily limit of 100,000 passengers departing the airport, as it struggles to cope with the surge in demand. Heathrow and other airports have experienced chaotic scenes in recent weeks, with massive queues amid shortages of ground staff, and airlines have cancelled hundreds of flights. Continue reading...

Booking Outperforms Airbnb and Expedia

Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks at booking site performance in June, Hawaii’s new tourism campaign, and the psychology behind paying hotels. -Jason Clampet

Turkey and Greece’s Historic Aegean Dispute Flares Up Over Tourism Marketing

What may have passed off as tourism promotion has now snowballed into a geopolitical issue as Greece raises objection to Turkey tourism's recent "TurkAegean" campaign. With both countries going to the polls in 2023, the issue might prove to be a big draw for both the ruling parties. -Peden Doma Bhutia

CWT Adds More Green Travel Options to Corporate Booking App

Travelers’ habits are changing, so corporate booking tools need to reflect that too. CWT’s relaunch is timely when people aspire to be kinder to the planet when they travel. -Matthew Parsons

Heathrow cancels 60 flights and warns it may have to axe more

Airport asks airlines including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Air France to remove flights Heathrow airport cancelled more than 60 flights on Monday and warned it may have to ask airlines to remove more as it struggles to cope with the rebound in travel demand after the coronavirus pandemic. The flights were spread across Terminals 3 and 5, with British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Air France among the airlines affected, disrupting plans for about 10,000 passengers. Continue reading...

Why the A380 superjumbo is staging a comeback

The post-pandemic recovery of commercial aviation may have an early, unlikely protagonist: the A380 superjumbo.

Every One of IHG’s 17 Hotel Brands, Explained

IHG has assembled a hospitality collection with some of the most wide-ranging and eclectic brands in the world. Here's what you need to know about every one of them. -Sonia Menken

Amadeus to Use Marriott and IHG Deals as Hotel Tech Springboard

Say what you will about Amadeus, it undeniably dreams big, audacious dreams. At a time when many institutions pursue small solutions for trivial problems, the travel tech titan has big hopes for reshaping how hotels operate and sell their themselves online. -Sean O'Neill

A local’s guide to Prague: the best beer, cool architecture and hunting for fossils

Actor and gallery curator Pavel Lagner leads us to Renaissance pavilions, fun cocktail bars and delicious, stinky cheese It’s great to see more places putting in the effort for vegetarians these days. Klášterní šenk, within the serene, leafy grounds of the 10th-century Břevnov Monastery, is one such establishment. The mushroom soup – served in a regular bowl or one made of bread – is a tasty feast, though it’s the creamy pumpkin risotto that keeps me coming back. The Serbian restaurant Jelica is another favourite. Embroidered curtains and ceramic wall plates give the place a welcome dash of Yugoslavian kitsch, and the stuffed zucchini and Balkan salads are amazing. Continue reading...

Share a tip on an ancient UK site – you could win a holiday voucher

Been to a great Roman villa, stone circle, Saxon village site or iron age fort? Share your favourite – the best tip wins £200 towards a Sawday’s stay The UK abounds with reminders of its ancient history, from the stone age through to the Norman invasion. You may have visited a site such as neolithic Skara Brae in the Orkneys, or Sutton Hoo in Suffolk with its Saxon treasures. Perhaps you’ve stomped along Hadrian’s Wall, or explored an iron age fort. Many are in beautiful parts of the country and can be included on spectacular walks and cycle rides, so tell us about how such places have been part of your travels and how you reached them, including tips for others who may want to follow. Continue reading...