Five of the best sustainable holidays across Europe

From a spa-and-cycling trail across Slovenia to the coolest energy-saving hotels in Berlin, these getaways tick all the eco boxes This summer the country’s tourist board launched a new Green Wellness cycling route. A looping cycle trail of nearly 200 miles linking natural spas, it starts in Ljubljana and heads north towards the Austrian border and then south-west towards Croatia, winding through mountains, plains and vineyards. There’s a castle on an island, a beer fountain and miles of wild flowers. The first leg ends in medieval Kamnik, a red-roofed town of castles and monasteries with a view of the mountains, Slovenia’s biggest arboretum (sporting 2m tulips in April) and the Terme Snovik spa in the forested Tuhinj valley. Continue reading...

‘I’ve seen the trailers’: film locations brace for House of the Dragon tourists

Release of Game of Thrones prequel expected to boost visitor numbers in parts of Cornwall, Peak District, Spain and Portugal In the small hours of Monday 22 August, the night’s watch shall return: HBO’s House of the Dragon, the much-awaited follow-up to Game of Thrones, the most successful television series of all time, will stream in the UK from 2am on Sky. The new series will be followed more keenly in some parts of the world than others, particularly Cornwall, Derbyshire and parts of Spain and Portugal, for the simple reason that Game of Thrones transformed the tourism industry wherever it went. Continue reading...

The World’s Top 15 Hotel Designers and Other Top Stories This Week

In Skift's top stories this week, we reveal our list of the world's elite hotel design firms, airlines grapple with how to deal with angry customers, and Southwest becomes the latest airline to overhaul its travel management platform. -Rashaad Jorden

‘In a single walk you can see an acropolis, falcons and eagles’: hiking Greece’s ancient island paths

On the islands of Sifnos and Kythera, the revival of ancient walking routes offers low-impact tourism that is a lifeline for rural communities Beauty is all around us on the bright April morning my daughter and I climb a path marked as a donkey trail on our map of the Cycladic island of Sifnos. Butterflies flit over terraced meadows brimming with wild lupins, red poppies, and soft, green grasses. A whitewashed chapel is luminous against the blue sky. Over on a hilltop stand the silver canopy of an olive grove and the remains of a stone windmill, spokes and sails long absent. We approach the edge of a rocky outcrop and a mosaic of blues emerges beneath us: it’s the Myrtoan Sea and it stretches, glittering, in three directions, as if to the earth’s very ends. Our trail is well marked. Still, we hesitate when we see that it crosses a farmer’s field and, along with it, the herd of cows that he’s shepherding toward a stone outbuilding. “Come on,” he shouts to us in Greek, smiling as he encourages us to follow the footpath across his land. He greets us warmly, asks if we’re having a good walk, then carries on with his work. Continue reading...

More Than Half of Americans Plan Labor Day Travel Despite Gas Prices Remaining High

High gas prices and inflation haven't dented travel demand for Labor Day weekend because Americans have dealt with economic turbulence long enough to know how much they can set aside for travel. -Rashaad Jorden

Inside Marriott’s New Headquarters

Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks at Marriott’s new corporate campus, Concur’s new tools, and Choice Hotel’s spring ad campaign. -Jason Clampet

Fields of light: an arty Somerset glampsite with glowing gardens and a space pod

Marston Park glampsite is a canvas for budding artists, offering tents with a ‘light garden’, easels, guitars, and live music sets Thousands of tiny spheres of light are swaying in a midsummer night’s breeze. They resemble flowers: bright little bulbs on slender stems. Some change colour in waves, from soft pink to rich purple to deep blue. Others are fixed, grouped together in a fiery red sea or a shimmering emerald pool. This is Field of Light at Marston Park, an installation by artist Bruce Munro at a glamping site in Somerset. Munro is perhaps best known for his permanent light display at Uluru in Australia; some of his other illuminations can be found in the US, Japan and South Korea. But Marston Park, which is not far from the artist’s home in Long Knoll, Wiltshire, boasts his first fully immersive work: visitors can sleep among the spheres. Continue reading...

Marriott Opens Expansive New Headquarters Despite Rise of Hybrid Working

Travel companies may agree that business travel will return to pre-pandemic levels, but they don't all agree on when. Many eyes will watch Marriott's move to bring workers back to the office. -Sean O'Neill

Mexico Leads Latin American Hotel Development

It's great to see a strong pipeline of hotel development throughout many Latin American countries. Mexico leads the construction pipeline. Plus, find more hotel deals and development news from this week. -Sean O'Neill

Concur Rebuilds Booking Tool From Scratch for Younger Business Travelers

The ubiquitous company booking tool is getting its first overhaul in 15 years, to let the next generation of business travelers book more of what they want. That’s the good news. The bad news is it’s going to take a while. -Matthew Parsons

Travelers Ask: What Is Sustainable Travel?

Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks at travelers’ confusion about sustainability, Uganda’s tourism outsourcing, and Soho House’s better numbers. -Jason Clampet

What a scoop! Readers’ favourite ice-cream shops

From pear and gorgonzola in Edinburgh to sour cherry on the Peloponnese, our tipsters show off the coolest licks Shepherds Ice Cream Shop in Abergavenny is a Wes Anderson-styled drop-in, complete with classic Neapolitan ice-cream colours and a little hatch to fetch your favourite flavours from. The twist? It’s all made locally from sheep’s milk, the business is run by two generations of a family that has some sort of tradition around a golden scoop. Shepherds often pop up with a vintage ice-cream trailer at festivals and events around the UK. It’s my family’s year-round Friday treat. Alexia Tucker Continue reading...

A hike in Scotland’s borders – ‘a world of emerald hills, meandering rivers and tiny villages’

The Borders Railway Line opens up walking trails through a landscape of rivers, ruined abbeys and museums, bringing to life a turbulent and poetic past Within minutes of leaving Edinburgh’s Waverley station, we’ve shaken off the urban sprawl and entered a world of emerald hills, meandering rivers, and tiny blink-and-you’ll-miss-them villages. There are buzzards and deer, too. Under brilliant blue skies we surge into a land bathed in history and intrigue. I’m back on the Borders Railway for the first time since September 2015, when I joined the first passenger train to run on the reopened Borders line in almost half a century. The journey from Edinburgh to Tweedbank is only an hour, but today I’ll be venturing further: I’m hiking for three days in search of both history in the Borders Badlands and a brace of new museums that are bringing that tumultuous history alive. Continue reading...

Uganda Tourism Looks Outside Borders for Financial Help in Recovery

Uganda’s rebranding ambitions will be much harder if its tourism industry doesn't receive the investments it needs. The pleas for help are extending well beyond the country's coffers now. -Dawit Habtemariam

Hotel Design Firms: 15 Top Talents

Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks at 15 hotel designers leading the way, American’s Airlines’ barrier breaking purchase, and business travel bots. -Jason Clampet

On the Coast to Coast from Cumbria to North Yorkshire: Wainwright route gains national trail status

New designation for one of England’s most famous walks – a lifeline for many small northern towns – brings £5.6m funding The news that the much-loved Coast to Coast path is finally to become an official national trail – which brings extra funding of £5.6m from Natural England – should not be surprising. For some time it has been one of England’s most popular and iconic walks. The only surprising thing is how long the designation has taken. It was in 1973 that Alfred Wainwright extended his range from the Lake District by describing this 192-mile walk, which starts on the west coast at St Bees in Cumbria and ends in the east at Robin Hood’s Bay on the Yorkshire coast. There’s a handy book that you sign to show you’ve done it in the Bay Hotel and possibly a certificate. You can, of course, do it the other way around, but as Wainwright wisely pointed out, by going west to east you have the prevailing weather behind you. Continue reading...

The second world war airbase turned private nature reserve – with its own low-impact holiday cabins

Once home to Clark Gable’s air squadron, the Wilding Airfield in Northamptonshire now has two cabins immersed in nature, as well as the relics of war When war ends, the areas affected usually fester as bombed-out piles of rubble or are demolished then remade as a new chapter of history begins. Neither was the case when the US air force 351st Bomb Group departed Polebrook Airfield at the end of the second world war, however. In fact, not much has happened on this 36-hectare site in Northamptonshire since 1945, when the requisitioned land was returned to its owner, the pioneering natural scientist Miriam Rothschild. She made a conscious decision to simply leave it … and leave it … and let nature reclaim the land, its three concrete runways and air force buildings that were home to nearly 3,000 American airmen during the war, Captain (and Hollywood superstar) Clark Gable among them. Give or take a failed forestation scheme in the 1970s, it’s barely been touched by human hand since, and the former airfield slowly evolved into the private Polebrook Airfield nature reserve. Rothschild began this rewilding scheme half a century before the term was invented and became fashionable. In the 77 years since, a variety of habitats have taken hold on the flat, formerly featureless land: woodland, dense scrubland and open grassy areas in between. Continue reading...

Frontdesk Plays Its Own Cards in the Shadow of Vacasa and Sonder

Whether it is major online travel agencies selecting focus markets, or under-the-radar property managers like Frontdesk deciding to target second-tier cities, companies always have to strategically pick their spots. Sometimes there can be riches in the hinterlands. -Dennis Schaal

Corp Travel Agencies Reboot Bots in Light of Labor Crisis

There’s a distinct whiff of nostalgia drifting through the swaying palm trees in San Diego, as corporate travel agencies plug chatbots at the Global Business Travel Association’s annual convention. -Matthew Parsons

Travel Brands Bet on Global Football Sponsorships

Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks at the travel brands sponsoring European football, Marriott’s TED partnership, and Southwest’s business traveler push. -Jason Clampet

Tell us about a music venue in the UK or elsewhere in Europe – you could win a holiday voucher

Share a tip on an independent live music venue – the best tip wins £200 towards a Sawday’s stay Since the loosening of Covid guidelines, one of the greatest pleasures we’ve been able to return to is live music. But not all venues are created equal. Britain and Europe are chock-full of great independent venues, from the Deaf Institute in Manchester to Il Folk Club in Turin, and we want to know your favourite. Tell us where you’ve been to experience music that has really struck a chord with you. If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words that will be judged for the competition. Keep your tip to about 100 words Continue reading...

Discreet Crete: exploring the Greek island’s gorges and ancient villages on a new eco-tour

Away from the bars and bustle, Crete’s spectacular White Mountains are opening up to sensitive and sustainable travel – with scrumptious food ‘Tonight there will be you and me and the goats,” my guide Vassia Mastrogianni explained as we began our car journey into Crete’s White Mountains. At the wheel was Antonis who, ominously, Mastrogianni had just introduced as “a very good driver.” It wasn’t long before I could see why, as the road became a tangle of ascending switchbacks and plunging valleys. It was the kind of road that would have caused a meltdown had I been the one driving. We were headed for a remote mountain guesthouse in western Crete, where the deep creases of Samaria national park rise up to limestone crests more than 2,000 metres high before crashing into the southern coast. For half the year the White Mountains are slick with snow, but in summer the rocky summits are famous for their gleaming, milky complexion, continuing to give the appearance of snow long after it’s all but melted away. Continue reading...

Don’t Expect Full Business Travel Recovery Now Until 2026

An extra drag of 18 months won’t be welcome news for hotels and airlines counting on a faster recovery. The latest Global Business Travel Association forecast makes for somber reading. -Matthew Parsons

Marriott-TED Talks Partnership Steps Up Hotel Co-Marketing

Extending experiential programming to the youngest travelers is a smart move in more ways than one — and can build brand loyalty for years to come. Is this the new wave of marketing partnerships in hospitality? -Rashaad Jorden

The world's most alarming airplane landings

When an airport was built on the mid-Atlantic island of St. Helena (above), it was initially dubbed the "world's most useless" airport. That's because wind shear on the cliffside runway initially made it dangerous to land.

U.S. Airlines Face Steep Marketing Challenge After Epic Nightmare Summer

You don't wan't airlines to apologize. You want airlines to get better. There's the starting point in how to message to your customers going forward. -Brian Sumers

Airbnb Boosts Marketing Advantage Over Rivals in 2nd Quarter

Booking Holdings and Expedia are changing their marketing strategies, a healthy development. Meanwhile, Airbnb widened its marketing edge. -Dennis Schaal

Indian Billionaire Backer of Tata and Startup Akasa Air Dies

India has lost a legendary, bold risk-taker in Rakesh Jhunjhunwala whose latest entrepreneurial hunch was starting an airline in an already crowded market. -Tom Lowry

20 best adventures on the water around the UK – from canyoning to white-water rafting

Trout fishing and kayaking, swimming and birdwatching – great ways to spend a day around the UK’s rivers, streams and lakes A exhilarating, breath-catching ride over cascading rapids that sends the inflatable boats hurtling downriver, white-water rafting is a great choice for those looking to get the adrenaline going. One-hour taster sessions are available, with two-hour experiences offering the chance to have four runs down the bubbling rapids of the Upper Tryweryn River. Stay at Plas Yn Dre (doubles from £120 B&B; plasyndre.co.uk), a buzzy hotel and restaurant on Bala High Street. nationalwhitewatercentre.co.uk Continue reading...

Drink in the views: the UK’s 20 best waterside pubs

Stunning views over lakes and rivers make these the prettiest places to enjoy a pint, and maybe stay a night A honey-stone exterior gives way to beautiful gardens with panoramic views of the River Avon, fringed with weeping willows. There is an impressive range of local ales, cider and weekly changing guest beers, as well as locally made cider. Drop in at the weekend to visit the tiki bar that’s in the garden for the rest of the summer. crossgunsavoncliff.com Continue reading...

Water beds: the UK’s 10 best floating hotels

Stow away on an ark, a converted ferry or houseboat and be lulled to sleep by the lapping waves This three-cabin houseboat on the Penryn River near Falmouth aims to be a supremely relaxing perch for its guests. The top deck is ideal for morning yoga while indoors there’s a pitched roof, sofas and floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of the river. Falmouth is a 30-minute walk away or you can get out on the water with paddleboarding, surfing and sailing on your doorstep. From £145 a night (four-night min); canopyandstars.com Continue reading...

JetBlue-Spirit’s Next Battle and Other Top Stories This Week

In Skift's top stories this week, JetBlue prepares for a fight in its bid to acquire Spirit, Graduate Hotels targets college football fans, and destinations see significant benefits in attracting digital nomads. -Sonia Menken

15 day trips and short breaks to keep the summer vibe alive

With plenty of sunny days and balmy evenings still to come, we pick late summer activities around the UK, from glamping and sailing to festivals and off-grid escapes PoliNations is a garden party, but not as you know it. This free festival in Birmingham’s Victoria Square on 2-18 September showcases cultural diversity through the lens of horticulture. In the shade of a forest of giant architectural trees, the festival will begin with a mass flower planting, continue with workshops, garden tours, poetry slams and yoga classes, and finish with the Ballistic Seed Party. This four-day finale features music, dance and drag performances. Free, polinations.com Continue reading...

Thailand’s Tourist Influx Gives Its Economy a Much Needed Boost

The country welcomed a million foreign tourists in July, which is some 230,000 more than the previous month. But longer term the government is keeping its eye on the China market. -Matthew Parsons

Feasts for the eyes: 10 of the UK’s best pubs, cafes and restaurants with a view

Gorge on eye-popping vistas as well as great food at our pick of eateries with spectacular views from Cornwall to County Fermanagh It’s well worth the walk across a stream and over uneven terrain to reach this secluded food hut, less than a mile from the fishing village of Portscatho on Cornwall’s Roseland peninsula. Continue reading...

Indonesia’s Huge Price Hike for Komodo Park Exposes Tourism Dilemmas for a New Era

Indonesia is taking a more locals-first and sustainable approach to tourism. Implementing that approach will be sabotaged if the government doesn't absorb input from local industry stakeholders. -Dawit Habtemariam

More Mobility May Be Coming to Wheelchair Users on Planes

Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks at wheelchair users on planes, Amex GBT’s China optimism, and new family-friendly hotel rooms. -Jason Clampet

Selina Looks to Bring 4 Million Freelancers Into Its Remote Working Fold

This new partnership with well-known freelancing platform Fiverr is yet another sign of the ongoing blending of travel and work. -Matthew Parsons

Bangkok and Jakarta to Add 50 Luxury Hotels by 2027

Bangkok and Jakarta are in the running to become significant cities in Asia Pacific for holding conferences and events. Also in this week's news: data on the recovery in hotel and corporate travel demand in key markets, and more. -Sean O'Neill

Tourist rides moped around Pompeii

Just weeks after tourists were caught driving and hurling scooters down the Spanish Steps in Rome, another tourist in Italy has caused havoc on two wheels in an ancient site.

20 of the most beautiful villages in Italy

Fabulous food, amazing art, rich language, dramatic and gorgeous landscapes -- we all know what makes Italy so special.

Israel’s El Al Hopeful of Oman Airspace Approval to Gain Shortcut to Asia

As well as savings from less fuel burn, the shorter route opens up destinations like Australia for the flag carrier. -Matthew Parsons

Hyatt to Use More Automation When Setting Hotel Room Rates

Hyatt's move to change its revenue management software foreshadows a broader trend. Expect more hotel companies to embrace automation while looking at a bigger picture than just the supply and demand of rooms. -Sean O'Neill

This travel company wants tourists to visit Ukraine right now

Visiting Ukraine right now to experience what's it like living in the middle of a war, see its bombed cities, feel the danger and meet its fighters isn't likely to be on anyone's travel wish list.

EU under pressure to ban Russian tourists from Europe

Ukrainian president says Russians ‘should live in their own world until they change their philosophy’ The EU has been urged to introduce a travel ban on Russian tourists with some member states saying visiting Europe was “a privilege, not a human right” for holidaymakers. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview with the Washington Post that the “most important sanction” was to “close the borders, because the Russians are taking away someone else’s land”. Russians should “live in their own world until they change their philosophy”, he said. Continue reading...

Flight disruption in UK was worst in Europe in recent months, says Tui

Travel company takes €75m hit after ‘significant challenges and interruptions’ Flight disruption in the UK was the worst in Europe in recent months, according to Tui, while Manchester was the most-affected airport, as the travel operator reported a €75m (£63m) hit from air traffic chaos. “We had significant challenges and interruptions, especially on the UK side,” said Sebastian Ebel, Tui’s incoming chief executive, who will take over the top job at the start of October. Continue reading...

Taiwan Tensions Could Drive Up Travel Costs Significantly, CWT Warns

Geopolitical uncertainties are singled out in the latest Global Business Travel Forecast, which underscores the volatility the corporate travel industry is experiencing, and perhaps the pointlessness of trying to predict prices in the first place. -Matthew Parsons

Dreaming shires: how East Yorkshire shaped Tolkien’s Middle-earth fantasy

Invalided home from the Somme, the Lord of the Rings author was inspired by this peaceful landscape to begin the epic tales now getting the Amazon blockbuster treatment Trench fever. I used to imagine it akin to flu, or Covid even, but this is in some ways a nastier disease. Caused by bacteria carried on lice, its symptoms include high temperature, headache and excruciating pains in the legs and back. And though symptoms fade after some days, the Bartonella quintana bacterium keeps rearing its debilitating head, causing relapses for months or years. Nasty, then. But had it not infected a 24-year-old officer fighting on the Somme in 1916, the world might never have had The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, Peter Jackson would have had to find other stuff to occupy the early years of this century, and Amazon would not be preparing to launch the most expensive television series ever made – The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Continue reading...

David Byrne obituary

My father, David Byrne, who has died aged 78, was a restaurateur and hotelier who pioneered Bloomsday – the annual celebration of the life of James Joyce – as an epicurean festival. David was a man ahead of his time. In his approach to food, as to so much else in life, he followed the mantra to “keep it simple”. Whether his recipes were for lobster or offal, or a fresh green salad, they were always demonstrations of simple food, perfectly executed. He was born in Navan, Co Meath, the eldest son of David Byrne, a civil servant, and his wife, Noleen, and after early education at local schools, went to St Finian’s in Mullingar as a boarder. There David developed a great passion for classical music, undertaking roles in school operas. Continue reading...

Graduate Hotels Enters Short-Term Rentals With Eye on College Football Fans

Expect other hotel brands to watch the Graduate Hotels' experiment. Professionally managing vacation rentals may be a path for hotels to expand their reach while minimizing some risks. -Carley Thornell