Starlink Signs Major Airlines for In-Flight Connectivity in 2023

In-flight internet connectivity is ready for its next phase, with Starlink going live with its satellite solution in 2023 and lining up airline contracts.

-Rashaad Jorden

Industry Insights: 4 Questions With Cvent

As meeting venues contend with rising costs, supply-chain issues, labor shortages, and other challenges, they should not lose sight of opportunities to increase efficiency through automated solutions and win more business by marketing efforts toward diversity, accessibility, and sustainability. -Cvent

Iceland Volcano Erupts With Minimal Tourism Impact

Today's podcast looks at Iceland's volcanic eruption, Uber's simplified expense reporting, and major aircraft orders. -Sean O'Neill

Walking Leicester’s new Richard III trail – 530 years in the making

A walk threading through the city follows in the footsteps of the Yorkist king vanquished in 1485, whose remains were found – beneath a car park – in 2012


Standing on a frozen ridge at Bosworth Field, my feeling is that there are certainly less attractive places to draw one’s last breath. On this frigid December afternoon, I’m looking out at a mist-shrouded hinterland of crisscrossing fields as a milky orange sun sinks behind a distant smudge of cloud. Somewhere out there on that bleak horizon in August 1485, King Richard III died a violent death, made all the more visceral by the gaudy array of spiked weapons hanging on a wall inside the nearby Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024.

It’s one of several upcoming anniversaries related to the last English king to die in battle, and the next morning I’m tackling the new King Richard III Walking Trail around the epicentre of Richard lore, Leicester. After the headline-grabbing discovery of Richard’s skeleton beneath a council car park in Greyfriars in August 2012, Leicester now seems entirely inseparable from the last Plantagenet king, as if a long-lost lover had returned in a blaze of glory after 500 years. Continue reading...

Why Iceland’s Latest Eruption is More Flight-Friendly Than 2010’s Ash Cloud Chaos

While the volcanic eruption in Iceland’s Reykjanes isn't impacting air travel, volcanic ash has the ability to destroy an aircraft. -Meghna Maharishi

More energy, less baggage – why I’ve always preferred younger men | Brief letters

Age gaps | Ritz discount | Topical carol | Tory talk | Feline fun

There’s nothing new about dating younger men (Hephzibah Anderson, 16 December). I was always attracted to them, and when I was 45, I had a child with a man of 30. He wasn’t wiser, just not as jaded, with less baggage and more energy than men my own age. Now in my early 70s, I still prefer younger men. But these days the younger men still tend to be too old for my taste. What’s an old lady to do?
Sonia Hussain
London

• You report an adviser to the Ritz saying that at Christmas the hotel welcomed families “whose great-grandfather has been coming to the hotel since 1906” (Report, 17 December). Since that would make him at least 117 years old and consequently likely to have a reduced appetite, one can only hope that the hotel gives him a decent discount on his £600 lunch.
Neil Cole
Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire Continue reading...

EbixCash Says Parent Company’s Bankruptcy Won’t Affect Operations

While it's business as usual for EbixCash, it remains to seen if this will further delay the company's IPO launch. -Peden Doma Bhutia

Southwest Airlines’ Meltdown Fine

Today's podcast looks at Southwest’s huge fine, visa free travel, and solo married travelers. -Rashaad Jorden

Rail route of the month: rewilding, polders and Hanseatic beauty by train in the Netherlands

Our slow travel expert visits historic towns and a vast unexpected wilderness on a Dutch rail journey

There are train journeys where one just gazes at hills rolling by beyond the carriage window. I love such routes, be they in the Alps, Iberia or the Balkans. Things are different in the Netherlands, where pancake-flat landscapes dominate. Yet even in the flatlands there is often visual drama. The rail routes skirting Dutch heathlands around Apeldoorn are wonderful. And there is a subtle beauty, especially at low sun angles, to the secondary railways which follow the River IJssel downstream from Zutphen to Zwolle.

Zwolle makes a fine base for exploring the north-east Netherlands, all the more so if your budget extends to a night or two at the excellent Ter Borch in Zwolle (doubles from €175) right by the station. From Zwolle, one might strike north to Friesland or take the short branch line out to the pretty town of Kampen. Or explore the Netherlands’ newest mainline railway (completed in 2012), the Hanzelijn, which runs west from Zwolle through the province of Flevoland. The Hanzelijn opened in 2012 and traverses a land of far horizons, much of it below sea level. All thanks to the far-sighted ingenuity of engineer Cornelis Lely (1854-1929) and the hard work of Dutch dykers and drainers who have created an entire new province from the sea. Continue reading...

Ask Skift: How Does Visa-Free Travel Impact Tourism?

More governments are waiving visitor visa requirements to help attract tourists. -Rashaad Jorden

Video Interview: Rethinking Loyalty in the Age of AI

In this video interview, Jason Perocho, vice president of product marketing at Amperity, discussed highlights from a new research report that explores how generative AI can help travel and hospitality companies put their customer data to its highest and best use, enabling them to earn loyalty in the new era of travel.
-Amperity

Hawaii Governor Wants to Convert 3,000 Short-Term Rentals for Wildfire Survivors

Tax incentives, pleas, requests and even emergency orders — Hawaiian residents will have housing one way or another. -Srividya Kalyanaraman

Wyndham Tells Shareholders to Reject Choice’s Takeover Bid

How many times can Choice court Wyndham and Wyndham's management say no? We are destined to find out through 2024. If a merger does somehow happen, Wyndham's repeated claims that the deal would face antitrust scrutiny almost invites the scrutiny. -Sean O'Neill

‘North Clare and the Burren blew my mind’

This corner of Ireland has been bucking the trend of rural decline for decades, and continues to draw in creative types in search of a more sustainable way of life

One summer, many years ago when I was 17, I met a Dutch girl in a pub who was backpacking around Ireland. She said she was staying in hostels and was off to Doolin in County Clare the next day. Somehow, I hadn’t realised it was that easy to strike out and see the world. The next morning I took the bus to Doolin and began a lifelong love of independent travel and the open road. I never saw the Dutch girl again despite a full search of every pub in the village.

North Clare and the Burren blew my 17-year-old mind. I still remember the extraordinary quality of the light as it burst through the tapestry of clouds looking out across the limestone fields to the Aran Islands. There’s an air about the place. The area attracted woolly hat-wearing traditional musicians and every village seemed to have a pottery studio. The next summer I got a job pulling pints in a hotel in Lisdoonvarna and days off were spent hitchhiking the backroads of the Burren, taking in the majesty of the rocky landscape. Continue reading...

Inside Minor Hotels’ Global Expansion

Minor Hotels has an aggressive growth strategy to expand by 2025. Details about the company's strategy reveal a lot about bigger-picture trends in the hotel sector. -Sean O'Neill

Bonnie Berwick: history and good living on the Scottish coast

Sandy beaches, glorious vistas and a bustling high street add to the charm of this pretty seaside town just half an hour from Edinburgh

The first surprise is that a half-hour trip by train from Edinburgh to North Berwick is really as far as you need to go for a taste of Scotland that is elemental and remote, a place of windswept beaches, stunning coastal walks and panoramic views. The West Coast and the Highlands may be more extreme, but then so is the journey to get there. This, by contrast, is an easier but no less enjoyable adventure.

We take a sleeper train from London’s Euston, tip out on to Edinburgh’s Waverley platform from our couchette, a little crumpled but refreshed. Checking in our luggage at the station, we give ourselves a couple of hours to wander along the Royal Mile, ending at the National Gallery where we lose ourselves in a maze of rooms, the standout being the death masks in the phrenology collection, including Voltaire and Keats; each eyelash and nose pore preserved in morbidly fascinating detail. After a delicious vegan breakfast in their café, we’re back on the train by midday. Continue reading...

Business Travel in 2024: ‘Rising Tension With Employees’

Business travelers know their livelihoods may depend on getting out on the road to nurture relationships with clients. Bean counters, concerned about inflation and sustainability issues, may block those trips. -Dennis Schaal

Blue Lagoon Iceland to Reopen to Tourists

While Blue Lagoon was closed for over a month, other attractions have remained opened. Tour operators have not seen a drop in demand. -Dawit Habtemariam

U.S. Federal Workers Asked to Travel by Train, EVs When Possible

Amtrak could benefit from this move. But as for EVs, the government will need to coordinate its regulations, such as rules for needing permission to drive a personal car more than 50 miles, to encourage compliance. -Sean O'Neill

Why Marriott Bonvoy Made a Video Game on Fortnite

Marriott Bonvoy is taking a risk with such an unusual marketing strategy for the hotel industry. It could work or it could be a flop — but at least they're trying new ways of reaching a younger audience. -Justin Dawes

United, JetBlue, Microsoft Among Backers of 3 Jet Fuel Startups for $36 Million

Experts have their doubts about the development and scalability of renewable jet fuel, but many companies are trying to solve those problems. -Justin Dawes

U.S. Consumers Complain About Airlines in Record Numbers

Today's podcast looks at airline passenger complaints, Dubai’s ascendency, and Indian tourists’ interest in African nations. -Rashaad Jorden

Hotel Brand Bloat: ‘A Shakeout Is Coming’

Many marketers design hotel brands to appeal more to hotel owners than travelers. One reason? Creating a new brand is easier than fixing an old one. -Sean O'Neill

Yosemite National Park to Require Reservations in 2024

Yosemite National Park is trying to find a balance between the visitor experience and keeping it accessible. -Dawit Habtemariam

Readers’ favourite travel discoveries of 2023

From a Finnish archipelago to a tranquil lake in Albania, our tipsters have unearthed beautiful beaches, lively cities and wild, atmospheric places

Fans of Finnish author Tove Jansson will love the idyllic Pellinki archipelago, where she spent her summers on a tiny island, Klovharun, described in several of her novels. About 50 miles east of Helsinki, Pellinki forms part of a group of islands, linked by bridges and a delightful ferry, which you can explore by boat, car, bicycle, bus or on foot. Walk through the woods to reach one of the quiet beaches, hire a boat to fish or just tootle around the beautiful bays and stay in a traditional, wooden cottage with a matching sauna set among the trees where the only sounds you’ll hear are birdsong and the gentle putter of a small boat passing by. Finnish people know a lot about the importance of connecting with nature and this is a place where you will quickly find yourself reflecting on what really matters in life.
Christine Continue reading...

Consumer Complaints Against Airlines Have Soared

A consumer watchdog report found that complaints against airlines have continued to increase in 2023, despite improvements made on cancellations and delays. -Meghna Maharishi

A Look Back at Megatrends 2023

The 2023 Megatrends were one for the books. Let's reflect on all of the excitement from last year and get a sense of what is to come for Megatrends 2024. -Nicole Meyer

Dubai’s Luxury Hoteliers Aim for Global Expansion

Today's podcast looks at Dubai's luxury promise, China's pent-up travel demand, and weaker tourism spending in the U.S. -Rashaad Jorden

Night trains and border crossings: Europe’s best new rail routes

Our slow travel expert checks out what’s new in the European train timetables unveiled this month

Warsaw has just moved closer to Munich, Berlin nudged towards Paris, and Aachen slipped nearer to Salzburg. These are just three examples of city pairs that are newly linked, as of this week, by direct night trains. None of these city pairs currently has direct daytime trains, so the overnight options create a web of opportunities. As always in December, rail operators across Europe are introducing new schedules, along the way creating tantalising links where none existed before.

In Britain the changes ushered in with the 2024 timetables are hardly dramatic; many services have just been tweaked by a minute or two here and there. There are extra trains on weekdays between Nottingham and Birmingham and some thinning out (yet again) of TransPennine Express schedules. Continue reading...

EaseMyTrip Sees Festive Season Surge: India Report

The surge in bookings signifies growing consumer enthusiasm for festive travel plans as the industry continues its recovery.
-Peden Doma Bhutia

Marriott Bonvoy and Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer program tie-up

Partnerships between airlines and hotels are not new, but two marquee brands have come together. Both Marriott and Singapore Airlines hope to benefit from each other’s loyal customers. -Ajay Awtaney

Tell us about your favourite cultural trip – you could win a holiday voucher

We want to hear about a trip where you’ve experienced a cultural highlight – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays break

Have you travelled to see a particular work of art, museum, film location or cultural site that caught your imagination? Maybe the inspiration for your trip came from a great novel, or painting you just had to see in the flesh. We want to hear about a cultural highlight in the UK or elsewhere in Europe that made or enriched your trip.

If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words that will be judged for the competition. Continue reading...

Dubai: The Next Global Luxury Brand

Atlantis is talking to global governments about adding a mega-resort to their country, while Emaar is focusing on feeder markets to supercharge Dubai tourism. -Josh Corder

Bravo Toulouse, the French city hitting all the right musical and culinary notes

This newly-crowned Unesco City of Music in south-west France has historic and innovative cultural venues, and superb regional cuisine to boot

From rubbish comes rhythm, trash turned into tunes. At La Halle de la Machine in Toulouse, I watch Ignacio Herrero, one of La Halle’s staff members, make music out of recycled bits of junk.

This hangar-like space in the southern district of Montaudran is best known as the home for the giant animatronic Minotaur Asterion and its equally enormous spider companion Ariane. However, exhibits demonstrated by staff also include a makeshift orchestra: old klaxons turned into an organ, a huge pinwheel of abandoned guitars, a cascade of battered drum cymbals, an accordion powered by a contraption that in a previous life operated windscreen wipers. The ingenuity, innovation and whimsy of it all are enchanting – music and engineering harmoniously coming together in a way that would have had Heath Robinson bursting into song. Continue reading...

Indian Travel Sector Could See 12-14% Growth: India Report

The Indian tour and travel sector is poised for robust 12-14% growth in the current and upcoming fiscal years. The growth, despite high airfares, shows cost doesn’t matter when it comes to travelling.

-Peden Doma Bhutia

Civitatis Finds Niche in Selling Activities to Spanish-Speaking Travelers

Civitatis is capitalizing on its leading position in selling Spanish-speaking tours and activities as it pushes into new markets thanks to private equity support. -Selene Brophy

Choice Hotels Buys More Than $110 Million in Wyndham Shares

Think of it this way: Choice's love affair with Wyndham has gone unrequited, and now Choice is pleading with the parents for an arranged marriage. -Sean O'Neill

U.S. Holiday Travel Season May Be Largest Ever

Today's podcast looks at U.S. holiday travel, Hilton's historic IPO, and Chinese travelers in New York City. -Rashaad Jorden

Totally unplugged: a digital detox holiday in Cheshire

Would a stay in a remote off-grid cabin – with phones locked away – be respite from the madness of the Christmas season for this young family?

It was at the M6 toll plaza that I realised just how much I relied on my phone. An old-fashioned paper poster read: “No phone payments, card only.” I hadn’t used my physical bank card since before Covid. Cue me causing a major hold-up at the barrier, as I raced round to the car boot and rummaged through bags trying to find it.

I was on my way to try out a three-night “digital detox” in an off-grid cabin in the Cheshire countryside with my partner and three-year-old. The idea was to escape from the madness of the Christmas season. Unplugged has a selection of traditional, insulated cabins around the country, but until now they have been aimed at solo travellers or couples. After visitor feedback, though, this particular one (Luna, between the villages of Tarporley and Kelsall) had been enlarged with a single bed for a child. Continue reading...

Will AI Change Google’s Business Model? We Asked 9 Top Travel Pros

Will generative AI's demands for longer answers and fewer links change Google's travel advertising business model? That change is almost inevitable, but where does that leave Google? -Dennis Schaal

New York City’s Chinese Tourism Recovery to Lag in 2024

It's going to be another sluggish year for Chinese tourism to New York City and the U.S. overall. -Dawit Habtemariam

Red Sea Global CEO on Why The Red Sea Heralds a New Era in Global Tourism

As Red Sea Global opens its first destination, it’s moving the needle from traditional sustainability to regeneration. The focus on regeneration marks a shift in industry standards, with potential lessons on how tourism can more actively benefit local communities and environments. -Red Sea Global

Dubai’s Vision for Travel and Tech: Takeaways from Last Year’s Skift Global Forum East

Dubai's leadership thinks the city's focus on people's happiness makes the destination the ideal place to live, work, and vacation. -Jason Clampet

A Swiss ski resort that doesn’t cost the earth? Welcome to Interlaken

Switzerland is not the most affordable place to ski, but the Jungfrau area – with super-fast pistes and long toboggan runs – is a happy exception

I’m a budget-conscious skier, so Switzerland is rarely on my radar. Sure, resorts such as St Moritz, Zermatt and Verbier are world-class, but I’ve always assumed they have sky-high prices to match. My last ski trip was to wallet-friendly Andorra. A quick check of the Post Office’s annual ski resort report confirmed my suspicions: Switzerland is consistently the priciest destination in Europe, while Bulgaria, Italy, Austria and Andorra offer more affordable skiing.

But then I heard about Interlaken. This lakeside town, better known as a summer destination, is the gateway to the Jungfrau ski region. It is a much cheaper place to stay than the region’s ski resorts, Wengen and Grindelwald. And, since December 2020, it has got a lot easier to reach the slopes from Interlaken. A short train ride from Interlaken Ost station connects with the shiny new Grindelwald Terminal building (where skiers can rent and store equipment). From here, it is just 15 minutes to the pistes on the new state-of-the art Eiger Express cable car – 47 minutes faster than before. Continue reading...

115 Million Expected to Travel This Holiday Season

The 2023 holiday travel forecast from AAA is one of the highest on record, marking a return to normal following the pandemic.
-Meghna Maharishi

Christmas in Copenhagen: a Scandi winter wonderland

Twinkling lights, communal feasting and beer delivered by horse-drawn wagons bring festive cheer to the Danish capital

To be in Copenhagen in December is to experience truly exhilarating tastes of Christmas. The air is heavy with the scent of caramelised almonds that are sold in red and white striped paper bags, while stalls on the harbourside at Nyhavn are dispensing glögg, mulled wine with almonds and raisins. And there’s Julebryg, Tuborg’s Christmas beer, delivered to bars across Copenhagen by horse-drawn wagons.

Danes also head to their iconic amusement park Tivoli (tivoli.dk). In gardens created in 1834, you’ll find giant pirate ships, a Chinese pagoda and more than 1m glowing lamps. Denmark’s Queen Margrethe personally designs the costumes for the ballet performances that Tivoli holds each Christmas; this year it’s The Snow Queen, based on the fable by Hans Christian Andersen. Continue reading...

Tell us about your favourite winter walk – you could win a holiday voucher

Share details of a winter walk in the UK – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays break

It may be tempting to hide indoors in the darker months – but there’s nothing like a stomp in the great outdoors to blow away the cobwebs. So we want to know about your favourite places in the UK for an atmospheric winter stroll. Whether it’s a bracing coastal hike, through woods sparkling with frost, over snowy mountains or a ramble to a lovely village pub, tell us what you love and why to win a holiday voucher.

If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words that will be judged for the competition. Continue reading...

‘The old town is adorned with twinkling lights’: readers’ favourite Christmas breaks in Europe

Our tipsters revel in Christmas markets, seasonal tipples and live choral performances from Bath to the Black Forest

Salzburg’s Christmas markets are among the very best, and there are plenty of them too, with at least 10 main ones across the season. The Salzburg Advent festival (1-17 Dec) at the Great Festival Hall, Residenzplatz, is a memorable show and highly recommended. With snow falling most winters, the city has that beautiful wintry romantic atmosphere. And best of all is a horse-drawn carriage ride through the snowy landscape, wrapped in a blanket, with a hot drink in hand. Especially perfect for a couples getaway.
Colin Snoad Continue reading...

Share a tip on adventure travel – you could win a holiday voucher

Tell us about your favourite adventure travel break in Europe – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays break

Adventure means different things to different people. For some, it means overcoming a challenge such as climbing a mountain or a long-distance bike ride. For others, it’s about pushing themselves out of their comfort zone – travelling solo, perhaps, or heading out into the unknown on a road or rail trip with no fixed destination or itinerary. However you define it, we’d love to hear about your adventures – the trips that challenged you and took you somewhere new.

If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words that will be judged for the competition. Continue reading...

Tell us about a winter trip in southern Europe

Share a tip on how you’ve enjoyed the season in southern Europe, whether you were met with sun, rain or snow. The best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays break

After the heat and crowds of high summer, southern Europe takes on a new charm out of season. The winter months can be a wonderful time for exploring hiking and biking trails, day trips to cultural sites (minus the queues) and long, lazy lunches. From Portugal to Cyprus, Spain to Slovenia, we’d love to hear about the places you’ve enjoyed visiting in the wintertime.

If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words that will be judged for the competition. Continue reading...