Hotels Race to Comply with California’s Junk Fee Laws

California's bold move is forcing all U.S. based hotels to put all their cards on the table, setting a new standard for price comparison that will likely go national. Whether this leads to more competitive pricing or simply shifts consumer costs elsewhere remains to be seen. -Sean O'Neill

Barcelona to ban apartment rentals to tourists in bid to cut housing costs

Spanish city is one of Europe’s top destinations but its popularity has made housing increasingly unaffordable for residents

Barcelona, a top Spanish holiday destination, has announced it will bar apartment rentals to tourists by 2028, an unexpectedly drastic move as it seeks to rein in soaring housing costs and make the city livable for residents.

The city’s leftist mayor, Jaume Collboni, said on Friday that by November 2028, Barcelona would scrap the licences of the 10,101 apartments currently approved as short-term rentals. Continue reading...

Barcelona to Ban All Short-Term Rentals by 2029

Many destinations in seeking to regulate short-term rentals try to balance the needs of locals with the benefits of tourism. Barcelona has had enough. -Dennis Schaal

American Airlines Hits Pause on Pilot Hiring

American is the latest major U.S. carrier to pause hiring new pilots. The carrier is facing a weaker financial outlook for the second quarter and is moderating its growth for the year.
-Meghna Maharishi

Taiwan ‘Actively Considering’ Visa on Arrival for Indians

If Taiwan continues with its plan to allow visa-on-arrival for Indian travelers, it will join a growing list of countries that are easing visa requirements to attract the outbound market. Also in focus are money minting corporate events for Indian business travelers. -Bulbul Dhawan

Travel Venture Capital, Airbnb Transparency and Real AI Biz Travel

Today's podcast looks at the state of venture capital, Airbnb's California pricing display, and corporate travel's move to AI. -Rashaad Jorden

Bagging Munros, wild camping and mysterious lochs: readers’ favourite wilderness trips in Scotland

From ferry rides to remote islands to stunning empty beaches, our tipsters are fired up by Scottish adventures

We live in the north-west Highlands of Scotland and frequently spend our free time having micro-adventures. We tend to avoid the busiest times of year. One February half-term, my sister and I loaded our ageing campervans with mattress and children and headed north to Inchnadamph. Our destination was the Bone Caves of Assynt. The wild camping was free, we were cosy tucked up in the van and awoke to a sprinkling of snow, blue sky and a glorious sunrise. We made the walk up to the caves and back through an uninhabited glen following the limestone river that bubbled over ground and occasionally underground too. The weather held for a chilly paddle in the sea at Clachtoll followed by a camping dinner cooked in the bitter cold at the car park at Knockan Crag with its incredible sculptures and geological timeline that the children deeply connected with. A memorable trip that we may never be able to recreate fully, but I will never forget.
Marion Continue reading...

Travel Tech Startup Lighthouse Buys HQ Revenue in Talent Grab

Lighthouse, the travel startup formerly known as OTA Insight, has bought Berlin-based HQ revenue. The deal marks another step in Lighthouse's strategy of expanding through talent acquisition rather than merely accumulating customer lists.
-Sean O'Neill

Here’s How AI Can Help Fix Business Travel. Eventually

Mastercard found that nine in 10 travel decision-makers plan on investing in AI and machine learning to improve processes and personalize travel for employees. -Christiana Sciaudone

Europe Grapples With Extreme Heat

Today's podcast looks at an extremely hot Europe, Euro 2024's appeal to Asian travelers, and JetBlue's baggage shift. -Rashaad Jorden

Berlin by rail: a cold-war adventure

Taking the sleeper train to Berlin, the writer and his teenage son explore the city’s fascinating legacy, eerie buildings, war relics and stunning street art

Eagle-eyed football fans heading to Berlin’s Olympiastadion for the Euros may spot what looks like an abandoned space station topped with four enormous white orbs on a hill a mile or so south of the ground.

The stadium – which will host the Euro 2024 final – has a more storied past than perhaps any other. Built by the Nazis for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the great African American sprinter Jesse Owens won four gold medals here in front of a watching Adolf Hitler, single-handedly debunking the Führer’s myth of Aryan supremacy. Continue reading...

Indian Stock Exchange Launches Index to Track Travel Listings — India Report

A new stock market index to track the performance of the travel sector is an indicator of the segment's growth in India. Travel companies are having a dream run at the Indian bourses. It remains to be seen whether this demand will sustain over the long term. -Bulbul Dhawan

Why JetBlue’s Baggage Change Leaves United Airlines on its Own

As JetBlue makes carry-on bags free for all passengers, is United's isolated market positioning becoming increasingly untenable? -Gordon Smith

The Largest IPO in India’s Hospitality Sector

TBO Tek's successful IPO was followed by Ixigo's listing. Will Leela's debut on the stock market make it a hat-trick for Indian travel and hospitality companies? -Jason Clampet

Wild west: a walk on Brittany’s rugged Crozon peninsula

The fishing villages, clifftop paths and sandy coves of the Breton coast provide the perfect backdrop for a five-day hike

They say walking is the best medicine and you could spend months walking off your troubles along the sentier des douaniers (customs officers’ path), which winds for more than 1,240 miles (2,000km) around the bays and headlands of the Breton coast. However, me and my perennial walking companion, an Irishman who lives in Bath, settled for a five-day, 55-mile stretch along the southern Crozon peninsula.

As we agreed not to fly, he took the train to Plymouth, the ferry to Roscoff and buses from there, while I took the train from Barcelona and, after a night in Paris, another train to Quimper and a bus to our starting point at Camaret-sur-Mer. Continue reading...

‘Why Haven’t You Resigned?’: Senators Grill Boeing CEO Over Safety Record

In a heated exchange, senators questioned Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun on the company’s safety record, mounting whistleblower allegations, and his pay.
-Meghna Maharishi

Fifth Tourist Dies in Greek Heatwave – Can European Destinations Do More to Prepare?

A fifth tourist has died due to high temperatures in Greece this month. The country is acting quickly to close down popular attractions. But this is only the start of the summer, and Southern European cities are likely to face one climate-related disaster after the next. -Jesse Chase-Lubitz

Euro 2024: Asian Travelers Head to Germany

Forget the TV screen — new-age Asian travelers want to be pitch-side cheering their favorite team. -Peden Doma Bhutia

International Passenger Flights on Electric Planes are Coming to Europe This Summer

Bookings are now open for the first publicly available international electric flights in Europe — but the trips come with a few pre-departure caveats. -Gordon Smith

Paris can wait: how we dodged the summer crowds by Interrailing to Europe’s smaller towns

We took our teenage sons on quieter tracks – to Utrecht rather than Amsterdam, Baden-Baden not Berlin – and enjoyed a less frantic rail tour of Europe

We were sitting enjoying a quiet beer at a bar in Ghent when I realised we’d made the right decision. Ghent was humming but not heaving, cheerful but not chaotic. It was the first night of our three-week Interrail trip with our 18- and 16-year-old sons. Now, after a long train journey, the calm ambience of the medieval Belgian city left us feeling relaxed rather than exhausted.

An Interrail ticket opens up 33 European countries by rail and many people seize the opportunity to visit capital cities on their bucket list. A typical itinerary takes in big hitters like Paris, Prague, Rome and Madrid. We decided to do things a little differently. Continue reading...

FAA Seeks to Toughen Safety Rules on Public Charter Carriers Like JSX

The move could be a blow to carriers like JSX, whose appeal is in part offering customers a private jet-like experience. -Meghna Maharishi

Hotel and Short-Term Rental Tech Startups Raise Over $70 Million

Most of the startups that raised money last week were focused on helping hotels and short-term rentals book more guests and smooth out operations. -Justin Dawes

Goa Tourism Minister On Vision to Turn Indian Beach Destination Into Digital Nomad Hub

Swapping its beaches, party, and nightlife image for a digital nomad haven, Goa's got plans beyond just sand and surf — think laptops and lattes. -Peden Doma Bhutia

China Expands Visa-Waiver Program List: More Countries Added

For years, China has been the gift that kept on giving to global tourism, sending millions of its citizens to explore, shop and snap selfies worldwide. Now, it's telling global travelers, "Your turn!" And if visa hassles are a deal-breaker, the country knows that removing them can only sweeten the deal. -Peden Doma Bhutia

‘A world in itself’: how I fell for the peculiar magic of Lundy

Most people visit on a day trip, but stay longer to fully immerse yourself in the wild solitude of this rugged isle off the Devon coast

The last time we came to Lundy was by ferry from Ilfracombe. The journey took two hours and once we rounded Hartland Point the Atlantic waves rolled in and about 50% of the passengers started vomiting.

This time the MS Oldenburg is in for annual maintenance, so me and a group of six friends are whisked to the island in a small helicopter from the north-western tip of Devon in seven minutes. I don’t miss the vomiting, but I regret not having the sense of temporal acclimatisation to what has been, for much of its history, a slightly different world. Continue reading...

Minor Hotels CEO Has Ambitious Plans to Fill Portfolio Gaps

Minor, with 540 hotels, aims to solidify its position as a major player. Expect it to expand its portfolio by 200 hotels by 2026, possibly through some M&A. -Sean O'Neill

Take a kayak to your cabin: 10 of the best riverside stays in Europe

The life aquatic can be enjoyed to the full at these serene villas, farmhouses and treehouses by the water

Gut Üselitz, a 16th-century manor house on a river-like inlet on Rügen island off the Baltic coast, now houses seven modern, minimalist holiday apartments. The house is on an isolated island within Rügen, surrounded by water. The apartments, which sleep two to six, can be rented separately, or the whole house can be hired, including the main kitchen, dining room, lounge and library. The six-hectare (14-acre) grounds include an orchard and are visited by herons, egrets, cranes and other birds (there are binoculars in each apartment). The nearest beach is Streler Sund, a 10-minute drive away, and guests can go kayaking and sailing nearby.
From €140 a night, sleeps two, welcomebeyond.com Continue reading...

‘This is the Amazon of Europe’: a wildlife trip on Romania’s Danube delta

A cruise on the extraordinarily biodiverse watery wilderness offers a father and son close encounters with eagles, pelicans and glossy ibis

The synthetic-sounding call of a lone bird rises notably above a riot of birdsong. On the horizon, a purplish sunset is reflected in the vast waters of Europe’s largest wetland. “It’s like another world,” says Charlie Ottley, a British documentary maker who has presented two Netflix documentary series on Romania. “It’s one of the most biodiverse places in the world, not just in Europe.”

This moment on the top deck of the floating hotel my eight-year-old son Tommy and I are staying on marks the end of a long day in Romania’s Danube delta. This is where the Danube – which originates in Germany’s Black Forest and snakes through 10 countries – empties into the Black Sea. “This is the Amazon of Europe,” Ottley says, gesturing to the sprawling maze of reed beds, canals, floating islands, marshes, lakes and forests. Continue reading...

The alternative Machu Picchu: a hike to find the ‘real’ lost world of the Incas

At the start of a 3,000-mile journey down the Amazon, our writer witnesses the benefits of community tourism projects on a less crowded option to the Inca Trail

‘It’s very simple,” Bruce says. “If travellers go far, on long-haul journeys, they should go for longer.” I’m sitting in a Peruvian mountain village with Bruce Poon Tip, founder of G Adventures, a Canadian travel company with a mission. Below us on a narrow rocky terrace, a group of brightly dressed women in bowler hats are chatting while they work. Some are spinning alpaca wool, others are knitting, and a couple are weaving narrow strips of cloth. “Travellers need to connect with locals,” Bruce continues, “but they should also bring economic benefits to communities.”

I am in South America on a mission myself. I want to see how, or if, tourism can help with the huge challenges of social inequality and the climate crisis. I’m taking Bruce’s advice about travelling for longer to heart: I am going to loop south through Bolivia, then start a 3,000-mile journey down the Amazon to where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean. En route, I want to see how the individual tourist can support worthwhile projects, particularly with Indigenous peoples, and also enjoy a wonderful experience. Continue reading...

New Zealand Woos American Travelers Beyond Peak Season

Americans and Canadians have long held winter as not a good time to travel to New Zealand. The island's tourism bureau is confident it can bust this myth. -Dawit Habtemariam

Skift IDEA Awards Deadline Extension Announced

You asked, we delivered. The 2024 submission window for Skift IDEA Awards has been extended. -Nicole Meyer

IHG in Trademark Clash With Marriott Over New Hotel Brand, City Express

IHG has petitioned to cancel Marriott's newest trademark, City Express by Marriott. IHG feels the name is just a little too close for comfort to its own popular hotel brand, Holiday Inn Express? -Sean O'Neill

Travel AI Strategies, Oriental Express Revival and Thailand’s Scrapped Tourist Fee

Today's podcast looks at travel's relationship with AI, LVHM's new Orient Express push, and Thailand's change in fee plans. -Rashaad Jorden

‘We drifted downriver and camped where we liked’: readers’ favourite lake and river breaks in Europe

Go with the flow on these tranquil river and lake trips from Sweden to Romania

In the hills above Riva del Garda in Trentino is Lago di Tenno, a beautiful blue-green mountain lake. It’s small enough to walk around in under an hour, enclosed on all sides with lovely mountain views, but it’s the swimming that will bring you back again and again. The clear waters may be a tad chilly at first toe-dangle, but goosebumps are soon forgotten as you swim across the small gap to the grassy island. Relaxing, mountain air, beautiful views. The village of Tenno, with its medieval hilltop castle, has a few hotels and there’s a fine campsite close to the lake.
Ant Continue reading...

FAA Chief Says Agency Was ‘Too Hands Off’ With Boeing Before Alaska Airlines Incident

The FAA now plans to meet with Boeing every week to keep track of the plane maker’s progress as it seeks to turn around its production and quality control processes. -Meghna Maharishi

Thailand Scraps Controversial Tourist Fee, Begins Luxury Travel Push

Thailand may have gone from being picky to rolling out the red carpet for everyone, realizing that hitting a 40-million tourist target can't be done by courting the big spenders alone. -Peden Doma Bhutia

Southwest CEO to Stay, Hotel Wellness Grows and Cruise Line Junk Fees

Today's podcast looks at Southwest's reactions to activist funds, the proof in the pudding for hotel wellness, and California's new cruise fee mandates. -Rashaad Jorden

White beaches, dolphins, seahorses: I sailed away from Britain, but now I love its coasts more than ever

Sometimes you need to leave to really see the place you came from. Years after sailing solo to Greece, every time I return I’m astounded by what I find

I’m staring at a seahorse. At the little spines on its head. A spiky crown. Like a unicorn under water. Such sightings are always precious, but this one feels unique because I’ve convinced myself that he’s giving birth. I watch them daily, these bony little fish, tails curling twigs, fanning delicately, performing their sunrise greetings (my heart!). This little fella angles this way and that while bubbles, or perhaps thousands of tiny seahorse babies ejected from his pouch, rise around him. It’s hard to tell, but who needs proof? The possibility is magical enough. Life is fairytale-special. If you choose to see it that way.

We’re in northern Greece, the seahorses and me, a few miles south-east of Preveza, in the Ionian sea. But you could find them in your own watery back yard, too – even in London. Hippocampus hippocampus breed in the outer Thames, and along England’s south coast. Continue reading...

Ixigo IPO Garners Significant Demand Across Investor Categories — India Report

Ixigo's IPO closed to a blockbuster subscription window. The online travel company's performance at the Indian bourses is indicative of the positive sentiments that prevail in India with regard to the travel industry. -Bulbul Dhawan

Lindblad Doubles Galápagos Fleet With New Adventure Tourism Ships

Lindblad is not just expanding its fleet but is also pursuing a broader ambition to balance growth with ecological stewardship. Easier said than done, however. -Sean O'Neill

KLM CEO on China’s Rebound, Transatlantic Weakness, and Olympic Diversions

After two years dominated by operational headaches, Marjan Rintel tells Skift why she's entering the summer season with a sense of cautious optimism. -Gordon Smith

Fancy a pre-match pint? If you’re in Frankfurt for the footie, you’ll be on cider rather than beer

Boozy, tongue-popping Apfelwein is the toast of the host city. Here’s where to sample it with your frankfurters

I am sitting in Atschel, a cosy, if crowded Apfelweinwirtschaft (apple wine tavern) in Sachsenhausen, south of the River Main from Frankfurt’s central Römerberg plaza. Germany’s financial capital is one of the host cities for Euro 2024, and such taverns, and their leafy gardens, will be heaving during the competition.

England play Denmark here on 20 June, while Germany face Switzerland three days later. This is a nation renowned for its beer quality, of course, but those visiting Frankfurt for the football will find that here, another drink rules: Apfelwein. Continue reading...

IndiGo Introduces Hotel Booking Option — India Report

IndiGo's decision to add a hotel booking platform to its website and app seems to be aimed at targeting potential customers looking for a one-step solution for hotel and flight bookings. It is not the first Indian airline to make this move, but for a user base that pivots towards OTAs to find the most price-conscious option as well as deals, will this work? -Bulbul Dhawan

Sonder Exited 60 Buildings, Gains $10 Million in Refinancing Deal

Sonder is on a painful drive to rid itself of bad leases, to renegotiate others, and then it has to restate two years of earnings. This isn't easy stuff. -Dennis Schaal

The Future of Short-Term Rentals, as Seen by Industry Executives

Several executives speaking at the recent Skift Short-Term Rental Summit offered predictions for the future of the sector, and here are some noteworthy ones. -Rashaad Jorden

‘It’s very wild. I’ve seen wolves’: a hike through the forests and ghost villages of secret Galicia

Trains from Britain to Spain put me a taxi ride away from Ribeira Sacra – an unspoiled region of river gorges, chestnut groves and rich history

Modes of transport always dictate the shape of the human landscape. When travel took to the rails in the 19th century, vast palaces of railway stations were built all over Europe. And now, on a train journey to Spain, I am passing through some of the best examples: in Paris, Barcelona and Madrid. In the latter, I have time to leave my bags at Chamartín station, actually a modern terminal, and dash off to see the Goya frescoes at the church of St Anthony, then nip back for the Renfe service to Ourense in Galicia.

My week-long hike is in a little-known part of Galicia close to the northern border of Portugal called the Ribeira Sacra, a region cut by deep river gorges. I arrive with my sister Jo after dark in the city of Ourense and take a taxi from the station up into the mountains. Our plan is to walk back to Ourense over the next five days. The taxi winds up the mountain, the headlights strafing deep forest and few houses. “It is very wild up here,” says the driver, “I’ve seen wolves on this road at night.” Continue reading...

Akasa Air Co-Founder On International Expansion and Profitability — India Report

Akasa Air launched in August 2022, and since then, it has expanded its network to 25 cities. The low-cost airline's expansion plans range from international destinations to smaller Indian cities to enhance connectivity within and outside India. And its business model seems to be paying off so far. -Bulbul Dhawan

Apple’s Siri Is Getting Better AI. How That Works for Trip Planning

Generative AI is going directly into the iPhone. It helps with travel a little right now, but that's only the beginning. -Justin Dawes

IHG Tilts Toward Mid-Market as Owners Balk at Premium Hotels

With high interest rates, operational costs, and insurance premiums, investors are currently favoring midmarket and extended stay brands like Candlewood Suites, which saw the most deals for IHG in recent quarters. -Sean O'Neill

Sharks, murder and a neolithic ‘spaceship’: the mysteries of Ireland’s new national parks

The ecological jewel of Kerry Marine national park and the archaeological splendour of Brú na Bóinne in the east are the latest additions to the country’s portfolio of protected areas

Ireland’s National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has had a busy time in recent months, adding another two sites to its portfolio of six national parks since last September. First, it announced the state purchase of 223 hectares (551 acres) of land on the Dowth Hall estate in County Meath. Then, on Earth Day in April, it unveiled its first marine park – 566 hectares centering on Corca Dhuibhne – the Dingle Peninsula – and including Conor Pass, a vertiginous narrow laneway that whips around the contours of Mount Brandon in County Kerry. Continue reading...