Traveling Blog: Trump Slump Persists + American Pilots Holiday Fiasco + Overtourism Solutions

November 30, 2017

View in browser

Note From the Editor

Well, there's bad news, and then there is bad news. First, the latest visitor arrival statistics for the United States show a significant downturn from January through June, which just so happens to coincide with the Trump presidency and all of the anti-foreigner rhetoric and policies emanating from the White House.

Second, American Airlines blames a computer glitch for the fact that it hasn't scheduled enough pilots to fly its planes over the upcoming holiday period in December. We knew there might be a looming pilot shortage in coming years, but we didn't figure it would revolve around scheduling miscues like this one.

— Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor

What It's Like to Run a Kitchen in the Middle of Nowhere [SPONSORED]

On Dec 12, SkiftX will be hosting a webinar that examines changing landscape of B2B content marketing and thought leadership, with actionable research-based insights provided by executives from SkiftX and Edelman. Sign up now.

Trump Slump Means U.S. Tourism Is Losing Visitors From Its Most Important Markets

The Trump slump is not only real; it's worse than anticipated. The much-coveted Chinese travelers, for instance, are looking to travel elsewhere for now.

American Airlines Potential Holiday Pilot Shortage, Explained

Let's hope American Airlines can find enough pilots willing to fly extra in December. Otherwise, it will be a mess for customers.

Skift Podcast: Finding Solutions for the Overtourism Dilemma

We've got your overtourism coverage. And we have some ideas for how to address the problem. Tune in for a valuable conversation.

Video: How Meeting Planners Are Tapping Into Tucson [SPONSORED]

Sponsored by Visit Tucson

Through injecting its rich culinary roots into local hotels and connecting planners into its creative downtown scene, Tucson is a case study for how destination marketers can help meeting planners realize the creative potential of a city by amplifying its unique assets beyond the convention center.

eDreams Claims Being Transparent Is Actually Good Business

Who'd have thought not annoying your customers was good for business? On the other hand, the supposed turnaround just happens to fit in nicely with a potential sales process.

Meetings and Events Technology Alone Can't Solve Accessibility Challenges

People with disabilities are often overlooked by event spaces and meeting planners. A new wave of innovation and technology can help make meetings and events more accessible, but lasting change needs to start with a focus on increasing accessibility during the planning process.

Southwest Takes Customer Service Seriously — Airline Innovation Report

When something goes wrong on a flight, Southwest tries to be proactive in communicating with customers. Is this the right approach? Or should Southwest wait until passengers complain?

Google wants consumers to buy more travel on it. That may prompt industry players to closely patrol the gray line between the search giant referring more customers to them and Google becoming customers' first choice for booking trips.

Marriott Edges Out Hyatt for Top Honors in J.D. Power's Hotel Loyalty Survey

Should other hotel loyalty programs follow World of Hyatt's lead in being much more revenue-based and geared toward high-end travelers? This survey's findings seem to suggest it, but we have some reservations.

Airbnb Makes Good on Startup Acquisition With Launch of Split Payments for Group Travel

For anyone who's ever had to wrangle a payment from a friend for a trip, this new Airbnb payments feature is a very welcome early holiday present.

For Gmail users: If you are using the tabbed inbox, Skift emails may be pushed to the 'Promotions' tab. To get updates from Skift direct to your primary inbox, drag and drop this email to that tab.

You received this email because you are subscribed to Skift Daily Newsletter from Skift.