Traveling Blog: Digital Ad Spend Trends + Hilton Goes Micro + JetBlue's Boston Battle

October 24, 2018

Editor's Note

Nearly 60 percent of travel companies' advertising budgets is earmarked for spending on digital ads. And that percentage is expected to grow in 2019. That's why if you're a chief marketing officer or a key advertising decision-maker in travel, you're going to want to read Skift's latest research report, Digital Advertising Trends in Travel 2018.

Haixia Wang, senior research director and the report's author, offers you a comprehensive guide to the digital landscape that will help you understand opportunities, risks, and how best to allocate advertising budgets going forward. Some of the insights come from our own industry survey. We offer a quick glimpse of the report's findings below, but do yourself a solid and subscribe to read the report to help make the most efficient decisions in 2019.

— Tom Lowry, Managing Editor

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Free eBook: Putting Traveler Loyalty Back on Track

Along with marketers' heavy investment in digital, the quality of digital advertising continues to improve with more advanced targeting and measurement capabilities. Optimized marketing success requires the right media mix and technology types.

JetBlue's Battle to Remain Dominant in Boston

A few years ago, Delta Air Lines expanded in Seattle and tried to take share from Alaska Airlines. Surprisingly, Alaska has held on to most of its customers. Now, Delta is trying a similar strategy in Boston. JetBlue has a big customer base there. Will JetBlue's loyalists stick around?

Hilton Debuts New Hostel-Inspired Brand, Motto

So, it's not being marketed as a "hostel on steroids," as Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta once described it, but Motto by Hilton is more or less a lot of what we've seen before, albeit with a few twists.

Flight Centre Stock Takes a Pounding With Fallout From TV Report Lingering

Flight Centre founder Scroo Turner must be wondering what it takes to keep the market happy. His company reported revenue and profit growth, but still its shares were slashed, with traders wiping more than $50 million off its value.

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Premier Inn Owner Whitbread Presses Ahead With Germany Expansion

Germany is indeed a big market but shouldn't Whitbread be taking a look at other countries as well?

Budgets Increase as Businesses Embrace Travel Rewarding Workers

Incentive-travel professionals are doing a better job of proving that their sometimes expensive trips have a positive impact on a business' bottom lines.

What the Very Best Luxury Brands Can Teach the Travel Industry

A new study finds that the more consumers trust a brand, the more successful it is likely to be. Easy to say, but in an era of rapidly evolving trends and tastes, how can brands maintain that trust while reinventing their offerings? Luxury companies have proven especially adept at navigating these choppy waters.

Qatar's departure from the Oneworld alliance could translate into some trickier international flights and connections for travelers on American, British and a dozen other airlines.

Tour Operators Push Off-Season Deals to Counter Overtourism

Tour operators addressing overtourism have essentially gone mainstream in recent years as more travelers have demanded alternatives to crowded city centers. In 2019, we will likely see more companies step in to do the right thing.

Premier Inn Owner Whitbread Creates New Budget Brand

With the Costa Coffee sale steaming ahead, it's time for Whitbread to think seriously about its hotel strategy. Zip will sit at the budget end but what about something above the flagship Premier Inn brand?

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