Traveling Blog: Air Canada's Winter Blues + Travelport Bets on India + China's Biz Travel Challenges

November 2, 2018

Editor's Note

As China's lightning-fast infrastructure growth accelerates the rise of its secondary cities, businesses face a big challenge: controlling costs while chasing opportunities in these emerging markets. Senior Editor Andrew Sheivachman writes about one area where those costs are soaring: business travel within China, as cities like Zhengzhou, Chongqing, and Chengdu become corporate centers beyond Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. China's expanding middle class has democratized travel in the country, both for pleasure and now for business. New roads and airports are making China even more interconnected. Travel managers have their work cut out for them and China once again may redefine the price of doing business.

— Tom Lowry, Managing Editor

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New Skift Report: The Future of Event Technology — A Mix of Realities

Air Canada has built a successful business flying customers between North America and Europe during the summer. But much of that business dries up the rest of the year. Now, Air Canada wants to find a way to produce more revenue in winter. Can it succeed?

Travelport Sees India as Its Path to Reverse Market Share Losses

Gordon Wilson, the CEO of Travelport, said in an interview that he sees India as one of the drivers of its long-term growth. That's plausible, but not assured. The company should go private to shield it from quarterly earnings pressure, and allow it to invest properly to make the most of its varied opportunities.

Emerging Cities Pose Biz Travel Challenge for Chinese Executives

China is expected to remain a hotbed of both domestic and international business travel. Chinese corporations are attempting to keep costs down even as the need for business travel increases.

Wellness Newsletter: Well-Being Companies Get In on a Growing Anxiety Economy

People are feeling frazzled these days, whether they're exhausted from constant connection (thanks technology!) or anxious about where the world is headed –– or both. Companies are picking up on this and marketing products and experiences accordingly.

Don't Accuse This Hotel Musical Director of Being the Muzak Guy

It's likely that the musical experience of most hotel employees doesn't extend far beyond karaoke. Not the case for a certain Hungarian concierge, whose vast musical background strikes a special chord with guests.

AppZen Raises $35 Million for Expense Automation: Travel Startup Funding This Week

AppZen wants to remove the stress from filing monthly expense reports at companies worldwide, and it applies artificial intelligence to address the problem in a way that sounds compelling.

When it comes to Google and its hotels redesign, few things are all or nothing. TripAdvisor can worry that Google now has more traveler photos and reviews, but some of them are from TripAdvisor. Hotel websites and phone numbers get featured, but clicking on a book button brings customers to an online travel agency site. In travel, it's never winner take all.

Hyatt's High Hopes for Two Roads Revealed

We all knew Hyatt was in the mood for a major acquisition. (NH Hotel Group or Starwood, anyone?) And now we have a much better idea of what its plans are for Two Roads, as well as other acquisitions down the line.

How Air France-KLM's CEO Wants to Be Like Other Airline Groups

New CEO Benjamin Smith is trying to do something his predecessors failed at — bring Air France and KLM closer together. The two airlines need to work in sync more if the group is going to compete better with rivals in Europe.

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