Articles tagged “skift research”

Global travel maintains resilience at 1% annual growth, but operators must abandon traditional seasonality models and leverage flexible pricing to capture demand that is now more evenly distributed throughout the year.

Profitability, not demand, is now the key metric for investors tracking the U.S. hotel sector.

Despite strong demand and hiring momentum, travel is stuck in a cycle of churn — with pay gaps, skills shortages, and weak career pathways making talent the sector’s biggest growth challenge.

The global cruise industry generated $71 billion in revenues in 2024 and is projected for strong growth, with a forecasted growth rate of 5% year-on-year, to reach $78 billion by 2026.

The July 2025 Skift Travel Health Index shows the global travel industry remains resilient with a 1% growth. A key trend is the sustained strength of premium and business travel, which continues to grow and drive revenue despite broader economic uncertainties.

The hotel technology sector is shifting from cost center to growth engine, with AI, data integration, and guest-facing tools driving efficiency and revenue, but success hinges on modernized systems, cultural readiness, and proactive risk management

For today’s airlines, technology isn’t just a differentiator — it’s a competitive advantage. Passenger-facing innovations are now standard and delivering significant returns.

This chartbook offers a snapshot of the evolving online travel landscape, with an analysis of the top 10 largest publicly traded online travel agencies.

Despite heightened economic uncertainty and shifting consumer sentiment, the global travel industry showed resilience through the first half of 2025. The Skift Travel Health Index recorded 3% year-on-year growth in global travel performance as of June 2025.

Americans are back on the road — guided by experiences, wooed by AI, wary of hidden fees, and booking wherever the value clicks.

The future of travel is unfolding now; you just need the right data and insights to see it. The State of Travel report is your essential guide to understanding the trends shaping our industry and staying ahead of the modern traveler as a company, association, or destination.

The global airline sector is in a growth phase, projected to reach $949 billion by 2026, driven by strong leisure demand and the significant rebound of business travel.