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The Skift Travel Podcast
By Skift
Get the latest from the most-trusted travel industry news source.
Skift sits down with creatives, executives, and entrepreneurs from across travel to discuss their insights and perspectives on the ho... more
4.2
3939 ratings
FAQs about The Skift Travel Podcast:
How many episodes does The Skift Travel Podcast have?
The podcast currently has 367 episodes available.
Best of The Skift Travel Podcast
The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.
- Number 1: Fake AI Hotel Videos Are Coming for Travel
Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down two travel distribution stories that are really about trust. First, Skift found AI-generated TikTok Go videos promoting a Sedona luxury resort with fake amenities, fake-looking creators, and commission tags that did not match the booking reality. Then, they unpack Dennis Schaal’s reporting on a bombshell estimate that Booking may be larger than Expedia in B2B room nights — a finding that could reshape how the industry thinks about OTA competition. This episode is brought to you by ZS Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry. 00:00 AI TikTok Resort Scam 02:33 Breaking Down TikTok Go 03:23 Fake Amenities and Synth Creators 04:58 Cylon Detour 06:11 Affiliate Incentives Explained 07:30 Broken Links and Bad Actors 08:36 Owners and Brand Protection 13:06 Economics of TikTok Go 18:51 Trust Crisis for Travel Brands 23:19 Real World Guest Fallout 24:22 OTAs Meet TikTok 25:40 B2B White Label Basics 27:06 Real World Examples 29:43 Expedia B2B Dominance 32:07 Booking Consolidates B2B 33:35 Jaw Dropping Analyst Note 35:51 Scale Explains Surprise 43:27 Product Quality vs Volume 46:32 Winners and Losers 48:24 Global Forum Wrap Up
53min
- Number 2: Travel’s AI Reckoning Has Arrived
Google paid $10 million for Spirit Airlines’ data. Airbnb is showing real AI-driven savings. Booking says AI still accounts for less than 1% of room nights. Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down travel’s AI reckoning: what is paying off, what is still experimental, and why data, trust, and ROI now matter more than AI hype. Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry. 00:00 Google Buys Spirit Data 01:35 AI’s Hunger for Training Data 03:13 LLM Language Quirks 05:39 From Jokes to Business Impact 05:45 Bankruptcy Data as New Brand 08:03 Why Travel Data Is Special 10:25 Seat Politics and Spotify Age 13:18 Google’s ITA Playbook 18:13 AI Usefulness in Travel Tech 20:09 Airbnb AI ROI Proof 22:17 Beyond Chatbots Debate 25:43 Revenue Upside Signals 29:23 Bookings Still Tiny 31:34 AI Trip Planning Stories 34:45 Trust Gap Chart 36:46 Who Owns Booking 38:37 GDS Plumbing Goes AI 39:43 Winners Listener Shoutouts 41:36 Closing Thanks
45min - Number 3: The State of Travel Is Getting Harder to Control
Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko unpack two forces reshaping travel: the creator economy’s impact on hotel brands and Skift Research’s State of Travel 2026 report. They discuss the Aman creator controversy, why hotels need a new playbook for independent reviewers, and the new Travel Stack framework showing how consumers, commerce, operations, and experiences are changing across the industry. Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry. 00:00 State of Travel Teaser 01:04 Inside the Report 02:22 Chart Nerd Talk 03:03 Ironing Board Hack 06:44 Aman Drama Goes Viral 08:48 Creator vs Media Explained 10:49 What Happened at Aman 14:08 Aman Responds to WSJ 16:53 Crisis Comms Lessons 21:05 Creators and Headlines 24:43 Back to State of Travel 25:05 Whimsy Meets Data 25:54 New Travel Stack Framework 28:18 Breaking Down Consumers 31:11 Favorite Charts and Trends 33:08 Booking Channels Trust Gap 35:25 Green Talkers Sustainability Gap 36:34 Psychographics Explained 43:40 Finding the Report Link 44:29 Black Toilet Seat Update 45:18 Winners Losers Eclipse Tourism 47:43 Final Goodbye and Feedback
51min - Number 4: We Graded Our Biggest 2026 Travel Megatrends
The U.S. passport is no longer among the world's most powerful. Skift revisits its biggest travel megatrends of 2026, and The Odyssey is already driving tourism in Norway. Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko discuss what shifting passport rankings reveal about global influence, which travel megatrends have held up through the first half of the year, and why movie tourism continues to be a powerful force for destinations. Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry. 00:00 Passport Power Rankings 02:35 Dressing Up to Travel 03:32 Ironing Boards Crusade 05:03 Henley Index Deep Dive 07:52 Megatrends Midyear Game 10:34 Tourists Skip the US 13:13 Marketing for AI Search 14:44 Sustainability Reality Check 16:51 Mocktails Take Over 20:07 Luxury Boom Debate 21:58 Self Driving Trend Watch 23:37 Train Renaissance Tease 23:48 Train renaissance check-in 25:18 Flying taxis progress 25:56 Music tourism boom 27:50 K-beauty travel trends 29:46 OTA oligopoly cracks 31:30 Vibe coding tsunami 37:39 World Cup matrix reveal 44:30 Winners of the week 48:32 Wrap and sign-off
52min - Number 5: The New Economics of Travel: Fewer Tourists, More Money
The World Cup didn't deliver the inbound tourism boost many expected. Delta still posted strong earnings despite soaring fuel costs. And new Skift Research points to Latin America as one of travel's biggest growth opportunities. Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko explore why the travel industry is shifting toward higher-value travelers, premium experiences, and a new definition of growth. Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry. 00:00 Tourism Drop Shock 01:48 Why World Cup Didn’t Boost 03:47 Value Over Volume Travel 08:14 Group Stage Travel Surge 10:35 Live Tourism Everywhere 11:30 Spain Eclipse And Overtourism 13:28 Delta Premium Revenue Milestone 18:40 K Shaped Travel Economy 23:55 Skift Premium Trend Report 26:31 Winners And Losers Segment 29:02 Brand USA Takes The L 30:33 Ennismore IPO Buzz Wrap 33:42 Closing Thanks And Goodbye
37min
The Skift Travel Podcast episodes:
November 20, 2025Why Low Cost Airlines Win in Europe but Struggle in the U.S. November 13, 2025New York's New Mayor Zohran Mamdani & The Eastward Shift in Travel November 06, 2025Flying Cars, Privatized Airports, and the Future of U.S. Aviation October 30, 2025Can the U.S.-Europe Travel Corridor Recover? October 23, 2025Glenn Fogel on Booking.com’s AI Strategy, Connected Trip Vision, and the Future of Travel October 16, 2025Skift Sessions Episode featuring Brian Chesky, CEO & Founder of Airbnb October 09, 2025Rethinking Cruising for the Modern Traveler - Anna Nash, President of Explora Journeys October 02, 2025Airbnb’s Hotel Push, Expedia’s AI Strategy, and Lessons From Skift Global Forum September 25, 2025Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta on Leadership, Culture, and 18 Years of Growth September 11, 2025How AI, OTAs, and Shifting Consumer Behavior Are Reshaping the Industry
FAQs about The Skift Travel Podcast:
How many episodes does The Skift Travel Podcast have?
The podcast currently has 367 episodes available.
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