Episode Notes

Travel executives from some of the industry’s most important companies will be speaking at the 10th annual Skift Global Forum this week in New York City and they’ll address a wide range of topics. 

When it comes to the future of travel, Skift CEO and founder Rafat Ali has outlined four major themes that will impact travel the most: demographic shifts, the widespread loneliness crisis, the evolving future of work and the urgent need for climate adaptation. 

All pose significant challenges – but also opportunities. As the world’s population ages rapidly, the travel industry can craft experiences for an older yet increasingly active population. To address loneliness, it can create group travels centered around shared interests and themes.

Next, Hospitality group Ennismore has taken major steps to market its all-inclusive resorts in its push for 100 resorts by 2027, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.

The company’s all-inclusive resort collection currently has 38 properties, and Ennismore co-CEO Gaurav Bhushan expressed confidence his company could stand out in a segment that O’Neill notes is typically dominated by generic offerings. 

Finally, tourism-dependent destinations such as Morocco and Maui have been decimated by natural disasters recently. Associate Editor Rashaad Jorden turns to Ask Skift, our artificial intelligence chatbot, to find out how events like earthquakes and wildfires impact tourism.

As the aftermath of natural disasters often includes massive trip cancellations, Jorden writes Maui might see a decrease in visitors for the foreseeable future. Analysts at T.D have predicted that Maui’s rebound would “take years,” citing the two-year recovery for air travel demand to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Irma in 2017. 

Meanwhile, one Morrocan-based expert said the tourism to Marrakech, near the recent earthquake’s epicenter, would suffer for years, adding relying on the industry to revive would be illogical. However, Moroccan hotel managers have said business is gradually returning, especially with the upcoming World Bank Group annual meeting in Marrakech.