The Skift Travel Podcast

Last week Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky announced the company's renewed focus on Experiences with its “Icons” product launch. Skift Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit was in Los Angeles for the event and got to speak one-on-one with Chesky on a host of topics (including that pay question we promised you). In this episode we also dig into why Airbnb backed off of experiences after the pandemic, a potential Airbnb loyalty program and how Icons fits into Airbnb’s broader marketing strategy. 

Catch up on the importance of sleep tourism as Seth and Sarah discuss its emergence and growing importance in the travel industry.Building off of Sarah’s recent article in Skift, "The Science of Sleep: How the Travel Industry is Cashing on Tourism’s Latest Obsession,” they go into the growing fascination with sleep among Gen Z, the challenges of getting good sleep during travel, and the economics of sleep tourism.

Fresh off the heels of the release of annual financial reports, Seth and Sarah discuss everyone's favorite topic: executive compensation. They examine how those reported compensation numbers relate to the performance of the companies in question, including Airbnb CEO and Co-founder Brian Chesky's potential $1 billion plus pay package, which leads them to the question: should billionaires exist?

Our new co-hosts, Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit and Head of Research Seth Borko, introduce themselves and talk about what Skift is, how it's quite literally defining the business of travel, and preview some of the exciting stories and research on deck for Skift and the podcast.

As we look forward to the return of the Skift Short-Term Rental Summit on June 5 in New York, today we feature a conversation with Homes and Villas by Marriott International Vice President, Jennifer Hsieh, and Skift Senior Hospitality Editor, Sean O'Neill, that took place onstage at last year's summit.To join her and many other vacation rental executives and investors at this year’s Short-Term Rental Summit, visit live.skift.com for tickets and details. 

Vikram Oberoi, The Oberoi Group CEO and Managing Director, speaks with Skift Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O'Neill. This discussion took place on stage at the inaugural Skift India Summit this month in New Delhi, India. on stage at Skift India Summit in New Delhi, India on March 20, 2024.To join the travel industry's best events in person, visit https://live.skift.com

US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, discusses bridging the U.S. and India in the decade ahead. Topics include improving visa processes, enhancing educational exchange programs, exploring diverse Indian cuisine, promoting US-India tourism, passion for cricket in America, and the impact of the Indian diaspora in the US.

Today we feature a discussion that took place on stage at the inaugural Skift India Summit this week in New Delhi, India.In this conversation Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson speaks with Skift Asia editor Peden Bhutia about "Connecting India to the World".For more like this, visit live.skift.com to learn how you can attend our next industry defining live event. 

Last week, as the world came together to celebrate International Women's Day, news that a Brazilian tourist had accused seven men of gang rape in a remote region of India, prompted Skift Asia Editor Peden Bhutia to ask in her headline reporting on the story: “Is India Safe for Female Travelers?”In this episode, Peden and Skift Research Analyst Saniya Zanpure, both based in India, join Skift Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit to discuss the case, its effects, their experiences as women in India, and why, ultimately, the answer to Peden’s question is: yes, everyone should visit India.Visit skift.com for continuing coverage of this story and all the latest travel news and research.

In our fifth and final episode covering Skift’s Megatrends for 2024, Editor-in-chief Sarah Kopit is joined by Skift Founder and CEO Rafat Ali to discuss two megatrends centered around technology, demographics, and the future of the human condition.You can see all of Skift’s Megatrends for 2024 right now at Skift.com/megatrends.