The Skift Travel Podcast

Conflict in the Middle East is once again raising questions about the resilience of global travel.

In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Seth Borko is joined by Skift Airlines Editor Gordon Smith to examine how escalating geopolitical tensions could ripple through the aviation industry.

They discuss the potential impact of airspace disruptions, how airlines prepare for geopolitical risk, and why oil prices and flight routing remain critical vulnerabilities for global aviation.

The conversation also explores how travelers respond to geopolitical uncertainty and why airlines and travel companies are paying close attention to how the situation develops.

From operational challenges to economic ripple effects, this episode looks at how global conflict can quickly reshape travel.

Presented by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Viasat Ads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more!

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Hotels are facing political pressures they were never built to handle.

In this episode, Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko examine how immigration enforcement, protests, and franchise agreements are forcing hotel owners into impossible decisions.

They also explore why hotel brands have doubled in number but struggle to stand out, and what that means for the future of travel.

Presented by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Viasat Ads⁠⁠⁠⁠. Click ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more!

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Marriott expects 35% growth in co-branded credit card fees next year. At the same time, it’s warning investors that AI could disrupt its entire loyalty ecosystem.

In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down what’s happening at the intersection of loyalty, artificial intelligence, and geopolitics.

They start with Marriott’s earnings, where the power of co-branded credit cards is now central to profitability. With 270 million Bonvoy members and over $700 million in credit card fees, loyalty has become a financial engine. But in a dramatic shift from prior years, Marriott and Hilton are now explicitly disclosing AI as a risk in their SEC filings.

Why? Because AI-powered intermediaries may change how travelers search, compare, and book hotels. Skift Research data shows that only 6% of travelers say they would remain loyal if an AI found them a better deal. That’s a sobering number for any brand betting on loyalty.

The conversation then widens to Skift Research’s 2026 outlook, where the word of the year is “resilience.” Consumers continue to prioritize travel globally, even amid affordability pressures and economic uncertainty. But geopolitics, from protests to tariffs to airspace disruptions, may be the single biggest risk facing the industry.

They close with a look at tech stock volatility, market reactions to AI, and what all of this means for travel companies heading into an uncertain year.

A sharp, data-driven discussion about loyalty, AI disruption, market risk, and the resilience of the global traveler.

Presented by ⁠⁠⁠Viasat Ads⁠⁠⁠. Click ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ to learn more!

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Weight loss drugs may be one of the most underestimated forces reshaping travel.

In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko unpack how GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are quietly changing who travels, where they go, and how they spend.

As obesity rates decline for the first time in decades and medication prices fall, travelers are unlocking trips they once thought were impossible, from walkable European cities to long-delayed bucket-list experiences.

The conversation explores how this shift affects hotels, cruises, airports, and destinations. They debate whether cruise lines could lose part of their core audience, why airports may need to rethink food, alcohol, and retail revenue, and how experiential travel becomes more important as physical barriers fade.

Along the way, they connect the dots to major cultural moments like the Super Bowl halftime show and the Olympics, showing how entertainment, health, and tourism increasingly intersect.

A timely look at why travel demand is changing, and why the industry may be less prepared than it thinks.

Presented by ⁠⁠Viasat Ads⁠⁠. Click ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ to learn more!

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This week on the Skift Travel Podcast, Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko tackle a wide-ranging conversation that sits at the intersection of geopolitics, growth, and brand identity in travel.

They begin with one striking reality: very few travel companies are willing to go on the record about political issues, even as immigration policy, protests, and global perception begin to influence tourism decisions ahead of major events like the World Cup.

From there, Seth breaks down Skift Research’s latest Travel Health Index, revealing a year of uneven growth, regional divergence, and a continued shift of travel’s center of gravity toward Asia and the Middle East, while North America and Europe lag behind.

The episode also covers severe winter storms and flight cancellations, airline geopolitics, American Airlines’ return to Venezuela, uncertainty around aircraft certification, and what safety, affordability, and perception mean for U.S. tourism in 2026.

The conversation closes with a deeper question facing hotels, Airbnb, and destinations alike: can brands scale without losing their soul? Using lifestyle hotels as a case study, Sarah and Seth explore why “cool” is harder to scale than luxury, and why fixed assets collide with fast-moving cultural trends.

A thoughtful, data-backed look at where travel is headed and what’s holding it back.

Presented by ⁠⁠Viasat Ads⁠⁠. Click ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ to learn more!

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