Technology

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 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

Social media is no longer just inspiring travel, it’s where trips are being researched, priced, and booked. As platforms evolve into powerful sales channels, creators are becoming the new travel agents, short-form video is replacing static ads, and the booking journey is evolving into a low-friction social interaction.

The push for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) adoption is an unparalleled challenge for the aviation industry. While some interventions can help to overcome these hurdles, many uncertainties remain. The industry and regulators must be realistic and not rely on SAF as a panacea for decarbonization.

Carbon offsets exist within a flawed ecosystem but with the current challenges of decarbonizing the aviation industry, they should not be disregarded as an interim measure in the journey towards decarbonization. It is incumbent on the industry themselves to reform a broken system.

The airline industry is on the brink of a technology revolution that will bring both challenges and opportunities. Despite the obstacles, executives are preparing themselves for a future where technology will play a pivotal role in enhancing profitability through process efficiencies, particularly within the revenue management function.

The pandemic accelerated the shift to digital and alternative payments. To capitalize on this, hoteliers should modernize their payment tech stack to offer seamless integration and diverse payment options for increased bookings, higher-value reservations, and improved guest satisfaction.

Digital marketing and advertising tools, if utilized effectively can help hotels increase direct bookings, draw in new customers, and improve the overall content strategy. This tech category has the potential to generate $3 billion in annual revenues and is embedded in the industry's future.

Hopper is the new kid on the block. Except it's not. Founded in 2007, it spent a decade building a huge database of flight information before selling its first flight booking in 2016. The time it spent on its cutting edge price prediction capabilities have paid dividends, leading to the launch of a suite of fintech products which have been fundamental in Hopper's disruption of the legacy OTAs.

The abundance of hotel booking channels calls for a tech-enabled distribution strategy. Central Reservation Systems help manage rates and availability across multiple booking channels and have the potential to become a $1.3 billion tech category.

Generative AI is poised to transform the travel industry. True, there’s plenty of hype out there with little substance to back it up. But even after Skift Research separates the chaff from the wheat, we find that a multi-billion dollar opportunity still remains.

With a growing share of hotel bookings made online, many hoteliers are reliant on third-party travel websites for booking volumes, and global visibility. Booking engines, website builders, and direct-booking tools can help these hotels find a better balance between first- and third-party bookings.