Rafat Ali, CEO, Skift: Where is Travel Going Next?
As humans, we crave travel. It connects us to each other and the world around us. Or, as Rafat Ali, founder and CEO of Skift, a leading travel media company, puts it, \u201cTravel as a human need is the default human condition.\u201d But during the pandemic, that need went unfulfilled. Our ability to fly on an airplane, hop in an Uber, or stay in a hotel was drastically limited, if not put on pause. Now, travel is coming back...but just a little bit different. And that raises new questions for both the industry and travelers. Rafat joins the podcast to discuss how the pandemic has both accelerated existing trends and forced a break from the norms of the past -- and what the future of travel means for the world. \n\nListen to this episode to learn:\n\u2022 How Skift takes an \u201coutside in\u201d approach to understanding changing travel behaviors and connects the dots to what it means for the travel industry\n\n\u2022 Lessons from the 2021 Skift Global Forum, and predictions from the CEOs of Airbnb, Hilton, and Uber about the future of travel \n\n\u2022 Why embracing flexibility for their customers and pivoting their core business (i.e., becoming cargo carriers) helped airlines survive the pandemic (along with big government subsidies)\n\n\u2022 How airports are redesigning their experience through the customers\u2019 lens -- from elevated food options to biometrics and \u201ccontactless\u201d check-ins\n\n\u2022 Why we\u2019re seeing a boom in domestic travel and how travelers\u2019 rediscovery of the outdoors and local areas is helping small businesses thrive\n\n\u2022 How the hotel guest experience has changed as a result of the pandemic (and why your room might not get serviced daily ever again)\n\n\u2022 Google\u2019s new sustainability scores, sustainable aviation fuel, and ways in which the travel and hospitality industries are approaching \u201csustainability\u201d