The World Cup is coming. The tourism boom? That's less certain.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Read online World Cup Reality Check The World Cup is coming. The tourism boom? That's less certain. GOOD DAY, READERS. The World Cup kicks off June 11, but the international travel boom the U.S. hospitality industry was counting on may fall short of expectations. Global Tourism Reporter Bailey Schulz finds that hotels in many host cities have been running in line with or below last year's booking pace, European flight bookings are down for most host city airports, and many short-term rental hosts are still waiting for a surge in demand. The culprits: steep FIFA ticket prices, geopolitical headwinds dampening inbound travel, and a domestic crowd that simply doesn't spend like international visitors. While the tournament is still expected to offer a lift and last-minute bookings could shift the picture, the gap between forecast and reality is hard to ignore.     Women Leading Travel Forum Deals close differently when everyone in the room is a senior woman in travel. That's the premise behind the Women Leading Travel Forum. 350 senior leaders. 9 in 10 at director level or above. June 8 to 10, The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans. On stage: Christine Duffy (Carnival Cruise Line), Diana Plazas-Trowbridge (Marriott), Marion Jones, Julie Averill. In the room: the buyers running travel and hospitality. 3 Days Out - Register         DON’T MISS THESE STORIES The U.S.’ Own Goal: Why World Cup Expectations Deflated By Bailey Schulz World Cup host cities were promised a once-in-a-generation tourism surge. The lift is real, but some cities’ results are well below expectations. GET THE STORY Airbnb’s Brian Chesky Is Creating an AI Lab By Dennis Schaal Is Brian Chesky development of a new AI Lab outside of Airbnb an acknowledgement that building AI capabilities within Airbnb hasn't been up to par? Or are some tech developments like AI too large to sit out without having more skin in the game? GET THE STORY Canada Is Looking for a New Caribbean. Most Destinations Are Not Ready to Be Found By Oliver Martin and Emilie Ehrman Canada's three winter sun standbys — the U.S., Cuba, and Mexico — are all in trouble at the same time. The Caribbean has never had a better opening. Most destinations are not ready to walk through it. GET THE STORY         The Identity Gap Holding Back Travel Marketing Performance WUNDERKIND + SKIFT AI decisioning is only as smart as the data it sees, and most travel brands are flying blind on 70-95% of their site traffic. A new Wunderkind guide makes the case that identity is the missing layer between AI and real performance. GET THE STORY         For $7 a week, Skift gives you something the industry is missing – the full picture. Subscribe today for 25% off.         MORNING HEADLINES IndiGo Suspends 7 International Routes: What’s Behind the Cutbacks GET THE STORY Why Hotel AI Keeps Cutting Costs Instead of Making Money GET THE STORY Delta Expands Travel Benefits on Amex Cards, Holds Fees Steady GET THE STORY Dubai Turns to New Visitors and Events to Ride Out Iran War Tourism Slump GET THE STORY Why These Operators Are Skipping the Pilot Phase GET THE STORY         CHART OF THE DAY The World Cup was supposed to be a windfall for short-term rental hosts. It's been a mixed bag, according to Global Tourism Reporter Bailey Schulz. High costs and concerns about visiting have kept international visitors away, and while demand is up year-over-year, most hosts are still waiting on bookings — and not everyone is convinced the last-minute rush will materialize. GET THE FULL STORY         SKIFT PODCAST NETWORK The World Cup Was Supposed to Save U.S. Tourism. It's Not Going as Planned. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, ⁠Sarah Dandashy⁠ breaks down why the international tourist windfall host cities were promised isn't materializing, how Delta's Amex card expansion is a masterclass in playing the loyalty game right, and why hotels cutting costs with AI are missing the bigger opportunity sitting right in front of them. GET THE PODCAST         PEOPLE MOVES This week's people moves shaping the industry. Let us know about a move. Justin Purves is joining The Set as its VP of Global Sales. Dean Winter was appointed CEO of The PuLi Group. Josh Littman was named Head of Development across EMEA for the Langham Hospitality Group. He had most recently served as Vice President of Development, EMEA at Starwood Hotels. Ilana Edelman is the new Vice President of Development across EMEA for Ace Hotel Group. Heather Moses was appointed CMO of RateGain. Bill Watkins has joined Expedia as the SVP and GM of Global Advertising. Paul Harnedy was named by Yotel as its new COO. He comes to the company after having led asset management for Cedar Capital Partners. Skift Executive Search connects travel-related companies with top-tier talent, ensuring the right leadership is in place to drive innovation and growth. See our case studies.         SKIFT TRAVEL 200 How are public travel companies performing around the world? The Skift Travel 200 pulls the data you need to understand global market movements. Paid subscribers get full access here. GET TODAY’S INDEX SCORE         See more essential travel news in your search results. ADD SKIFT ON GOOGLE         Thanks for reading. We are switching to a new email platform to improve delivery. What does this mean for you? During this transition, these emails might land in your promotions or spam folder. To ensure you don’t miss out, please move this newsletter to your primary inbox.       DEFINING THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL. 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