Are You Sure About That

Raising 3 kids - two little gentleman and baby girl. What have I done? I have brought three people into this crazy world. . . . and now I need to teach them some mommy stuff. To see the family adventures live, watch our YOUTUBE Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2m As our blog grows so do we, our family hobby is insect collecting, and travels. These blogs are about mommy observations in our day to day lives, in real life photos showing us as we grow.

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

It's here: State of Travel 2026

Download the State of Travel 2026 Report

Skift Research has always stood for travel intelligence. And in just a few years, artificial intelligence has gone from a toy to a prototype to now deeply embedded in the travel journey. It feels appropriate, then, that this is also the year that our annual State of Travel report gets a major overhaul.

In past editions of this report, we examined each of the industry’s constituent sectors and took a road trip through the global travel landscape. This time, we wanted to try something different.

For this year’s report, we created a new travel intelligence framework: the travel stack. Rather than breaking travel down into subsectors, we identified four universal layers that apply to the entire $11bn travel industry. And not to worry, for those who loved the old format, we will still have sector coverage at the end of this report, but in a leaner section.

Although the structure has been refreshed this year, the goal of State of Travel remains the same: to arm you with the best possible travel intelligence, so that you can make the best possible decisions about the future of your business.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

The State of Travel is intended to showcase the breadth of Skift Research. Subscribers get access to the full power of the Skift Intelligence platform.

In partnership with Accor.

Skift Global Forum

The decisions in this report are exactly what we'll be debating live at Skift Global Forum, September 22 to 24 in New York. Nassetta, Fogel, Gorin, and a stage full of the people actually making these calls.

Final pricing hits on September 4. Register before then to lock in the current rate.

RESERVE YOUR SEAT

If Your Hotel Cancels, Do You Know the Actual Costs?

Read online

If Your Hotel Cancels, Do You Know the Actual Costs?

Determine the answer before your next negotiation.

David McMillin, Skift Meetings Head of Content

August 11th, 2026

What happens if a hotel decides it actually doesn’t want your group? It’s not a question that most meeting planners spend much time worrying about. After all, if you’re signing a contract with the promise that you’ll bring hundreds of attendees to a property, it’s safe to assume the hotel is happy to have your business.

Don’t be so sure, though. Earlier this year, Andrea Doyle dove into the details behind a Texas nonprofit’s claims that a hotel backed out of its hosting duties to chase higher rates during the NBA Finals. Today, she dives deeper into the need to calculate the true cost of a cancellation fast enough for it to matter in a negotiation — because the contract alone won't tell you that number. Head below for the full story, along with a checklist of everything that should be in your program’s safety guidelines and a look at why incentive planners want more from CVBs. — David McMillin

PS. What are you doing tomorrow at 11 a.m. Eastern? If you can squeeze in a break between all your responsibilities, you will not want to miss our webinar on shattering the glass ceiling in meetings. Sign up here.

DON’T MISS OUT

Skift Meetings Forum

The contract tells you what you signed. It won't tell you what a cancellation actually costs, or how much leverage you still have once a property starts eyeing a better offer. That intelligence moves between planners, not through legal language.

On September 22 at the Javits Center, senior planners from corporate teams, associations, and agencies trade the contracting shortcuts and negotiation reads that never make it into a signed agreement.

APPLY TO ATTEND

WEBINAR

Women power the meetings industry — yet rarely run it. Join Skift Meetings, Elaine Lou Cartas and Monique Ruff-Bell, next Wednesday, 12 August at 11 a.m. ET, for a candid look at the leadership gap, the barriers behind it, and what's changing. Register for the webinar now.

FEATURED STORIES

Incentive Planners Count on CVBs, But Few Bureaus Are Staffing for Them

By Barbara Scofidio

The funding model for a CVB means they have to focus on the biggest pieces of business. But incentive planners rely on their expertise, too.

GET THE STORY

Conference Safety Guidelines: What 10 Event Organizers Include

By Barbara Scofidio

Conference safety guidelines do more than keep attendees safe. They protect the event organizer from liability.

GET THE STORY

When a Hotel Walks Away, Most Planners Still Can’t Calculate the Real Cost

By Andrea Doyle

Contract language protects an organization's right to be made whole. It doesn't produce the number that proves what "whole" means.

GET THE STORY

WORTH YOUR TIME

Five things worth your time today.

Learn how to make procurement your best bud with simple adjustments to your planning process.
See how some conferences are adjusting attendance polices to become better places for working parents.
Find out why 30 international medical conferences are all heading to one destination between now and 2030.**
Follow some simple steps to lower your stress levels when you’re hiring temp workers for your next program.
Know the blind spots that can pop up when using AI to review your contract language.

** A sponsored message from the Melbourne Convention Bureau and Business Events Australia.

SKIFT PICK: TRANSLATING TRAVEL TRENDS FOR MEETINGS

Your Younger Attendees Don't Want More Tech. They Want Someone to Tell Them What to Do.

New Skift Research shows Gen Z already takes an estimated 65 million U.S. business trips a year, and they’re more anxious about booking and planning those trips than any other generation. And while they fall into the digital native bucket, they’re actually more skeptical of AI than millennials. They don’t want a fully automated agent making decisions for them.

Plenty of those business trips involve heading to a business event, which means that meeting planners have an opportunity to act as a co-pilot who can help those early-career professionals make the most of their experience. Forget a dense agenda or a “figure it out yourself” booking experience. Simple fixes go a long way: a one-page “here’s exactly what to book and how guide, a real point of contact for questions, and confirmation emails that actually spell out what happens next. It's a cheap way to cut down on the pre-event emails asking things your registration page was supposed to answer.

DON’T MISS THESE STORIES

How One Meetings Leader Turned a Creative Background Into a Strategy Playbook

By Andrea Doyle

An art history degree may seem an unlikely path to leading global meetings strategy at a medical technology company. It’s also a reminder that the job increasingly demands storytellers, not just logistics experts.

View Article

The Event Industry's AI Problem Isn't AI

By Miguel Neves

The seamless AI-powered event isn't waiting on better technology. It's waiting on organizers, sponsors, and attendees to trust each other with the data that makes it work.

View Article

Skift Meetings Toolkit

Great events are built on strategy, innovation, and the right resources. The Skift Meetings Toolkit is your go-to hub for best practices in managing meetings and events.

EXPLORE THE TOOLKIT

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