The article previews a panel at the TravelDaily China Summit discussing localization challenges for international hotel brands in China. Data shows oversupply in China's hotel industry, with 2025 occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR all declining, and ROI dropping from 15% to 8-10%. Executives from Hilton, IHG, and Shangri-La will discuss adapting to Gen Z demands.
Travel booking platform Spotnana has acquired meetings search and logistics platform Troop for an undisclosed price. Troop will become a standard offering to Spotnana TMC partners while continuing as a standalone brand. Troop co-founder Dennis Vilovic will lead meetings and events product at Spotnana.
Formula One has confirmed the 2026 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will proceed as the season finale, ending months of uncertainty tied to the U.S.-Iran war that had already forced the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia (the Bahrain race relocating to Malaysia). F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali stated the calendar remains unchanged. The deferral of the Gulf races carried an estimated commercial travel cost exceeding $200 million according to the WTTC. For Abu Dhabi, the confirmed Grand Prix is a significant tourism and hospitality catalyst: race-week hotel occupancy hit 93% in both 2022 and 2025, but average daily rates soared roughly 80% (from ~$500 to ~$900, versus ~$200 off-peak). Abu Dhabi…
TravelDaily announced its 2026 Summit will be held on September 22-23 at Shanghai International Convention Center, featuring 100+ industry leaders sharing insights on hotels, business travel, technology, and destinations. Attendees include executives from Marriott, Hilton, Ctrip Business, etc., discussing trends like AI and experience economy.
The first module of the 'Global Business Travel Management Practical Series' by TravelDaily and Lenovo concluded successfully, focusing on cost control and data analysis. Taught by Lenovo's North America travel lead, the course used methodologies like PTSD and HCP. The next session in Shanghai in September will cover 'Centralized Systematic Management for Multinationals', delving into OBT tools.
On August 18, the Bandao 1919 Park, transformed from the former Shanghai No. 8 Cotton Mill, announced the launch of a green renewal. It will revitalize idle factories and waterfront lawns, planning diverse formats such as an industrial design museum, night market, and immersive light shows, upgrading from an office carrier to an immersive community cultural tourism complex. The park was built in 1919 and retains nearly 30 textile industrial buildings.
The Hotel Technology Forum announced Anthony Melchiorri as the featured keynote speaker for its 2026 event, taking place November 17-19 at Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas. Melchiorri, founder of Argeo Hospitality and developer/host of Discovery's 'Hotel Impossible' and other shows, will share his practical approach to hotel operations, focusing on operational discipline, staff empowerment, and human-centered tech adoption, emphasizing that technology should empower staff to deliver better hospitality.
TravelDaily announced its 2026 Summit will be held on September 22-23 at the Shanghai International Convention Center. On September 22, it will co-host a workshop with Xiaohongshu titled "Small Interests, Big Business: New Growth Opportunities for Cultural Tourism Brands on Xiaohongshu." The workshop will share trend insights for outbound, inbound, and domestic travel, explain operational methodologies for interest-driven cultural tourism, and launch Xiaohongshu's new product matrix for integrated seeding and conversion.
The 6th annual Skift Aviation Forum returns to New York on November 11-12, focusing on diverging airline profitability. It will feature leaders like IAG CEO Luis Gallego and Breeze Airways founder David Neeleman, discussing capacity, loyalty economics, AI, and capital allocation. Last year drew over 320 attendees from 14 countries.
Skift has unveiled the second round of speakers for Skift Global Forum 2026, held under the theme "Travel's Great Recalibration." The lineup spans ride-hailing, cruise, hotels, airlines, OTAs, AI labs, and venture capital, including CEOs from Expedia, Airbnb, Hilton, Uber, Booking Holdings, Accor, Wyndham, Carnival Cruise Line, and Qatar Airways, plus AI and investment figures. Recurring themes include who owns the traveler as AI agents mediate bookings, how the discovery-to-booking interface is shifting, and how hospitality and airlines make growth and pricing calls amid geopolitical and fuel-driven volatility.
The MURTEC Executive Summit, scheduled for October 21-23 at Loews Coronado Bay Resort near San Diego, will feature Dr. Eric Solomon, a former Google and Spotify executive, as keynote speaker. He will address senior restaurant technology, marketing, and operations executives on leading with intention in a digital world and adopting AI without losing human connection.
The first leg of the 2026 Hainan Free Trade Port Rural Dragon Boat Race commenced at the Nandu River in Chengmai County, with 22 teams and over 400 athletes participating, watched by thousands. The event aims to integrate sports with agriculture, culture, tourism, and commerce, boosting county-level consumption. Chengmai launched sports tourism routes combining spectating, sightseeing, and experiences.
Skift has announced the finalists for its eighth-annual 2026 IDEA Awards, recognizing innovation and creativity across the travel industry. Drawn from more than 490 global entries, finalists are organized into seven categories: Industry Innovators, Change Makers, Creative Thinkers, Problem Solvers, Travel Technology, Short-Term Rentals, and Meetings & Events. Finalists include Marriott, Delta, Lufthansa Innovation Hub, Virgin Australia, Amex GBT, and Intrepid Travel. Winners will be announced on August 26 by an independent panel of expert judges.
Universal Beijing Resort announced its autumn event 'Scare-prise' will return from September 4 to November 1, featuring first-time IP collaborations with 'The Lost Tomb' and 'Identity V', offering five haunted spaces and four street scare zones, along with limited-time dining and merchandise. Some evening experiences have specific operating dates.
GBTA Convention 2026 took place August 3-5 in Chicago, attracting over 5,500 attendees from 47 countries, including nearly 1,200 buyers from 681 companies representing over $46 billion in annual travel spend. The 2026 GBTA Business Travel Index was released, forecasting global business travel spending to reach $1.71 trillion.
The China Air Transport Association announced that the 4th CATA Aviation Conference will be held from September 17-19, 2026, at the China National Convention Center Phase II in Beijing, under the theme 'AI and Civil Aviation Integration Development'. The conference will feature an opening ceremony, industry forums, and a professional exhibition, exploring AI applications in civil aviation safety, operations, and services.
At its annual gala in Chicago, the GBTA Foundation honored leaders and organizations driving sustainability and raised $83,250 to support the NextGen Program, which provides career scholarships for students. Winners included Sarah Martin from Amex GBT, Shirley Stroud from BCD Travel, Anna Rose Feinberg from Alo Index, and Meta and United Airlines. Dave Hilfman received the Luminary Award.
On August 1, the core project of Guilin Sunac Resort, Fengshen Fantasy Performing Arts City, reopened with a new look, covering 280,000 square meters. Centered on the Fengshen IP, it features 8 original storylines and 42 NPCs for all-day interaction. The nighttime core performance 'Fengshen Grand Ceremony' is performed by over 80 actors. Three themed parks have been renovated simultaneously, covering water, family, and all-age entertainment needs.
On July 24, the Xibaipo 1948 Cultural Tourism Commercial Street opened for trial operation, invested by Shijiazhuang Cultural Tourism Investment Group. Rooted in the revolutionary holy land of Xibaipo, the street integrates red culture and Taihang folk customs, planning 74 shops, creating an immersive cultural tourism commercial street combining red culture experience, specialty dining, cultural creative retail, and leisure entertainment.
On July 24, a cultural-commercial-tourism project with a total investment of 2 billion yuan was signed in Zhongshan, located south of Dengdu Ecological Wetland Park, covering about 100 mu. The project will break traditional 'box-style' commerce, incorporating park-style commerce and immersive experiences, with a five-star hotel and super high-rise buildings, including a lamp culture museum and an observation platform above 150 meters.
MGME, a meetings and events specialist and part of InteleTravel, has acquired San Francisco-based Key Meetings & Events for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition will double MGME's revenue and employee base. Key Meetings & Events founder Heather Keenan will join MGME's senior leadership.
Travel and spend management platform Engine has added event management capabilities to its group travel offering. Engine Groups now offers self-serve booking for room blocks, tailored hotel recommendations, a dedicated event page, and a real-time dashboard. In H1 2026, over 460,000 room nights were booked through Engine Groups, growing more than fivefold year over year.
The Aviation Food Branch of China Air Transport Association held an 'Aviation Catering Enterprise Management Improvement Training' from July 8-10, 2026 at the COMAC Academy in Shanghai. Middle and senior managers from aviation catering companies across China attended. The training focused on industry development trends, policy orientation, and management innovation during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, with modules on strategic vision, regulations, and innovative practices. Participants visited COMAC's assembly line for C919 and the Eastern Airlines Catering cloud space exhibition.
The 25th China Internet Conference showcased AI-powered cultural tourism projects, including AI guides at Sayram Lake in Xinjiang, MR experiences in Shanghai, and robot dance troupes at the National Stadium in Beijing. China Mobile launched an 'AI + digital tourism one-stop solution' deployed in Xinjiang with over 5 million visits last year. Demand for robot performances is strong, with the domestic performance robot rental market expected to exceed 10 billion yuan in 2026.
Eight travel tech startups were named winners of the 2026 Global Startup Pitch at Phocuswright Europe in Barcelona. Winners from Asia Pacific, emerging markets, Europe, and North America will showcase at WiT Singapore in September.
The Global Startup Pitch, jointly produced by WiT, Phocuswright, and PhocusWire, announced 17 finalists from North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Emerging Markets. The finals will take place at Phocuswright Europe in Barcelona on June 16.
Phocuswright has announced the launch of its Travel Marketing AI Summit, scheduled for March 24, 2026, in New York City. The one-day executive-level event will bring together senior leaders from travel, marketing, and technology to discuss how AI is reshaping the traveler journey and how leaders should respond. Designed for high-level dialogue and actionable insight, the summit focuses on real-world applications of AI rather than product pitches. Featured speakers include executives from Google, Booking.com, Hopper, Hotels.com, and more.
SAP Concur published a Seattle travel guide for Fusion 2025 attendees, with over 3,000 attendees from around the world expected. The guide covers transportation from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (about 15 miles from downtown) via Link Light Rail, downtown walking and public transit options, and recommended restaurants and attractions. The article cites SAP Concur booking data showing nearly a quarter of all business expenses are for meals, and over 30 million flights were booked in Concur Travel in the past year, with business travel bookings up 3% for domestic and 6% for international flights.
SAP Concur published a blog on event management challenges and trends in regulated industries. Common challenges include venue selection and logistics, budget management, and ROI and measurable outcomes. Trends include hybrid and virtual events, personalization and customization, and sustainability and green initiatives. Event management platforms can help with centralized coordination, budget tracking, and reporting.
SAP Concur published an article exploring strategies for efficient event management to optimize investments in meetings and events. It suggests measures such as data-driven decision-making, consolidating purchasing power, simplified budget tracking and ROI measurement, automating planning processes, and prioritizing participant safety to help organizations reduce costs and improve financial outcomes.
A SAP Concur blog post introduces Concur Event Management by Groupize, addressing logistical, budgetary, and compliance challenges of traditional meeting management. Meeting costs average 41% of organizations' T&E budgets but are spread across systems and spreadsheets, lacking total cost visibility. The solution offers self-service planning, automated rules and approvals, venue bidding, safety protocols (e.g., vaccination card upload and contact tracing), one-click shift to virtual, and cost tracking from initial to final budget for ROI assessment.
SAP held SAPPHIRE NOW 2018 in Orlando, a four-day event with over 21,000 attendees from over 100 countries. The event featured a diversity and inclusion summit, keynotes, and customer interactions, showcasing AI and machine learning potential in expense management.
A SAP Concur blog author shares experience attending the 2018 Lesbians Who Tech + Allies Summit. The summit attracted over 5,000 attendees from a community of 30,000+ members. The author highlights opportunities for cross-functional networking, access to industry leaders, and the importance of diversity and inclusion. The article encourages companies with resources to sponsor and participate.
A SAP Concur blog post notes that according to the American Express Meetings & Events Global Forecast, 81% of business events in 2022 are expected to have an in-person element. It says meeting management requirements have fundamentally changed, including the rise of hybrid conference models, greater budgetary oversight, increased focus on safety, and greater demand to personalize the attendee experience. SAP Concur's Marchelle Klippenstein says event and travel budgets are now zero-based, and organizations need holistic visibility to manage the entire spend category. The post introduces Concur Event Management by Groupize, an extension of Concur Travel and Concur Expense that consolidates m…
This SAP Concur blog post covers the 2018 Lesbians Who Tech Summit, emphasizing diversity and inclusion. The summit set speaker goals of 50% women of color and 10% trans and gender non-conforming professionals. The community has over 30,000 members in 39 cities. The article also discusses SAP's hiring philosophy of 'culture adds' over 'culture fits'.
A SAP Concur blog post states that approximately 1,000 SAP Concur employees and more than 2,300 customers and partners traveled to San Diego, California for the annual customer conference SAP Concur Fusion. The conference's CSR activity partnered with The Boys and Girls Club of San Diego on its Pack the Bus initiative, which has an annual goal of filling 1,000 backpacks. The SAP Concur CSR team, with employee and customer volunteers, exceeded that goal by packing 2,000 backpacks. Many participants returned to packing stations multiple times, and a few volunteers packed more than 100 backpacks each. The Boys and Girls Club of Greater San Diego has served the area for more than 75 years, with…
In an SAP Concur podcast, Groupize co-founder Alisa de Gaspe Beaubien discusses how Concur Event Management democratizes meeting planning. The platform targets occasional planners, offering venue bidding, automatic cost comparison reports, registration with vaccination card upload, real-time communication, budget tracking, and post-event reconciliation. The conversation notes that group meetings account for about 43% of T&E spend, and about 43% of workers are contingent, whom the platform can manage as non-profile travelers. Research shows the solution can save 23 hours per event.
SAP Concur will showcase its travel and expense management solutions at SAPPHIRE NOW, including integration with SAP S/4HANA Cloud and machine learning fraud detection. The event will be held in Orlando on June 5, expecting over 20,000 attendees.
SAP Concur offers six tips for managing event and meeting costs: have a solid strategy, view all events holistically, plan ahead, use technology to centralize the process, set aside one-fourth of the budget for unexpected expenses, and track and analyze event spending throughout the year. The post notes event spending covers venues, travel, food, audio-visual and more, and that multiple purchasers can lead to budget overspend.
A SAP Concur blog post announces that SAP is returning to the Lesbians Who Tech Summit. Founded by Leanne Pittsford in 2012, the summit is the largest gathering of LGBTQ professionals in the world, with a community of 50,000 LGBTQ women, trans and non-binary people, queer women of color, and allies. Approximately 80% of speakers are queer women, 50% women of color, 25% black and latinx, and 15% transgender and gender non-conforming. Michelle Grover, SAP Concur VP of Software Development, will speak on March 2 at the Main Stage Castro Theater on 'From Green Books to Neighborhood Safety Scores: Innovative Ways to Find Safe Spaces.' The post also profiles Bharat Sri Vardhan, a data scientist w…