Skift Take
Rashad Jorden
Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, July 11th, and we’re here to tell you what you need to know about the travel industry today.
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Episode Notes
Paris is expecting a slight increase in international visitors for the upcoming Summer Olympics, but not a massive surge, writes international tourism reporter Dawit Habtemariam.
Fewer than 15% of the roughly 11 million visitors expected to come to the Olympics will be foreigners, according to the Paris Tourist Board. Corinne Menegaux, the Paris Tourist Board’s director, has previously said the majority of Olympic ticket buyers will be French. Habtemariam said the Olympics is causing many travelers to avoid popular tourist destinations.
Meanwhile, international flight bookings to Paris during the Olympics (July 26 to August 11) increased by 8% compared to the same period last year, a figure that is significantly down compared to the last Summer Olympics before the COVID-19 pandemic.
And speaking of the French capital, Qantas will launch the first direct flight from Perth to Paris on Friday, taking around 17 hours, write aviation editor Gordon Smith and reporter Pranjal Pande.
Perth-Paris flights will operate four times a week until the second week of August, after which flights between the two cities will operate three times a week. Qantas currently operates extra-long-haul flights from Perth to London and Rome. The airline says nine out of 10 seats on the Perth-London route are filled.
Finally, Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill shares more about Marriott’s new online travel booking portal for small and medium-sized businesses.
The new booking platform is part of Marriott’s strategy to increase direct bookings from business travelers. Marriott executives said existing booking tools don’t meet the needs of business travelers, who are likely to make up a larger part of the company’s guest mix after the pandemic subsides. O’Neill noted that Marriott sees an opportunity to simplify the often complicated business travel process as companies seek more efficient solutions.
Presenter/Producer: Jane Alexander
Photo credit: Inside Paris’ Gare du Nord station, where the Olympic rings hang from the ceiling.
