On day one, travel executives will see policies from White House that will give them renewed hope that the world will be more open and soon safer from a deadly pandemic. Four contentious years will be in the past and a steadiness returned from which to rebuild a devastated industry.

While some payments companies are retreating from the travel vertical, others are doubling down – with solutions focused on making the payments experience better, simpler, and more consistent across different geographies and platforms.

Enthusiasm for IPOs is booming in the wake of Airbnb's sensational debut as a public company. But only a handful of startups, possibly including Turo, Traveloka, Yanolja, Gett, Tujia, SiteMinder, Sonder, and Vacasa, may have enough positive growth in 2021 to woo investors.

Sister brands Vrbo and Expedia are being opportunistic in getting relatively aggressive about U.S. TV advertising early in 2021 when rival brands are standing down. You can debate whether it is smart or risky given the pandemic backdrop.

Amadeus will soon open an educational program for travel careers at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The plan is for employees and professors to use virtual reality tools and other technology to train students. If it works, it could address a yawning skills gap in the labor market.

Alaska was the first airline to officially throw its support behind Boeing's beleaguered 737 Max after the jet was ungrounded, with commitments for 36 more aircraft. But it was a long and winding road to that decision with the seed planted in its merger with Virgin America four years earlier.

How Will Online Travel Agencies Bounce Back? Does Distribution Have a Marketing Problem? These are just a few of the topics we'll address at our Skift Online Travel and Distribution Summit on February 17. You don't want to miss this incredible event, so secure your spot today.

All eyes have been on China in terms of its travel recovery. While China's hotel recovery faces a major setback now with a surge of new Covid-19 cases, the country is still likely to make a faster rebound than other parts of the world.

Well past the days of being a fringe diet, veganism has emerged as a tool for tour operators to attract guests to its excursions. And vegan-friendly tours are set to increase in years to come after pandemic.

After Trump's departure from the White House, expect the political polarizations and divisiveness to seep back into the former president's marquee business and future deals. How bad will it be for the bottom line?

The U.S. travel rate's decline to 28 percent in December is only three percentage points higher than what it was in March. However, Americans seem to be optimistic of a better 2021 ahead.