Marriott CEO: Virtual Meetings and Remote Work Won’t Hurt Hotels Permanently

Manningmbd  / Wikimedia

Marriott President and CEO Arne Sorenson doesn’t anticipate coronavirus to have a different impact on the hotel industry than any other economic crisis has in the last 30 years. Manningmbd / Wikimedia

Skift Take: Marriott’s Arne Sorenson is optimistic that hotels will eventually go back to pre-coronavirus performance levels, but the biggest uncertainty remains over how long group travel fears will prevent business from a full rebound.

— Cameron Sperance

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Airlines Will Tap New Tech in These Uncertain Times to Make It Easier to Change Restricted Tickets

JetBlue

A passenger checks in for a JetBlue flight. JetBlue

Skift Take: Many travelers no longer want to take some trips this year for various reasons, even if their flights haven’t been canceled. A new automated solution will speed up the pace at which airlines can rebook passengers by overriding the restrictions on tickets bought before the crisis.

— Sean O’Neill

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China Eases Flight Curbs After U.S. Targets Its Carriers

孤飞的鹤  / Adobe

China has slashed international flights since late March to allay concerns over rising coronavirus infections brought by arriving passengers. 孤飞的鹤 / Adobe

Skift Take: China’s policies are about to become even more complex, and airlines will need to jump through even more hoops if they want to increase flight frequencies to the country.

— Matthew Parsons

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Caribbean Islands Reopen to International Tourism

JumpStory

An image of Gros Piton, or Grand Piton, a mountain in the southern tip of the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. JumpStory

Skift Take: A cluster of Caribbean islands, including Saint Lucia, are reopening this month for international tourism. But be cautious. Federal forecasters expect an above-average hurricane season amid a pandemic.

— Sean O’Neill

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Austria to Lift Coronavirus Travel Restrictions With Its Neighbors — Except Italy

Emmanuel DYAN  / Flickr

Austria will continue to enforce travel restrictions to and from Italy due to that country’s higher coronavirus infection rate. Emmanuel DYAN / Flickr

Skift Take: Austria’s continued plans to enforce travel restrictions against Italy show shared borders don’t mean automatic admittance to a travel bubble during the coronavirus recovery.

— Cameron Sperance

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Prague Tempts Visitors With Cheaper Czech Beer and Other Perks

JumpStory

An image of the Charles River flowing through Prague, Czech Republic. JumpStory

Skift Take: Only last December, the Czech capital had many residents griping about overtourism. The pandemic has since crushed tourism, prompting local businesses to tempt visitors back with cheaper prices. Hopefully a balance can be struck.

— Sean O’Neill

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