As a follow up to “21 Uncomfortable Truths That I Have Learned About the Travel Industry”, the CEO of Skift, Rafat Ali decided to write out all the things that inspire him about the daily and larger promise of travel and the industry that drives it.
According to Rafat Ali, here are some things that inspire him about the industry:
1)That travel really is the worlds largest industry embedded and enmeshed with every sector in the world. It is truly now the geopolitical center of the world.
2)That all the big consumer and tech trends converge first in travel making a global vessel for everything.
3)That travel is the most progressive manifestation of human curiosity.
4)That the global face of travelers really has changed with the rise of all other parts of the world, even if the travel industry executives still have to catch up with the diversity that passes through their businesses.
5)That food, the best entry into any country and culture has become one of the main drivers of travel around the world.
6)That as tech backlash takes over in various ways big and small but in the travel industry, humans will always be at the forefront for travelers.
7)That messaging apps like WhatsApp, Skype, Messenger, WeChat — have completely changed how we travel and keep in touch with anyone and everyone, at a low cost and Wi-Fi around the world.
8)That Innovations in modern wellness have the potential to become the next big opportunity in travel.
9)That corporate travel is finally seeing well-funded startups trying to innovate all across the spectrum, most of all with services and tools for the tired business travelers.
10)That small businesses do matter in travel where they drive a lot of business collectively in all possible ways across all sectors of travel. And that most of these family-owned businesses have been in existence for decades.
11)The gargantuan daily global dance that airline businesses have to do just to be able to operate, is breathtaking in its scope to understand.
12)That travel has become a big part of how people think about spending money everywhere in the world now. Experience is a cliche that is true now more than ever.
13)That once you do become part of the travel industry, you have this heightened sense of awareness when you travel on your own, which makes your travels even more worthwhile than the past. We call it the “Hyperaware Skift state of travel!”
