New York - United States

This week, New York turns into a meeting point for global travel industry leaders with the Skift Global Forum 2026 kicking off today, September 22, and continuing until September 24 at North Javits Center. The thirteenth session is held under the title “Travel’s Great Recalibration - The Great Recalibration of Travel,” at a time when the industry is facing rapid change in traveler behavior, geopolitical turmoil, and technological transformations led by artificial intelligence applications.

Heavy names on one table

The forum brings together CEOs and decision-makers from the largest travel, hospitality and technology companies, including Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, Glenn Vogel, president of Booking Holdings, Ariane Gorin, CEO of Expedia Group, Christopher Nassetta, president and CEO of Hilton, Sébastien Bazin, chairman and CEO of Accor, in addition to Hamad Al Khater, CEO of Qatar Airways Group.

Who will own the traveler in the age of artificial intelligence?
The program poses a strategic question for tourism companies: What happens to the brand-traveler relationship when AI agents take over the research, planning and booking? Discussions include reshaping search and booking, the future of customer experience, hotel growth under pressure, and the ability of airlines to adapt to a world where markets are reordering.

Al Khater draws a new growth map

The Arab presence in the program is highlighted by Hamad Al Khater, CEO of Qatar Airways Group, who participates in a session entitled “Reimagining the Global Growth Map.” The session comes within a broader discussion about changing demand centers, travel movement, and the markets that will lead the next stage.

Decisions, not just discussions

Brian Quinn, Skift's vice president of editorial events, says the 2026 sessions are designed around real decisions that leaders need to make over the next 12 months, rather than simply discussing general trends; This gives the forum a practical character at a time when industry rules are changing rapidly.

Promising opportunities and anticipating the growth horizon for the Arab investor and tourist
For the investor and Arab tourism companies, the importance of the forum lies in the files that will determine the future of competition: booking platforms supported by artificial intelligence, hotel investment, aviation, the luxury traveler, and changing channels of destination discovery. The presence of Qatar Airways in the program also places the vision of a major Arab airline directly within the global debate about the future travel growth map.