Rafat
@rafat.bsky.social
CEO/Founder, Skift. Dad of two hyperactive boys, Indo-Brit-American, Global Soul. Eater of mangoes, guavas & sugarcane. Personal blog: http://rafat.org
Experimenting with a new podcast mini-series at Skift: “How I Travel”, on the personal philosophies on travel.
We are kicking off with the closest global philosopher-muse I know, Colin Nagy, probably the best travel interview you would have heard in recent times. skift.com/2024/12/26/n...
We are kicking off with the closest global philosopher-muse I know, Colin Nagy, probably the best travel interview you would have heard in recent times. skift.com/2024/12/26/n...
New Skift Podcast Mini-Series: How I Travel
Listen to Skift's podcast mini-series "How I Travel."
skift.com
December 27, 2024 at 2:36 PM
Experimenting with a new podcast mini-series at Skift: “How I Travel”, on the personal philosophies on travel.
We are kicking off with the closest global philosopher-muse I know, Colin Nagy, probably the best travel interview you would have heard in recent times. skift.com/2024/12/26/n...
We are kicking off with the closest global philosopher-muse I know, Colin Nagy, probably the best travel interview you would have heard in recent times. skift.com/2024/12/26/n...
We’re starting a new feature on Skift: using AI + our edit expertise to analyze public travel cos earnings calls & 10Q & 10K SEC filings to unearth tech opportunities: upcoming system upgrades, emerging RFPs, or digital transformations. We’re kicking off with Soho House. skift.com/2024/12/26/n...
New Skift Feature: Uncovering Tech Vendor Opportunities Using AI Analysis
At Skift, we recognize that corporate financial filings of public companies—including earnings-call transcripts, quarterly 10-Qs, and annual 10-Ks—provide
skift.com
December 26, 2024 at 6:08 PM
We’re starting a new feature on Skift: using AI + our edit expertise to analyze public travel cos earnings calls & 10Q & 10K SEC filings to unearth tech opportunities: upcoming system upgrades, emerging RFPs, or digital transformations. We’re kicking off with Soho House. skift.com/2024/12/26/n...
Listings were never the answer, the days of endless scrolling through similar travel listings may soon be over. One of the first travel sectors to become answers driven is the experiences sector, followed by hotels & airlines in hybrid. I argue it out: skift.com/2024/12/24/l...
Listings Were Never the Answer
In this fast-dawning age of AI answers as the default construct for what we are searching for, the traditional listings paradigm that has dominated online
skift.com
December 24, 2024 at 3:35 PM
Listings were never the answer, the days of endless scrolling through similar travel listings may soon be over. One of the first travel sectors to become answers driven is the experiences sector, followed by hotels & airlines in hybrid. I argue it out: skift.com/2024/12/24/l...
The more I think about it, the more these CEO/CEO suite newsletters by mainstream media will have a hard time in this media-obsolescence age. If you are a CEO and want to learn cutting edge AI and implications would you learn from a journalist or BG2 pod? www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVcS...
AI Semiconductor Landscape feat. Dylan Patel | BG2 w/ Bill Gurley & Brad Gerstner
YouTube video by Bg2 Pod
www.youtube.com
December 23, 2024 at 9:56 PM
The more I think about it, the more these CEO/CEO suite newsletters by mainstream media will have a hard time in this media-obsolescence age. If you are a CEO and want to learn cutting edge AI and implications would you learn from a journalist or BG2 pod? www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVcS...
Reposted by Rafat
Anguilla is a small island with a big secret. It owns one of the most lucrative pieces of digital real estate in the world: the .ai domain. Now that ChatGPT brought artificial intelligence mainstream, it could transform the island's tourism economy – and its future.
skift.com/2024/12/22/h...
skift.com/2024/12/22/h...
How Two Little Letters Made Anguilla into a Hidden Caribbean Goldmine
Anguilla is a small island with a big secret. It owns one of the most lucrative pieces of digital real estate in the world: the .ai domain.
skift.com
December 22, 2024 at 2:49 PM
Anguilla is a small island with a big secret. It owns one of the most lucrative pieces of digital real estate in the world: the .ai domain. Now that ChatGPT brought artificial intelligence mainstream, it could transform the island's tourism economy – and its future.
skift.com/2024/12/22/h...
skift.com/2024/12/22/h...
Reporting is not threatened by AI, writing out of the reporting is, I 100% believe. Of course humans will do storytelling better but humans instructing AI to do it will only get better & better so I won’t discount that part out yet.
Still forming my thoughts on it as I test it out myself daily.
Still forming my thoughts on it as I test it out myself daily.
December 21, 2024 at 6:10 PM
Reporting is not threatened by AI, writing out of the reporting is, I 100% believe. Of course humans will do storytelling better but humans instructing AI to do it will only get better & better so I won’t discount that part out yet.
Still forming my thoughts on it as I test it out myself daily.
Still forming my thoughts on it as I test it out myself daily.
Well this is a bummer, Remote Year was a small but pioneering company with an outsized impact on the edges. At least it was trying something different. Sad to see it end like this, in acrimony. skift.com/2024/12/21/r...
Remote Year Shuts Down Despite New Owners’ Earlier Promises of a Bright Future
Remote Year, the travel startup that pioneered month-to-month work-and-travel programs, is shutting down after nearly a decade in operation. The company
skift.com
December 21, 2024 at 12:29 PM
Well this is a bummer, Remote Year was a small but pioneering company with an outsized impact on the edges. At least it was trying something different. Sad to see it end like this, in acrimony. skift.com/2024/12/21/r...
The fact that NYT/WSJ/FT or any big mainstream media reporter has NOT done a single detailed profile of @seangriffey.bsky.social says *everything* that needs time said about how clueless they are about what is real business value in media.
December 20, 2024 at 9:06 PM
The fact that NYT/WSJ/FT or any big mainstream media reporter has NOT done a single detailed profile of @seangriffey.bsky.social says *everything* that needs time said about how clueless they are about what is real business value in media.
I am betting on technology to solve climate challenges in travel, first, then policy and then traveler responsibility. It is time for a solutionist mindset in travel. skift.com/2024/12/19/a...
After Overtourism: Pivoting from Traveler-Shaming to Systemic Solutions
The world is on the cusp of a technological renaissance in climate solutions. These breakthroughs can transform the way we travel.
skift.com
December 19, 2024 at 3:45 PM
I am betting on technology to solve climate challenges in travel, first, then policy and then traveler responsibility. It is time for a solutionist mindset in travel. skift.com/2024/12/19/a...
This one made me quiet popular in travel media community: skift.com/2024/12/18/t...
skift.com
December 18, 2024 at 7:02 PM
This one made me quiet popular in travel media community: skift.com/2024/12/18/t...
This street art in Maarif area of Casablanca definitely gripped me like few others, mostly because maybe the kids look like mine. Gorgeously done.
December 18, 2024 at 8:38 AM
This street art in Maarif area of Casablanca definitely gripped me like few others, mostly because maybe the kids look like mine. Gorgeously done.
Here an idea: Cold/lukewarm food for kids at restaurants.
Cooling down fresh hot food for kids becomes a whole thing for parents, might as well make it easy, and you have my loyalty.
Cooling down fresh hot food for kids becomes a whole thing for parents, might as well make it easy, and you have my loyalty.
December 17, 2024 at 1:56 PM
Here an idea: Cold/lukewarm food for kids at restaurants.
Cooling down fresh hot food for kids becomes a whole thing for parents, might as well make it easy, and you have my loyalty.
Cooling down fresh hot food for kids becomes a whole thing for parents, might as well make it easy, and you have my loyalty.
I said this almost 15 years ago giving the example of TIME, when everyone was high on iPad magazine versions. 15 years later, the lesson still applies: just because you add AI summaries to your articles, doesn't make it better, no one will give a shit: time.com/7201556/gene...
December 16, 2024 at 4:15 PM
I said this almost 15 years ago giving the example of TIME, when everyone was high on iPad magazine versions. 15 years later, the lesson still applies: just because you add AI summaries to your articles, doesn't make it better, no one will give a shit: time.com/7201556/gene...
Wild sage grows unbothered on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, silver leaves braving wind and salt.
Western tourist gapes in amazement, locals think he’s an idiot for taking a photo….
Western tourist gapes in amazement, locals think he’s an idiot for taking a photo….
December 15, 2024 at 2:11 PM
Wild sage grows unbothered on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, silver leaves braving wind and salt.
Western tourist gapes in amazement, locals think he’s an idiot for taking a photo….
Western tourist gapes in amazement, locals think he’s an idiot for taking a photo….
One thing you learn if you travel in Middle East or Africa or Central Asia: how dominant Turkish consumer products are, they are cheap and reliable enough and very well distributed. Check for BIM grocery store and brands in Morocco, you would be surprise how ubiquitous it is.
December 13, 2024 at 2:17 PM
One thing you learn if you travel in Middle East or Africa or Central Asia: how dominant Turkish consumer products are, they are cheap and reliable enough and very well distributed. Check for BIM grocery store and brands in Morocco, you would be surprise how ubiquitous it is.
This is a fascinating buy from a big brand hotel chain, worth watching how it keeps the core of the brand (outdoor in-the-nature tiny-house stays) promise.
Travelers are craving for a different immersive experience, challenge is it is hard to scale it with consistency. skift.com/2024/12/12/m...
Travelers are craving for a different immersive experience, challenge is it is hard to scale it with consistency. skift.com/2024/12/12/m...
Marriott Buys Startup Postcard Cabins to Help Create Outdoor Lodging Brand
Marriott International. is pushing into the outdoor hospitality market with the acquisition of the startup Postcard Cabins, formerly Getaway.
skift.com
December 12, 2024 at 8:37 PM
This is a fascinating buy from a big brand hotel chain, worth watching how it keeps the core of the brand (outdoor in-the-nature tiny-house stays) promise.
Travelers are craving for a different immersive experience, challenge is it is hard to scale it with consistency. skift.com/2024/12/12/m...
Travelers are craving for a different immersive experience, challenge is it is hard to scale it with consistency. skift.com/2024/12/12/m...
"There is a lot that can be done, both from an awareness and, even more importantly, from a policy perspective. Most of it requires changes that the travelers of today, seeking more authentic experiences, would welcome." skift.com/2024/12/12/h...
How Tourism Homogenizes Cuisines and What Are Possible Solutions
To cater to tourists, cuisines in some destinations get boiled down to the same, overly familiar dishes. Here's how to avoid that.
skift.com
December 12, 2024 at 4:55 PM
"There is a lot that can be done, both from an awareness and, even more importantly, from a policy perspective. Most of it requires changes that the travelers of today, seeking more authentic experiences, would welcome." skift.com/2024/12/12/h...
Tourism shapes what gets cooked, grown, and served. Over time, it even shapes what locals think their own cuisine is. My video diary story how tourism flattens diverse food cultures and what can be done about it. skift.com/2024/12/09/f...
Flattened Food Cultures: What’s Lost When Tourism Sets the Menu
Tourism shapes what gets cooked, grown, and served. And over time, certain cuisines get boiled down to the same, overly familiar dishes.
skift.com
December 11, 2024 at 3:10 PM
Tourism shapes what gets cooked, grown, and served. Over time, it even shapes what locals think their own cuisine is. My video diary story how tourism flattens diverse food cultures and what can be done about it. skift.com/2024/12/09/f...
Reposted by Rafat
Welcome to Skift’s 2025 Megatrends, which tell us that the travel industry, like everything else, is moving at a frenetic pace. In 2025, global politics, technology, and the very human need for connection will converge in a battle for customer dollars.
Read on now:
skift.com/megatrends-2...
Read on now:
skift.com/megatrends-2...
Skift Travel Megatrends 2025
Welcome to Skift’s 2025 Megatrends, which reveal that the travel industry, like everything else, is moving at a frenetic pace. Here's what to look for in the new year.
skift.com
December 10, 2024 at 5:34 PM
Welcome to Skift’s 2025 Megatrends, which tell us that the travel industry, like everything else, is moving at a frenetic pace. In 2025, global politics, technology, and the very human need for connection will converge in a battle for customer dollars.
Read on now:
skift.com/megatrends-2...
Read on now:
skift.com/megatrends-2...
Reposted by Rafat
This is the most important media analysis story I have written in my 25 year media career.
It is over. I wrote on mainstream media's decline across four essential vectors: economic, structural, cultural & moral. It’s the rightful conclusion of an outdated model. rafat.org/post/7693255...
It is over. I wrote on mainstream media's decline across four essential vectors: economic, structural, cultural & moral. It’s the rightful conclusion of an outdated model. rafat.org/post/7693255...
Obsolete on All Fronts: How Mainstream Media Lost Its Way
Mainstream media today exists in a precarious space, navigating its decline across four essential vectors: economic, structural, cultural, and moral. The problem isn't that this decline is...
rafat.org
December 9, 2024 at 2:34 PM
This is the most important media analysis story I have written in my 25 year media career.
It is over. I wrote on mainstream media's decline across four essential vectors: economic, structural, cultural & moral. It’s the rightful conclusion of an outdated model. rafat.org/post/7693255...
It is over. I wrote on mainstream media's decline across four essential vectors: economic, structural, cultural & moral. It’s the rightful conclusion of an outdated model. rafat.org/post/7693255...
This is the most important media analysis story I have written in my 25 year media career.
It is over. I wrote on mainstream media's decline across four essential vectors: economic, structural, cultural & moral. It’s the rightful conclusion of an outdated model. rafat.org/post/7693255...
It is over. I wrote on mainstream media's decline across four essential vectors: economic, structural, cultural & moral. It’s the rightful conclusion of an outdated model. rafat.org/post/7693255...
Obsolete on All Fronts: How Mainstream Media Lost Its Way
Mainstream media today exists in a precarious space, navigating its decline across four essential vectors: economic, structural, cultural, and moral. The problem isn't that this decline is...
rafat.org
December 9, 2024 at 2:34 PM
This is the most important media analysis story I have written in my 25 year media career.
It is over. I wrote on mainstream media's decline across four essential vectors: economic, structural, cultural & moral. It’s the rightful conclusion of an outdated model. rafat.org/post/7693255...
It is over. I wrote on mainstream media's decline across four essential vectors: economic, structural, cultural & moral. It’s the rightful conclusion of an outdated model. rafat.org/post/7693255...
Reposted by Rafat
Google should be really scared of its usage dropping. My last two weeks, ChatGPT clocking 2 hrs/week, Google 10-20 mins (out of Top 10). This would’ve been ALL Google until recently. Getting answers, translating (extended stay in Morocco), helping think thru work and writing help, my ChatGPT usage.
December 9, 2024 at 8:56 AM
Google should be really scared of its usage dropping. My last two weeks, ChatGPT clocking 2 hrs/week, Google 10-20 mins (out of Top 10). This would’ve been ALL Google until recently. Getting answers, translating (extended stay in Morocco), helping think thru work and writing help, my ChatGPT usage.
Ever since I stopped being a full time journalist, my writing comes in burst, these days I’m writing a lot, helped by AI cutting time. This one got a lot of response, the headline did the trick: skift.com/2024/11/28/t...
Travelers Are Taking Longer to Plan Trips, Despite Faster Tools to Book Them
In one of the more fascinating counterintuitive consumer behavior developments in travel, prospective travelers are now spending more time planning trips
skift.com
December 9, 2024 at 12:01 PM
Ever since I stopped being a full time journalist, my writing comes in burst, these days I’m writing a lot, helped by AI cutting time. This one got a lot of response, the headline did the trick: skift.com/2024/11/28/t...
Google should be really scared of its usage dropping. My last two weeks, ChatGPT clocking 2 hrs/week, Google 10-20 mins (out of Top 10). This would’ve been ALL Google until recently. Getting answers, translating (extended stay in Morocco), helping think thru work and writing help, my ChatGPT usage.
December 9, 2024 at 8:56 AM
Google should be really scared of its usage dropping. My last two weeks, ChatGPT clocking 2 hrs/week, Google 10-20 mins (out of Top 10). This would’ve been ALL Google until recently. Getting answers, translating (extended stay in Morocco), helping think thru work and writing help, my ChatGPT usage.