The West doesn’t have a travel superapp, but Uber and Google Maps are the closest ones. Each are missing several things to further any superapp ambitions.
Uber lacks discovery, but people open it up because they already know they need a ride or want to order restaurant delivery. Google Maps is strong in discovery but has largely boycotted the transaction.
Will AI change the game and see each creeping into the other’s turf? Do westerners even want a superapp? Our story below from Skift founder Rafat Ali explores that terrain.
MSC CRUISES + SKIFT
Regulators are watching how cruise lines handle whale-rich waters, and MSC Cruises isn't waiting to find out what new rules might cost. Its first Alaska season comes with a marine scientist on the bridge, feeding real-time data to navigation officers, a model other lines will be watching closely.
EDITOR’S PICKS
China’s Tongcheng Travel Bids for Dida to Bring Ride-Sharing In-House
July 7, 2026
Chinese OTAs have long offered airport transfers and chauffeur services through third-party partnerships. If completed, Tongcheng's Dida acquisition would make it one of the first to own the ride-sharing marketplace itself, rather than plugging into someone else's.
OTAs Are Betting on Traveler Trust. But the Scramble Is On to Win the Trust of AI Agents
July 2, 2026
Whether or not travelers trust AI would almost be irrelevant to OTAs if the LLMs don't trust them enough to surface their inventory for discovery. The contest is on behind-the-scenes battle to become the LLMs' OTA fave.
Visa Steps Into Travel — and Into Competition With Its Own Card Issuers
June 29, 2026
Visa just officially launch a consumer travel site that competes with the banks that pay Visa to issue their cards. That's the real story here, the structural conflict of a payment network establishing direct relationships with cardholders and entering into the banks' own travel businesses.
MakeMyTrip and Cleartrip Both Just Launched Creator Programs. The Models Are Different — For Now
June 29, 2026
Two near-identical launches in five weeks prove that creator-led travel commerce is here. The hard part now is proving that a reel can turn into a booking, and deciding how much the companies are willing to spend before they have that proof.
SKIFT PODCAST NETWORK
Visa does not issue credit cards. Banks do. And those banks, Chase, Capital One, and Citi, have spent years and billions building their own travel portals. Chase Travel did $12.6 billion in sales in 2025. American Express did $11.1 billion. Now Visa has launched Visa Destinations, a consumer-facing travel platform sitting above all of them at the network level.
In this clip from Good Morning Hospitality Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk break down the structural conflict, what it means for the banks that built their travel businesses on top of Visa's rails, and why the pushback could be coming.
SKIFT TRAVEL 200
How are public travel tech companies performing around the world? The Skift Travel 200 pulls the data you need to know to understand the market. Paid subscribers get full access here.
