Skift Research

What Skift Research does

Skift Research is a B2B subscription-based research and decision-intelligence platform serving the global travel industry. It operates as the research division of Skift, a travel media company founded in 2012 and headquartered in New York with research analysts in the US, UK, and India. The core offering combines tiered subscription access (Essentials at $2,295/year for 2-5 seats through custom-priced Global tier for 50+ seats), 40+ proprietary research reports annually covering ten travel industry sectors, and direct analyst engagement ranging from email Q&A to named analyst relationships and 8+ analyst briefings per year at the Global tier. Named enterprise customers include Accor, Hilton, Best Western, Booking Holdings, Airbnb, and Airbus.

The platform is anchored by three differentiated data products. The Skift Travel Health Index (STHI) provides real-time benchmarking of global travel industry performance across airlines, hospitality, online travel, and traveler behavior, aggregating data from 20+ partners including Amadeus, OAG, Skyscanner, Duetto, Lighthouse, Sojern, and RateGain. The Skift Travel 200 (ST200) combines financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single index. Ask Skift is an AI search tool launched in 2025-2026 that delivers Q&A over more than a decade of Skift Research archives and public financial information. A 380+ report archive dating to 2014 provides longitudinal depth, while flagship initiatives like the Skift India Travel Scorecard (launched March 2026) and a co-produced "Remapping Travel With Agentic AI" report with McKinsey & Company signal ongoing product expansion.

The go-to-market motion is primarily sales-led B2B subscription targeting corporate strategy, commercial, and investment teams within travel companies, supplemented by event-driven demand generation through Skift Global Forum, Skift India Summit, and the Skift Travel Podcast. Revenue mechanics rest on recurring annual subscriptions scaled by team size, topped up by one-time individual report purchases ranging from $195 to $495, with 160+ organizations reported as subscribers. The team is led by Head of Research Seth Borko (ex-J.P. Morgan) alongside six additional named researchers and editors with backgrounds spanning aviation consulting (Deloitte, CAPA India), hotel valuation (HVS), ESG, and policy (OECD), supporting both the breadth and credibility of the research practice.

Name

Skift Research

Legal name

Skift Research

Website

https://research.skift.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Skift Research is a B2B subscription decision-intelligence platform serving the global travel industry, offering proprietary data products (Skift Travel Health Index, Skift Travel 200, Ask Skift AI), 40+ annual sector research reports, and named analyst access to enterprise travel and hospitality customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Subscription: Annual subscription model with tiered plans providing access to 40+ reports annually, data tools (STHI, ST200), Ask Skift AI tool, and varying levels of analyst engagement. Revenue is recurring subscription-based, with pricing scaled by team size from Essentials (2-5 seats) to Global (50+ seats).
2. Individual Report Purchase: Individual reports available for one-time purchase at various price points ($195-$495 per report), providing additional revenue from non-subscribers or supplementary purchases by existing subscribers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Skift Research is a B2B decision-intelligence platform for travel industry professionals that sells subscription-based access to 380+ proprietary research reports, data products (Skift Travel Health Index and Skift Travel 200), an AI-powered search tool (Ask Skift), and tiered analyst engagement. The platform combines consumer surveys, market sizing, financial benchmarking, and sector-level analysis to support strategic planning across airlines, hospitality, online travel, and destinations.

Product overview

Skift Research is a decision-intelligence platform for travel industry professionals. The core offering consists of subscription tiers (Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Global) that provide access to 380+ research reports published since 2014 (40+ new reports annually), proprietary data products (the Skift Travel Health Index and the Skift Travel 200), an AI search tool (Ask Skift), a monthly Data Pulse Newsletter, and varying levels of direct analyst engagement (analyst briefings, named analyst relationships, advisory workshops). Reports span five main categories: Travel Industry Essentials, Hospitality, Destinations, Online Travel, Airlines, and Traveler Profiles. The platform is organized around sectors including Airlines, Business Travel, Consumer Habits, Destinations, Distribution, Hospitality, Marketing and Media, Online Travel, and Technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Skift Travel Health Index: A real-time measure of the performance of the travel industry at large, tracking airlines, hospitality, online travel, and traveler behavior across multiple data indicators
• Skift Travel 200
• Ask Skift
• Data Pulse
• Skift India Travel Scorecard

Products and services

• Skift Travel Health Index (STHI) A real-time benchmarking index measuring performance of the global travel industry and its core verticals (airlines, hospitality, online travel, distribution), providing year-on-year indexing, regional scores, and sector-level analysis for travel industry professionals and corporate strategy teams.
• Skift Travel 200 (ST200)

Quantifiable outcome

• Travel industry growth forecast accuracy documented through historical STHI performance tracking
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and strategic.

• AmadeuscoreTechnology or IntegrationData partner providing travel industry data for Skift Travel Health Index, contributing to real-time performance tracking of global travel industry.
• OAGcoreTechnology or IntegrationAviation data specialist providing airline scheduling and capacity data for Skift Travel Health Index airline sector analysis.
• SkyscannercoreTechnology or IntegrationTravel search platform providing booking and search data for travel demand indicators in Skift Travel Health Index.
• CriteosupportingTechnology or IntegrationAdvertising technology data provider contributing travel booking intent and advertising performance data to Skift research.
• DuettosupportingTechnology or IntegrationHotel revenue management technology providing pricing and revenue data for hospitality sector analysis.
• LighthousesupportingTechnology or IntegrationHotel commercial intelligence platform providing data for accommodation sector performance tracking.
• Key Data DashboardsupportingTechnology or IntegrationShort-term rental data provider contributing accommodation performance metrics to Skift research.
• CollinsonsupportingTechnology or IntegrationTravel experience and loyalty data provider contributing traveler spending and behavior insights.
• CarTrawlersupportingTechnology or IntegrationGround transportation data provider contributing car rental and ground transport performance data.
• BeyondsupportingTechnology or IntegrationRevenue management and pricing intelligence for short-term rentals contributing to accommodation sector data.
• NiumsupportingTechnology or IntegrationTravel payments platform providing payment and transaction data for travel industry performance analysis.
• SojernsupportingTechnology or IntegrationDigital marketing solutions provider contributing travel audience and booking intent data.
• Shiji GroupsupportingTechnology or IntegrationHotel technology provider contributing property management and distribution data for hospitality analysis.
• Onyx CenterSourcesupportingTechnology or IntegrationTravel procurement and AP automation provider contributing hotel payment and commission data.
• HotelbedssupportingTechnology or IntegrationB2B travel wholesaler providing accommodation and activity booking data for market analysis.
• AviasalessupportingTechnology or IntegrationTravel search aggregator providing flight search and booking data for airline sector analysis.
• CendynsupportingTechnology or IntegrationHotel CRM and revenue marketing platform contributing guest booking and loyalty data.
• TravelgateXsupportingTechnology or IntegrationTravel marketplace connectivity provider contributing B2B booking transaction data.
• TrustYousupportingTechnology or IntegrationGuest feedback and reputation management platform contributing traveler sentiment data.
• RateGainsupportingTechnology or IntegrationTravel and hospitality revenue management solutions provider contributing pricing and demand intelligence data.
• McKinsey & CompanystrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint report collaboration on agentic AI in travel industry. Skift and McKinsey co-produced 'Remapping Travel With Agentic AI' report combining McKinsey's strategic consulting expertise with Skift's travel industry research capabilities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Phocuswright: Phocuswright is a travel industry research firm producing subscription research, custom research, and conferences focused on online travel, hospitality, and tourism trends — directly comparable to Skift Research's B2B travel intelligence subscription model and analyst-driven report format.
• OAG: OAG is an aviation data specialist providing schedules, capacity, and fares intelligence that feeds both airline operations and travel industry research; it is already a Skift data partner but also a comparable supplier of travel intelligence to enterprise buyers.
• Lodging Econometrics: Lodging Econometrics provides hotel pipeline, construction, and franchise research to the hospitality industry via subscription and custom reports — directly comparable to Skift Research's hospitality sector subscription research and benchmarking.
• STR (CoStar): STR is the dominant hotel benchmarking and hospitality data provider, selling performance data, forecasts, and research reports to hotels, chains, and travel companies — overlapping with Skift Research's hospitality coverage and benchmark-driven analytics.
• Euromonitor International: Euromonitor publishes syndicated market research across consumer industries including a dedicated Travel and Tourism practice offering country reports, consumer surveys, and industry forecasts — a comparable subscription-based research model serving enterprise travel strategy teams.
• Tourism Economics (Oxford Economics): Tourism Economics produces travel industry forecasts, economic impact studies, and benchmarking data used by destinations, hospitality firms, and investors — closely aligned with Skift Research's quantitative travel performance analytics and Skift Travel 200-style financial index work.
• HVS Global Hospitality Services: HVS produces hotel valuation, feasibility, and market intelligence reports used by hotel investors, brands, and operators — comparable to Skift Research's hospitality research and consulting-adjacent analytical depth, with overlap in destination and lodging market sizing.

Others

• Skift: Skift is the parent media brand that houses Skift Research, Skift Events (Global Forum, India Summit), Airline Weekly, Daily Lodging Report, Skift Advisory, and Skift Exec Search — a related ecosystem player whose events and media channels act as the top-of-funnel distribution engine for Skift Research.

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte (Travel, Hospitality & Leisure): Deloitte's Travel, Hospitality & Leisure practice publishes industry outlooks, consumer surveys, and benchmarking studies that overlap with Skift Research's enterprise research offering, but Deloitte also bundles the insights with consulting work for the same travel clients.
• McKinsey & Company (Travel, Hospitality & Leisure practice): McKinsey operates a global Travel, Hospitality & Leisure practice producing proprietary research and benchmarks that compete with Skift Research for the same enterprise strategy budgets; McKinsey is also a current Skift research co-author, illustrating the partnership-versus-competition dynamic.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/skift
• Facebookfacebook.com/Skiftnews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skiftresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Skift Research