Skift

Episode Notes Skift Global Forum kicked off in New York City on Tuesday with big news in the U.S. travel industry. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma said U.S. travelers will have the option of renewing their passports online starting on Wednesday, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi.  Verma told Skift CEO Rafat Ali that the State Department believes half of passport renewals will be done online in the near future. However, Verma acknowledged that the online option wouldn’t necessarily be faster than the in-person process – but said that it would be a better customer experience. The State Department recently tested an online renewal process, which attracted 200,000 participants.  Next, Booking Holdings’ short-term rental business is growing fast as it tries to compete with Airbnb, reports Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes. CEO Glenn Fogel told Executive Editor Dennis Schaal during Skift Global Forum that Booking Holdings is now selling two-thirds of the room nights for short-term rentals