Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko discuss Skift Research’s new Silver Tsunami report and the nearly $100 billion U.S. retirees are expected to spend on travel in 2026.
They also preview Skift Global Forum, including Airbnb’s push into hotels, the travel infrastructure companies building around AI, and the growing debate over AI risk. The episode closes with a discussion of rising borrowing costs and what higher interest rates could mean for travel development and supply.
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00:00 Retirees Spend Big
01:14 Silver Tsunami Explained
02:32 Gen Z vs Older Travelers
05:47 Survey Insights on Spending
07:05 Urgency and Mortality
09:41 Cruises and Product Fit
10:09 Retiree Spend Forecasts
12:07 Hotels Meet Communities
14:01 Global Forum Preview
15:41 Airbnb Hotels and AI
18:48 AI Risk Goes Mainstream
26:45 Winner Power Rankings
31:46 Loser Fed Rate Hike
34:07 Rates Impact Travel Builds
36:16 Wrap Up and Tickets
