New York's New Mayor Zohran Mamdani & The Eastward Shift in Travel

In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast , Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit and Head of Research Seth Borko unpack a big week in travel and politics. Fresh off Skift Global Forum East in Abu Dhabi, they discuss how the center of gravity in global tourism is moving eastward and what it means for destinations across the Middle East and Asia. Then, they share exclusive insights from Skift’s interview with New York City’s newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani , who reveals plans to boost the city’s tourism budget, tackle Airbnb regulation, and appoint a “tourism czar” ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The conversation wraps with highlights from Abu Dhabi’s aviation boom, TripAdvisor’s restructuring, and a surprising “winner of the week” involving pampered falcons. Presented by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EF World Journeys⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Connect with Skift: LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ WhatsApp: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://facebook.com/skiftnews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Threads: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/skift⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.