Black Tomato Just Did the Opposite of Every Other Travel Company

0:10F1 keeps its Abu Dhabi finale on the calendar despite war jitters, a luxury tour operator hands most of itself to its own staff, and Thailand tries, again, to collect a tourist fee. This is Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter, bringing you today's Skift Daily Briefing. It's Tuesday, August 25th. Let's get into it. First off, Formula One says its Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is on, as scheduled, after months of uncertainty around whether the U.S.-Iran war would force it off the calendar. F1 already pulled races from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia that were scheduled for March, a shift the World Travel and Tourism Council estimates cost over$200 million in lost hotel, flight, and hospitality spend.

0:50Abu Dhabi keeps showing us what an F1 week is worth. Hotels hit 93 % occupancy during race week in 2022 and 2025. while average daily rates nearly doubled over that span, from about$500 to nearly$900. It's a sign Abu Dhabi's tourism bet on marquee events like F1 is paying off. Next up, luxury tour operator Black Tomatoes sold 75 % of the business into an employee ownership trust, not to private equity, according to an exclusive from Skiff's climate reporter, Tasman Lockwood. The founders kept a 25 % stake and, importantly, control of decision-making. Co-founder Tom Murchin told Skip that it protects the company's spirit and approach while giving staff some future upside.

1:31It's a founder-led alternative to private equity. Black to me know it gets the call itself employee-owned without giving up the wheel. The announcement is a pointed contrast to Travel's PE wave, like Apollo's$7.7 billion EasyJet buy and Long Lake Management agreeing to take Amex GBT private in a deal worth$6.3 billion. Murchin said he's had plenty of PE interest, but he didn't want to risk losing control and changing the company's direction. Finally, Thailand is reviving its foreign tourist fee for the latest of several attempts since 2020. The new fee would charge about$14 per visitor, with collection from air travelers targeted for early 2027.

2:04The policy has been repeatedly approved, delayed, revised, and abandoned over the years as the government prioritized tourism recovery. The latest attempt comes as arrivals are still soft, running about 3 % behind last year. Revenue would fund things like visitor insurance and safety, infrastructure development, environmental restoration, and tourism research. but how to actually collect the bee remains an open question. That is your Skip Daily Breathing. For more industry news, you can check out skift.com and subscribe at skip.com backslash daily.