Curated by eMarketer, this special collection of interviews will help you understand how the travel industry is recovering post-COVID and planning for what’s ahead.

On today's episode, we discuss how and why companies are offering cheaper subscription options, the effects of the delta variant, how ready folks are for a post-cookie future, the importance of reacquainting yourself with your customers, the cost of cord-cutting, how the pandemic changed the rhythm of our workdays, if it's possible to travel to every country, and more. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst Suzy Davidkhanian, senior forecasting analyst Peter Vahle, and analyst at Insider Intelligence Blake Droesch.

The US travel industry this year remains largely impacted by the pandemic, even as travel has picked up in H2. This sluggishness is due to paused cruises, a near standstill in business travel, and restrained international travel.

On today's episode, we discuss which “digital habits” are just myths, whether travel has reached pre-pandemic levels, whether conversational commerce can take online shopping by storm, social audio getting some new big partners, which platforms creators want to create for, what it would look like if companies were mini countries, and more. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst Paul Verna, forecasting analyst Peter Vahle, and analyst at Insider Intelligence Blake Droesch.

The pandemic accelerated mobile trends by years, and these changes should stick even as the pandemic wanes. Many people were forced to use apps for food delivery, finance, fitness, and shopping, and they’ve become accustomed to these new behaviors. Even app categories that were hurt during the pandemic, such as travel or dating apps, have been resilient. People have acclimated to new forms of mobile shopping and activities, and they’ll be more willing to try mobile interfaces for other activities going forward.

Travel's on the up: With US adults' demand for domestic travel on the rise, prices are following. But there are still a few ways for marketers to capture that demand among price-conscious travelers.

The pandemic has greatly affected the distribution of digital ad spending across industries. The bottom fell out of the travel industry, as will ad spending in the sector, while retail will consolidate its dominant position in digital ad spend this year.

The pandemic has caused the US automotive industry to reduce its digital ad spending by 18.2% in 2020. As car sales plummeted, dealerships closed, and manufacturing slowed, marketers backed off from performance initiatives and focused on branding efforts.

Has travel ad spending taken flight?

The coronavirus has upended the US travel industry. Fears of infection, governmental measures restricting travel and access to public places, and the economic downturn will depress bookings, sales and ad spending in 2020 and beyond.

The UK’s digital advertising industry weathered the pandemic remarkably well. Among the industry sectors we track, digital ad spending will rise across the board (which was not universal last year), but these patterns of growth will fluctuate wildly across categories.

After a complicated 2020, most industries in Germany will accelerate their digital ad spending growth in 2021. The rebound for travel and auto will underwhelm, but retail spend will soar.

Digital ad spending across several industries in the UK has been up-and-down the past two years. There will be across-the-board growth this year, but at uneven rates, ranging from 33.0% for travel to 7.8% for automotive.

Given the uncertainty surrounding the delta variant of the coronavirus, we don’t expect travel ad budgets to rebound by all that much next year either.

Watch episodes from our Spotlight on Travel series:. Industry Voices: Spotlight on Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority’s Kate Wik. Industry Voices: Spotlight on Hilton’s Amy Martin-Ziegenfuss. Industry Voices: Spotlight on Universal Parks & Resorts’ Leah van Zelm. Industry Voices: Spotlight on Alaska Airlines’ Natalie Bowman. Watch episodes from our Spotlight on CPG series:.

Business and leisure travelers have returned to what happens in Las Vegas, as the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) welcomes visitors back with a new motto that touts the city’s innovative and experiential offerings. Watch Industry Voices: Spotlight on Travel with LVCVA’s Kate Wik, CMO, to learn how the destination marketer is managing visitors’ pent-up demand and shorter booking windows.

For Hilton Hotels, first-party data is key to ensuring its guests have a comfortable—and memorable—stay at its properties. Watch Industry Voices: Spotlight on Travel, with Hilton’s Amy Martin-Ziegenfuss, senior vice president of global enterprise and brand marketing, to learn how customer data informs the hospitality brand’s advertising and guest amenities.