Where does Skift Research stand on some common claims about the state of the travel industry? Some are fact, some are fiction — here's what the data shows. The Economy is Struggling ... Travel Is at RiskThat's fiction. He added that a Skift Research Global Travel Outlook survey of 820 travelers from the U.S., UK, China, and India found that travel was overwhelmingly the top category for consumers’ discretionary spending. "We know that as long as people have the money, they want to spend on travel," Borko said.