Expedia Looks to Build Tours and Activities Without Acquisitions
Skift Take
Will it or won't it has been the big question about whether Expedia will get into tours and activities in a serious way. Yes it will, Expedia officials say, but the company is intent on growing the business organically without the distraction of an acquisition.
Expedia Inc. intends to make a play in tours and activities -- but not through acquisitions.
In its bid to remain "focused on what we're doing now," as CEO Dara Khosrowshahi put it in yesterday's third quarter earnings call, you shouldn't expect Expedia to go the acquisition route as TripAdvisor did with its acquisition of Viator and the Priceline Group did by snatching OpenTable.
Instead, Expedia, seeing a new opportunity in tours and activities with the proliferation of mobile devices, intends to build up its existing Expedia Local Expert business, which staffs concierge desks in tourist locations in Hawaii, Orlando, Mexico, the Caribbean, Las Vegas and New York. Expedia.com has a "things to do" homepage tab, as well.
Expedia CFO Mark Okerstrom variously characterized the company's existing tours and activities bus
