Skift Take
Industry consolidation and innovation is ramping up as the tours and activities sector finally comes online. But a range of technical and logistical challenges still hold the sector back. How are tour operators adapting, and what strategies are helping them thrive in this dynamic environment?
Today we are launching the latest report in our Skift Trends Reports service, The Future of Tours and Activities Marketing.
Representing some $100 billion in global spending, the tours and activities segment has become quite active of late. In particular, TripAdvisor’s $200 million acquisition of online tours and activities booking platform Viator, entries by new players like Airbn,b and moves by category giant Expedia, suggest competition and innovation in the space is heating up.
Once dominated by small businesses, tours and activities is morphing into something new. Still, old ways apply and many tours and activities companies are still doing things the old way, with pad and paper and sans websites. At the same time, peer-to-peer tour marketplaces offer new opportunities for budding tour entrepreneurs to quickly get their inventory online, while new styles of geolocation-powered tour experiences let travelers skip intermediaries altogether. Other tour operators are cracking the code on how and when to use mobile to add value to the tour experience. Some tour operators are even finding the biggest opportunity of all is promoting their products not just to travelers, but to locals too.
In this report, we look at how this space is changing and who could benefit. The analysis is buttressed by interviews with execs from Zozi, GetYourGuide, and Vayable, among others on why this segment is suddenly so hot.
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About These Reports
This is the latest in a series of twice-monthly trends reports that brief readers on a specific trend, providing insight into the current state of the market, the context around the trend, and where the industry is heading in the near future.
After you subscribe, you will receive two reports every month — 24 in a year. Reports are available online in a responsive design format, or you can also buy each report a la carte at a higher price.
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