Booking.com's New Loyalty Program and 4 Other Digital Trends This Week

Every week we post hundreds of stories across various sectors in travel, connecting the dots across various global trends, and in these weekend posts we highlight the stories that tackle these trends. This one looks at top digital trends.

For all of our trends roundups, go here.

>>We just launched a new mini-audio series called Spoken Edition, which allows you to listen to some of Skift's original reporting via Apple's iTunes store: You Can Now Listen to Audio of Skift Stories in iTunes

>>Expedia, Booking.com and Ctrip are all slated to grow at at healthy clip over the next few years despite moves by big hotel chains to steal some market share: Hotel Direct Booking Campaigns Won’t Hurt Priceline and Expedia Says Study

>>Expedia has a lot going for it in the short to mid term but shifts in technology and consumer tastes have disrupted the travel space before, and will do so again: New Skift Trends Report: The 2016 Deep Dive Into Expedia’s Competitive Position In Travel

>>Social media players like Facebook and Snapchat have had lots of of success capturing bigger shares of travel marketers' advertising budgets. But if they really want to earn the big money traditionally saved for TV campaigns, they'll need to evolve beyond the "social" label: Travel Brands’ Social Media Advertising Matures — Digital Marketing News This Week

>>The real question is whether Booking.com, like Expedia's Egencia, will take the next step into managed travel by acquisition or otherwise: Booking.com in Reversal as it Launches Loyalty Program for Business Travelers