Ctrip’s U.S. Investments and 12 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’re still waiting for a company in the tours and activities field to translate marketing buzz into a scalable and profitable business: Event Booking App YPlan Raised $38 Million But Was Sold For Just $3 Million

>>Startup fever gives rise to new entrants that believe they have a chance to compete and while some do, most have to fight hard: 5 New Travel Startups That Really Want to Disrupt Crowded Fields

>>With these investments in North America and elsewhere, Ctrip is creating a new online travel agency model: China’s Ctrip Makes Strategic Investments in 3 U.S. Tour Operators

>>The best way to deal with the challenges of content creation, curation and distribution is a consistent, head-on approach: New Skift Trends Report: Snapchat and Instagram Strategies for Travel Brands

>>Smartphones continue gaining ground with online travel bookings, albeit slowly, and mobile web still outpaces what can be clunky mobile app user experiences: Growth of Mobile Travel Bookings in 6 Charts

>>Google, in theory, like TripAdvisor, has the ability to put it all together and become a one-stop shop in travel but Oliver Heckmann, who heads Google’s travel products, says that isn’t part of the search engine’s grand scheme: Video: Google’s Travel Leader on Paid Links and Being a Booking Player

>>It’s not around the corner but you can expect China’s Ctrip to set up shop to compete against online and offline travel giants in the U.S.: China’s Ctrip Plans to Compete in the U.S. Against Expedia and Booking.com

>>Critics of Expedia Inc.’s 2014-2015 acquisition spree appear to have had a valid point: These sorts of mergers and integrations can be very distracting and complex: Expedia CEO Likes Airbnb’s $30 Billion Valuation for Selfish Reasons

>>TripAdvisor selling travel to Cuba is just another step towards the mainstreaming of Cuba as a U.S. tourist destination, and represents a coup for TripAdvisor as it tries to ramp up its bookings business: TripAdvisor Granted Permission to Sell Cuba Flights, Hotels, Tours and More

>>Our podcast is a unique chance to have longer conversations with travel industry leaders, and to do a little more storytelling on the human aspect of travel: 10 Skift Podcasts You May Have Missed in 2016

>>Voice search, along with other user experience changes, present challenges to the existing titans of online travel: Video: Expedia CEO on the Future of Travel Search

>>Cross-device marketing remains a complicated, but necessary, task for today’s travel marketers: Understanding Travelers’ Cross-Device Habits — Digital Marketing News This Week

>>Google is getting disrupted on a number of fronts: Expedia Plans to Build Facebook Advertising to ‘Google-Like Levels’