2016 Archives

This week's roundup of travel startup funding, all in one place.

Are selfies to online travel agencies as pro photographers are to travel agents? The gap between DIY and special occasion creates business opportunities of all kinds.

So far, 2016 is bringing a ton of new event technology, groovy startup culture, and destination data for meeting planners to help inform their business decisions.

We can't wait until Airbnb goes public so we can finally get some transparency and stop hearing about hosts trying to make ends meet. It's so much more sophisticated than that.

Despite stalled growth in China, Brazil and Russia, a wave of newly middle-class travelers from the BRICs and beyond will start visiting international destinations in the coming decades — dwarfing the numbers we’ve seen thus far.

What's not to love about Hawaii? The extended codeshare service between JetBlue and Hawaiian will also strengthen both airlines by creating new connections from the East coast to the islands, and beyond, for travellers from the U.S. and Asia.

Rate parity and most-favored nation provisions are slowly fading as Marriott and Hilton offer lower rates to new and existing loyalty program members on their own sites than Expedia and Booking.com can. Don't underplay the power of a several-dollar discount in the race toward bolstering loyalty-program rosters through the lure of bottom-of-the-heap pricing.

Smart hotels are rethinking the most profitable ways to make the most of their spaces, and it is no longer just about heads in beds. Mobile apps and on-demand services are just one piece of this pie, but they are an important piece.

The world has less restrictive visa policies in 2016 than it did before the global economic crisis. Let's hope temporary setbacks from terror attacks and security fears don't cause governments to send us backwards.

China's slowing growth hasn't shaken the cruise industry's enthusiasm. But as executives like to point out: Cruise ships can easily relocate if demand dwindles.