2017 Archives

The biggest online travel story in Latin America in 2017 was Despegar's IPO. The Expedia-backed booking site raised $332 million to fund its expansion. The company has hinted that it is likely to use some of the cash to make an acquisition in 2018.

Vacasa CEO Eric Breon doesn't see Airbnb or big hotel companies as competition for his company, which specializes in managing traditional vacation home rentals. But he could use more homes to manage.

Tourism boards are stuck between a rock and a hard place on a lot of issues and particularly with Airbnb. Destination marketers understand that many travelers prefer Airbnb while their hotel partners definitely do not. We'll be watching to see how both sides attempt to bridge the gap in 2018.

Might 2018 be the year U.S. regulators take a hard look anew at Google's travel-business practices after declining to take action in 2012? We hope so, in the interests of fair play, although the Trump Administration has been keen to reduce government regulation of businesses, not increase it.

These 10 Skift stories got the most clicks in 2017, and none were clickbait. The list shows Skift readers love hotel and online travel stories, original reporting, analysis and breaking news.

Journal Hotels is out to prove that you don't necessarily need to be a brand to succeed in the increasingly crowded lifestyle hotel space.

The mainstream media currently has control of the Detroit travel story, but the Black Travel Movement is about to redefine what it means to visit the blackest city in America.

Teague is trying to take creative approaches to solving some of the most annoying parts of travel.

With the situation still far from clear, the biggest Brexit-related problem is the uncertainty it has unleashed on the UK. Consumers are worried and businesses can't plan for the future. Both of which point to a pretty bleak 2018.

Our favorites of the year were stories that you could find nowhere else. Each featured hours — or months — of phone calls or in-person interviews, and provided insights about an important development or trend. Each of these talented journalists, you could find nowhere else, either.