Expedia Group Accelerates Its Spending and 7 Other Digital Trends This Week

>>Expedia’s half-billion dollars of online sales may seem large. But it’s a tiny sum in the context of the company’s overall sales. It is still early days for the online management and distribution of activities, despite the recent frenzy of startup acquisition: Expedia Sold More Than $500 Million in Tours and Activities in 2017

>>If you (re)build it, they will come. That’s the motto of Expedia Group CEO Mark Okerstrom for 2018: Expedia Group Accelerates Its Spending Faster Than It Grows Revenue

>>Everyone blames Booking.com for Trivago’s woes. But we’re reserving judgment on the hotel search company’s worse-than-expected second-quarter forecasts until we can hear from its other largest advertiser, Expedia Group, which holds its own first-quarter earnings call soon: Trivago Suffers Another Loss and Lowers Its Forecast for Next Quarter

>>European travel booking volumes are not the only thing staging a comeback. Deals marketer Travelzoo is enjoying a renaissance, too. But, as with Europe, the verdict is still on whether the company has worked through the problems that have beset it since the financial crisis: Travelzoo Surprises With a Rebound in Revenue Growth and Profitability

>>Corporate travel is extremely resistant to innovation because a select handful of gatekeepers make it difficult for new entrants to gain access to the content and data that is needed. These players are driving the industry forward by fixing how travelers book and experience business travel: The Skift 2018 Corporate Travel Innovators List

>>Who knew that adding affiliate booking links to the hotels mentioned in articles and videos could earn record levels of investment? Listicle Platform Culture Trip Raises $80 Million to Build Online Travel Agency

>>For an industry to evolve, that change has to be led by passionate people who work to shift the status quo. This week we picked out some leaders who are helping to push corporate travel forward: Who Is Pushing Business Travel Forward?

>>Travel startups raised more than $128 million this week. Tel Aviv-based Guesty, which is like a Salesforce for vacation rental property managers, was one of the fortunate companies: Guesty Raises $19 Million for Vacation Rental Sales: Travel Startup Funding This Week