2020 › February

Event cancellations related to the spread of coronavirus will linger well into this year as planners have to make important decisions in the near future.

It seems far-fetched that a tiny village in Nepal that depends on elephant-back safaris could one day be a million-dollar profit attraction. If this initiative works, it’s a great day for tourism communities.

Question: At Tripadvisor, as a controlled company, what mechanisms did minority shareholders have to pressure Chairman Greg Maffei to make dramatic changes? Answer: Relatively few.

Online booking sites still treat potential customers with disdain using manipulative marketing tactics. As airlines and hotel chains have adopted these methods, it calls into question what a world without them would really look like. Google offers a hint.

South African tourism is on the decline. There are several factors at play, but given the diversity of experiences that can be had in this country of 58 million people, what's needed is a new and sharper narrative.

Strong sales are giving travel agencies the means to expand, but they face challenges in finding experienced travel advisors. As a way around this, some are looking to acquire existing agencies or attract more independents to their host operations.

At this stage it's difficult to tell how long the coronavirus outbreak will last and how far it will spread. For now Royal Caribbean is acting with extreme caution in China.

Travel agencies are poised for expansion, but the major challenge is finding travel advisors to fill new positions. Acquiring agencies and enticing newcomers to join the industry are ways around it.

Capturing the attention of the modern traveler in today’s fast-paced digital world is complex and competitive. Travel marketers must use trusted, accurate, and timely data to build successful campaigns that respond to customers’ increasing demands for personalization.

The absence of Thomas Cook has left a big gap to fill in a number of European markets. The early signs in the key January booking period point to a pretty good year for tour operators. Although as we know from experience, that can quickly change.