Andrew Sheivachman

As tour operators become more nimble with their use of mobile technology, they'll be able to strengthen their appeal to consumers who are looking to purchase tours and activities on demand.

Small companies are leading the charge when it comes to using Airbnb for business travel. Lower prices when compared to hotels, and accommodations with better locations in pricy cities, have no doubt contributed to the trend.

Yelp struggled outside North America, and is giving up on developing its business abroad. Competing against business listings from companies like Google and TripAdvisor has taken its toll on the company.

Google is using its Google Flights capability to power its new Artificial Intelligence-filled Assistant to respond intelligently to queries about travel. The service's inability to respond to queries about your existing travel itineraries, however, is a huge missed opportunity for now.

Everyone wants a better balance between their personal and work lives. Younger travelers are leading the charge when it comes to helping push forward more progressive change in corporate travel policy.

Voice search, along with other user experience changes, present challenges to the existing titans of online travel. The companies that are smart about handling that transition will prosper in a mobile-first world.

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.

Travel brands need to start paying attention to how younger travelers book travel, especially in business travel. Companies will have a new set of challenges to face, especially if airline or hotel loyalty programs and other perks are less important than local experiences or brand identity.

When it comes to reaching consumers, travel agencies don't have the resources to fight against travel providers and online booking titans. They need to be more creative with the tools they do have, and many are experimenting on social media and other digital channels.

While ridesharing has gained solid traction in corporate travel, the business model of traditional car services providing ground transportation to companies is still strong. What remains to be seen is whether car services will widely adopt more user-friendly interfaces for hailing cars on demand.