Articles tagged “despegar”

It is rare to see a company such as the Priceline Group take an impairment charge so quickly after investing. Even Priceline, in the short-term, at least, can get things wrong. Hotel Urbano needs more cash as the Brazilian economy and political system exhibited further stress, and the Zika virus took hold.

Despegar has entered a new chapter in Latin America as the site eliminated phone bookings in favor of online bookings only. The company is undergoing major changes and is rethinking how it balances its online and offline marketing.

Barring a reversal in market conditions, buckle up because 2015 is looking like it will be a very active year in mergers and acquisitions among online travel companies.

In Latin America, as in many regions around the world, the phone is the dominant way to book. No, not via the smartphone, but by phoning an agent in an online travel agency call center. Despegar is doing everything it can to ease the transition from call center to online bookings.

Despegar's statement doesn't say it will begin paying local taxes in Argentina -- or how much -- but its actions give Latin America's largest travel agency some breathing room to work out a settlement.