Articles tagged “germany”

Thomas Cook, the man, organized his first trip in 1841, and the travel company that bears his name is still going. After a series of mergers and acquisitions the company now has 17 key brands to focus on. Read our take on each.

Germany’s biggest exhibition will test the endurance of delegates as more than 200,000 visitors flock to Hanover. The event may be too big for the host city, and many delegates will have to commute for hours each day.

Yes, Air Berlin was ostensibly competition for Lufthansa. But for a long time, Air Berlin was a weakened competitor. Now that Easyjet has taken over some of Air Berlin's assets, the German market could be transformed.

Germany has one of the most innovative business strategies and fresh content models to attract more international conferences by focusing on extensive research development and sector-specific industry expertise. But managing and delivering on those effectively and consistently comes with its growing pains.

The German regulator's ruling to reject Booking.com's reformed hotel rate practices as not going far enough could be a landmark decision if it holds up upon appeal and if other European countries follow Germany's lead. Booking.com may have the leverage to inhibit hotel partners from getting carried away on discounting but the ruling is a victory for consumers nonetheless.

Expedia's launch of vacation rentals in the U.S. in partnership with HomeAway has been a relative dud as Expedia hasn't shown much commitment to the effort. But Expedia has higher hopes for Europe, where vacation rentals are more commonly in travelers' consideration set.

What struck us as most interesting was the universal challenges faced by each destination and how their lessons and victories could be as helpful to their neighbor as to a tourism professional around the world.

Berlin is projected to be a hipster haven filled with young creatives and partiers; however, the majority of its tourism wealth comes from well-off travelers interested in a mix of what the city has to offer.

Berlin doesn't have to raise awareness of its product as much as reinforce its already strong branding and keep the peace at home to make sure a tourists' positive perceptions match reality on the ground.

No matter whether it's hype or reality, these "next" titles get cities into headlines, conversations, and Instagram feeds further fueling their recognition and desirability.