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Online Travel
Grab emerged as a leading superapp because of conditions specific to Southeast Asia. Don't look for U.S. and European copycats to get traction.
Dennis Schaal | 1 month ago
A $200 million funding round, coupled with new products from its recently acquired travel division, will see the Singapore startup Nium venture into the U.S.
Matthew Parsons, Skift | 4 months ago
Fintech is trending, and likewise for superapps in certain parts of the world. Getting into travel is too delicious to resist, but the world is not ending for incumbent travel competitors.
Dennis Schaal, Skift | 4 months ago
In its rough outlines, Expedia begot Trip.com Group while Kayak and ITA Software begot Google Travel. Get ready for a flurry of clones in fintech, superapps, and subscription services in travel. In fact, it's already happening.
Dennis Schaal, Skift | 5 months ago
Bookings Holdings Fintech boss Daniel Marovitz says payments is arguably the world's largest industry. Across the online travel universe, look for payments to eventually become a line item — and very material to companies' financials.
Mergers and Acquisitions
In an intensifying superapp rivalry in Southeast Asia, Gojek handed its Thailand business to AirAsia Digital in the face of competition from Grab. While these leading superapps battle, AirAsia Digital is being taken more seriously. After all, it has airplanes and a profitable logistics business to add to the mix.
Business Travel
It's hard to say how far TravelPerk can go buying the UK's Click Travel, as it limits expansion to a mostly domestic market. But then its new investor has a reputation for spotting opportunities earlier than most.
Matthew Parsons, Skift | 5 months ago
Hotels
The likes of Alibaba, Grab, and Rakuten have billions of members. If hotels can tap into a just fraction of their users, and convert them to their own loyalty schemes, they'll be mighty happy.
Matthew Parsons, Skift | 7 months ago
Airbnb officials fell in love with the perceived artistry of their TV commercials, which don't have a targeted message. That could produce aftershocks later this year if rivals take advantage.
Dennis Schaal, Skift | 8 months ago
The Grab-Altimeter Growth Corp. 2 merger immediately becomes one of the highest profile such transactions in travel. Grab already dominates its superapp sector in Southeast Asia, and the funding infusion should help it get stronger.
