Subscriptions were supposed to be the next big thing in travel. It hasn't worked out that way. eDreams Odigeo's program seems to be doing well, but most of the others are struggling.
A potential buyer could decide to break up Tripadvisor's parts, including Viator, TheFork, and metasearch, under the theory that the parts are worth more than the whole.
Viator's growth as a tours and activities platform both lifts and exhausts Tripadvisor's revenue, in a seemingly relentless pursuit of brand strength through performance marketing spend.
In football or soccer — pick your sport/analogy — sometimes it takes a new coach to get momentum. Under its new CEO, Tripadvisor is making significant changes to its core products.
Given the challenges that Tripadvisor faces to better monetize its assets and to craft a new strategy, the company needed to woo a new CEO with a decent compensation package, which it did.