sharing economy

Morocco Joins Long List of Destinations Looking to Regulate Airbnb

Souhail Karam, Bloomberg

It's no surprise that Morocco, which has a huge tourism industry, is looking to crack down on Airbnb and Booking.com. This is the new normal around the world as the so-called sharing economy changes the way people travel — and longstanding travel companies suffer.

1 month ago

Ridesharing Startups Raised $28 Billion in 2017 Despite Tighter Restrictions

Mark Chediak, Bloomberg

Uber grabs the headlines. But this year expect money to pour into other mobility-themed companies, including ones focused on car-pooling, peer-to-peer car rentals, and bike-sharing.

4 months ago

Sharing Economy Growth Was a Big Part of European Tourism’s Excellent 2017

Dan Peltier, Skift

Much of the European tourism industry has emerged from the doldrums of 2015 and 2016 stronger than ever, but not without fault lines to keep track of, such as hotels and alternative accommodations. The latter is proving it's a sector that's holding its weight against hotels across much of the continent.

4 months ago

Uber Suffers a Blow as EU Court Decides It Is Actually a Transport Company

Stephanie Bodoni and Adam Satariano, Bloomberg

The millions of people who use Uber every day to get from one place to another will not be shocked to discover that the company is in the transport business. Now that a European court agrees, Uber must make the necessary adjustments.

5 months ago

Travel Buyers Spend Less on Five-Star Hotels and More on Sharing Economy

Andrew Sheivachman, Skift

As more affordable sharing economy, serviced apartment, and mid-scale hotel options have become popular with business travelers, high-end hotels have taken a hit.

6 months ago

Bikesharing in China Lacks a Sustainable Business Model

Adam Minter, Bloomberg

Bikesharing in China could use more structure, and that could help cities like Beijing meet their air quality goals, which is key for tourism. Racing to the bottom on price can't be the main priority.

6 months ago

Home-Sharing Surge in Singapore Is a Quandary for Policy-Makers

Michelle Jamrisko, Bloomberg

Despite restrictions, services like Airbnb are flourishing in Singapore. Stricter laws could be on the way, however, limiting the ability of residents to share their homes for short periods of time.

7 months ago

Denmark Moves to Integrate the Sharing Economy Into Its Legal System

Peter Levring and Christian Wienberg, Bloomberg

Denmark has had some rough-going with the sharing economy, but now it seems a potential for economic growth. Its attitude seems to be, if you can't beat 'em, then regulate 'em.

7 months ago

New App Offers Yacht-Sharing for $120 a Day

Nikki Ekstein, Bloomberg

Cruising is already one of the cheapest ways to travel, but this yacht rental startup could be giving cruises a run for their money.

8 months ago

Ousted Uber CEO Plots a Comeback But it Is Not the Steve Jobs Kind

Brad Stone, Bloomberg

Can Kalanick mend his ways and reform Uber's toxic culture? Highly doubtful. Does he even want to? Uber's product teams are still functioning in a business-as-usual manner, but this mess won't get cleaned up until the CEO mess gets cleaned up.

9 months ago

Hotels May Try to Counter Airbnb’s Rise With Bets on Tech

Sean O'Neill, Skift

No one knows what Airbnb's impact is. But our contrarian take is that it's greater than what most hoteliers think -- and accelerating by the day. Yet it's manageable if hotels act strategically.