tour operators

Tour Operators Are Selling Runners on Extreme Marathons in Picturesque Places

Naureen S Malik, Bloomberg

None of these 26.2-milers is run-of-the-mill, as travel companies and tourism boards see the potential of marketing adventure runs to amateur athletes seeking experience-based travel. Any takers for a running safari in Kenya?

1 week ago

Chinese Tour Groups Don’t Always Deliver a Boost to Destinations

Mason Hinsdale, Jing Travel

It's a classic overtourism quandary: Will an influx of visitors be good for a destination — or will those visitors drain resources without giving much back to the local economy? This story illustrates how countries are pondering the issue when it comes to tour groups from China.

4 weeks ago

New Skift Research Report: The State of Tours and Activities 2018

Rebecca Stone, Skift Research

The digital revolution has finally come for tours and activities. Our latest research report dives into challenges for this fragmented sector as it shifts increasingly online and to mobile, but highlights the potential market opportunity for a very diverse, experiential space.

2 months ago

Australian Charter Operator Gets Opportunistic About Tourism Surge

Allan Leibowitz, Skift

Brisbane-based Alliance Airlines continues to see opportunities where others fear to fly. It has done extremely well in Australia’s mining boom, and now aims to grow its tourism activities to shield it from the ups and downs of the resources sector.

2 months ago

Thomas Cook Looks to Turkey and Egypt to Ease Its Pain in Spain

Patrick Whyte, Skift

Spain's popularity among UK tourists has not dwindled. Thomas Cook will be hoping demand to higher-margin destinations such as Turkey continues to grow or else it faces an expensive summer.

3 months ago

China Tour Operators Still Can’t Plan Trips to South Korea

Daniela Wei, Bloomberg

China has clearly not moved past its dispute with South Korea over the missile shield, and this hurts the Chinese tourism industry, although travelers are picking alternative destinations. It's a big problem for big cruise lines betting on the Chinese market.

4 months ago

U.S. Tour Operators Optimistic About Cuba Travel Because They’re Even More Essential

Dan Peltier, Skift

U.S. tour operators and travel agents are betting that it will be business as usual, or perhaps even better, as the new Cuba restrictions take effect and individual people-to-people visas get sidelined. But many also find it ironic that the White House announced these changes while Trump was courting leaders of Asian countries that have poor human rights records.

5 months ago

Myanmar Genocide Has the Travel Industry Searching for Strategies

Dan Peltier, Skift

Travel is the world's largest industry and should be taking a leadership position about Myanmar to publicly condemn ethnic cleansing, and show the country's military government that tourism dollars aren't unconditional if it supports crimes against humanity.

6 months ago

Cuba Trips Still Getting Green Light From Tour Operators, Airlines and Cruise Lines

Beth Harpaz and Adriana Gomez Licon, Associated Press

Because there is no concrete evidence that American travelers would be endangered in Cuba, the vast majority of U.S. travel companies are maintaining their schedules to Cuba. Many companies are getting used to ill-conceived policies emanating from Washington, and are sticking with business as usual.

7 months ago

Dolphin Tour Operator Is Fined in Hawaii for Harassing the Animals

Audrey McAvoy, Associated Press

Given that the honor system hasn't worked, authorities are showing a (welcome) readiness to enforce rules to keep visitors from traumatizing dolphins. Meanwhile, socially conscious travel companies are increasingly limiting human interactions with captive animals.

8 months ago

TUI Spurns Air Berlin’s Cry for Help After Airline Files for Insolvency

Christopher Jasper, Bloomberg

TUI's German arm is wise not to bid for Air Berlin's assets. It would be a distraction beyond the tour operator's core competency and objectives.