Articles tagged “tour operators”

Good morning from Skift. It's Thursday, March 24, in New York City. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Although a growing number of families are eager to travel together, convincing them to shell out big money for seemingly dry experiences is a tall order. So tour operators need to create lively environments for children to make their trips more appealing for the lucrative market.

Tour operators are largely supportive of destinations easing travel curbs since most of them already require their own clients to be vaccinated. That doesn't mean they're getting complacent in the fight against Covid as many countries are still struggling with a surge in cases.

In Skift's top stories this week, TUI Group's largest shareholder is a prominent supporter of Vladimir Putin, Expedia stops offering travel to and from Russia, and hotels and hostels set aside beds for Ukrainian refugees.

More and more tour operators view conducting business in Russia as toxic, and more importantly, prospective guests largely consider the country unsafe. So as long as Russia continues to wage war, there's no rush for tour operators to make immediate plans to return.

Many consumers are starved for experiences now, says Ulla Hefel Böhler, the CEO of premium guided tour provider Insight Vacations. So Böhler has added to every one of Insight's tours this year experiences that have the theme of "Make Travel Matter." Clever.

Tour operators need to be attentive to their customers' travel preferences, including favorite airlines. It's possible that many such companies squandered lucrative opportunities for years by not partnering with companies their guests love.

Australia's prolonged border closures gave tour operators running trips in the country for overseas visitors plenty of time to study travel trends worldwide. So think less Sydney and Melbourne, and more rustic settings as the country prepares for it is long-awaited opening Monday.

Convincing travel companies to take less commission is a tall order, especially coming out of the pandemic. But Niarra Travel believes that getting more money into the hands of local communities requires bold steps and immediate action. The severe downturn in tourism revenue and its impact on Africa's wildlife and communities means that the time is now.

Ghana's success in attracting members of the African diaspora to visit should drive its neighbors to develop similar strategies. They can see there's enormous amounts of money to be made from a lucrative African American market re-energizing from the pandemic as tourists are eager for travel to the continent.