Articles tagged “tour operators”

European travel CEOs are paid well by most standards — but not compared with their peers across the pond.

Thomas Cook is desperate to shake off the impression that it's old fashioned and the 176-year-old travel company is trying different ways to make itself relevant to young travelers. Not every one will work but at least it is trying.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Under CEO Peter Fankhauser, Thomas Cook has quietly managed to turn itself around. The situation this year has undoubtedly been aided by an improving geopolitical climate but a more focussed, higher-quality product offering has also helped.

Chief executive pay at Europe's biggest publicly traded travel companies appears to have converged in 2016 with few bumper deals compared with previous years. It could just be a coincidence or might have something to do with the deteriorating economic climate and geopolitical issues.

The Internet has more information about destinations than any traveler could possibly need. Do consumers really need tour operators to have retail stores? It seems unnecessary, but travelers in some markets still like the model.