Articles tagged “tours and activities”

Viator discussed getting more comprehensive before the TripAdvisor acquisition, but it is clear that TripAdvisor wants Viator to emphasize scaling the business.

Will it or won't it has been the big question about whether Expedia will get into tours and activities in a serious way. Yes it will, Expedia officials say, but the company is intent on growing the business organically without the distraction of an acquisition.

This is one travel segment still ripe for disruption. There is high demand for curated tours, but the process for sourcing and training local experts to lead them hasn't become any easier.

Tours and activities are a profitable way for media publications to capitalize on their brand and find new revenue sources among their already existent customer base.

Anytime you can talk to TripAdvisor CEO Stephen Kaufer and the discussion ranges from "Mr. Sharples" at HomeAway to William Shatner, the Trivago Guy and the co-existence of the mobile Web and mobile apps, it is a very interesting conversation.

The changes are coming to the tours and activities sector, mostly centered around the changing habits of travelers. Download this detailed presentation to understand these changes.

The tours and activities sector is at the very start of its inevitable transition to a mobile-first industry with last-minute in-person sales being replaced by mobile bookings. Although the change has the opportunity to widen operators’ margins, they’ll need to work internally to make sure their options are available and open on a yet-to-emerge leader in the booking space.

Expedia's strategy is worth a shot: Focus on hotels and other core products while competitors the Priceline Group and TripAdvisor play around with restaurant reservations, and tours and activities. If Expedia sticks to its focus-on-what-we-got strategy, it is a huge gamble.

With GetYourGuide's latest funding, making it the most heavily funded startup in the annals of tours and activities, a potential acquisition price just got racheted up. With TripAdvisor's acquisition of Viator, the market indeed is a "land grab" now for global expansion.