Articles tagged “trip planning”

While Tripadvisor has transitioned over the years away from hotel metasearch in a big way — largely because of Google's incursions — Trivago is just starting to dabble with diversification. That tilt could lead to more significant changes in the future.

From the wishful thinking and hype of years ago, the connected trip is beginning to draw real investment and become a thing. It will take a very extended period of time to make it a more meaningful development. In that faraway horizon, will there indeed be any differentiation among the leading providers?

What makes Utrip's collapse eye-catching is that the company had the makings of becoming a respectable, if not a sensational, business. A timeline of the company's strategic decisions and failed attempt to get acquired may provide a few lessons for other travel startups.

This might be the best time in history for travel advisors to sell cruises, but it's also the most complex. Those who take time to know the growing array of cruise choices and focus on the high end of the market are the most likely to succeed.

Following up with clients after a trip is a critical part of the travel-planning process. However, getting clients to truly open up about their experiences takes finesse.

A growing number of travel advisors are offering mystery vacations, created by keeping trip details a secret from clients until the departure date. It puts the surprise element back in travel, which is something often lost these days, but the challenges for advisors are many.

The allure of a mystery vacation is growing for some travelers as the world continues to shrink thanks to an overwhelming flood of photos and videos in social media about the world's great destinations. We see this sector as one set to continue its growth in coming years.

Luxury travel advisors are experts at planning a five-star vacation for their clients, but agents are more frequently being asked to add a more local element to their plans. A lot of behind-the-scenes work goes into making sure these experiences go off without a hitch.

The majority of first travel searches have no mention of a brand or destination, putting publishers of digital destination information in a uniquely influential position. Yet publishers are challenged to differentiate themselves in an overwhelming number of options.

Mirror mirror on the wall, which is the most-influential travel company of all? TripAdvisor still has a strong grip on travelers from a trip-planning standpoint, and that's its most-appealing asset. But the landscape is fragmented and there are lots of sites, including search engines, for travel advertisers to consider when establishing their favorite clients.