Travel Agents

Hostelworld Has Ambitions to Complement Bookings With a Sense of Community

Patrick Whyte, Skift

Now that Hostelworld has largely finished integrating Hostelbookers, it can turn its attention to developing features that would make it more relevant to users during their travels. None of the initiatives are exactly game-changing, but what the company is hoping is that it will make travelers more likely to click on its app rather than that of a competitor.

1 month ago

Why Virtuoso’s New Must-Go Destinations Feel Similar

Laura Powell, Skift

A new Virtuoso survey focusing on coveted luxury destinations for fall and the holidays doesn't cover new territory, but some trends are revealed by reading between the lines.

1 month ago

Altour Joins Travel Leaders Group in Latest Travel Agency Consolidation Move

Andrew Sheivachman, Skift

The big are getting even bigger. The combined entity of Travel Leaders Group and Altour will be a strong competitor in the U.S. and abroad.

2 months ago

Singapore’s Old-School Travel Agencies Struggle While Innovators Thrive

Raini Hamdi, Skift

Over 100 travel agencies have ceased operations in Singapore in the first six months of the year. But a closer look shows the trade is not dying; it is renewing.

2 months ago

Travel Journalists Pivot to Custom Luxury Travel Planning

Laura Powell, Skift

Another high-end, membership-based travel consultancy opens up shop. We wonder how these businesses will distinguish themselves as competition grows in the realm of "curating bespoke experiential localized" travel.

3 months ago

Flight Centre Defies Critics as Its Earnings Outlook Improves

Vivek Shankar, Bloomberg

Flight Centre is winning over some of the doubters of its travel agency model. Although it is a global business, the bulk of its revenue is from Australian travelers, who need to travel long distances to get anywhere and generally spend a lot of time at destinations once they arrive. Perhaps Flight Centre is a special case.

3 months ago

Travel to Russia Surges Despite Geopolitical Tension

Nikki Ekstein, Bloomberg

Russia is experiencing a huge tourism Trump bump, and tour operators are slammed with demand from U.S. travelers.

3 months ago

Millennials Now Enjoy Cruising More Than Boomers

Andrew Sheivachman, Skift

After years of talking up the importance of attracting millennials and families to cruising, it appears cruise lines are leaving them with a positive impression of their time onboard when they do choose a cruise vacation.

5 months ago

The Travel Agents Rethinking the Brick and Mortar Retail Experience

Laura Powell, Skift

There are vastly fewer retail travel outlets now than two decades ago, but a few creative agents are rethinking how to buy and sell travel in the real world.

5 months ago

Isolation Is the Next Big Thing in Luxury Travel

Laura Powell, Skift

Silence is indeed golden and isolation comes at a premium as well for luxury travelers who really, really want to get away.

5 months ago

Flight Centre Invests $7 Million for Stake in Leading Argentinian Booking Site

Dennis Schaal, Skift

Can a legacy brand like Flight Centre really transform itself and get more digital and global? The company is making the investments and acquisitions in people and technology to do so. Will the strategy be successful? It will take a few years to find out.

6 months ago

Travel Agents and the Power of Word-of-Mouth Recommendations

Colin Nagy, Skift

Break through the travel recommendation bubble with a good old-fashioned human expert.

6 months ago