Are the Views of the CEOs of Tripadvisor and Booking Holdings Sage or Stale for Travel Post-Pandemic?
Photo Credit: Tripadvisor CEO Steve Kaufer (left) and Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel appeared separately at the Skift Global Forum in New York City in 2019. Skift
Skift Take
Surprises will inevitably pop up that Glenn Fogel, Steve Kaufer, and others can't envision now about what the travel industry may look like in 2022 and beyond. So the duo, both 20-year travel industry veterans, may be wrong about some crystal ball assumptions, but that doesn't mean their companies won't be able to adapt.
After listening to the Tripadvisor and Booking Holdings first quarter earnings calls over the past few hours, it's striking that despite the world-changing disruption of the coronavirus pandemic, how the CEOs of these two major travel businesses similarly argue that the underlying dynamics of the travel industry will largely remain intact when travel snaps back.
Tripadvisor CEO Steve Kaufer and Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel, each 20-year veterans of their respective companies, might be on target in their assessments, based on the travel industry's past experiences rebounding from recessions and disease, or they could be missing fundamental shifts.
Among the key issues, has the world already seen peak travel demand? Will international travel be relegated to cross-border bubbles of pandemic-free zones? Will travel and the nature of work be redistributed to less-dense regions? Will alternative accommodations be favored over hotels? Will flying be forever changed? Will hotels le
