Patrick Whyte

Trips, experiences, tours, activities – you call them what you like, travel brands want a bigger piece of the sector. For plenty of companies, it's no longer just about the flight or hotel.

Wow. Not many people will have seen this coming, including, it seems, Norwegian. Adding another brand to IAG's growing portfolio might make strategic sense but it will come at a significant cost.

Since 2004, Club Med has tried to change the perception of all-inclusive resorts. Part of this is a move upmarket but it has also meant targeting new nationalities and destinations.

With people spending more money on well-being, it makes sense that fitness clubs around the country would spy an opportunity to expand their brands. However, it's important to remember not every gym can have a 40-room boutique hotel above it.

It’s probably a tiny blip on the radar of Priceline and Expedia but Hostelworld is quietly building up a nice niche business. How long can it be before one of the bigger players shows an interest?

Accor's acquisition strategy might seem scattershot to some but buying up technology providers in key sectors does make sense. There's always an element of risk but you'd hope Accor knows how to get the best out of management teams.

Sadly, that women get paid less than men doesn't come as a surprise but it is still shocking to see such a huge disparity. With the figures now out in the open in the UK, companies have a responsibility to see that the gap is closed as quickly as possible. We'd also like to see more diversity among the leadership teams.

Times are tough for legacy travel media brands and they are having to come up with more creative ways to cash in. But bringing in a charge for its A-List — no matter how this manifests itself — calls into question the idea of editorial independence.

Business-to-business platforms are largely invisible to the traveling public but they have a big role to play behind the scenes. Hotelbeds Group sees an opportunity to consolidate within the sector.

TUI is using some of the cash it amassed from selling companies such as Hotelbeds to buy a business from ... Hotelbeds. Maybe its taken a bit of time for the management to realize that tours and activities are strategic and a potential growth area.