Articles tagged “getyourguide”

GetYourGuide, which has been trying to break into the U.S., scored a major partnership by securing a deal with Expedia.

Eventually, Google's new Tickets feature may turn out to be one of the most important developments in a long time for the tours and activities sector. Google will certainly move to monetize the feature with paid ads, and it will ultimately expand to tours, and other products, too.

Arne Sorenson was a maverick in his own way. He quietly visited Airbnb headquarters in 2014 to get a better understanding of short-term rentals, which culminated in Marriott's Homes & Villas. And he found a way to have a mutually beneficial relationship with those "evil" online travel agencies.

Reading in between the lines, it seems like the Berlin-based online travel agency is hoping to make an acquisition or minority investment, most likely one that would expand its product portfolio such as for its white-labeled "originals" experiences.

Will it suffice for TUI Musement to focus on the partnership side of its business, as it does with Booking.com and major cruise lines, or does it need to master the uphill task of becoming a breakout consumer brand beyond TUI's existing customer base? Acquisitions could be part of the mix when the pandemic dust settles.

When GetYourGuide criticized Google for promoting an uneven competitive playing field, some GetYourGuide partners accused GetYourGuide of similar transgressions in the way it markets its Originals tours. GetYourGuide vowed to make amends, the results of which will only become clear in a few months.

Ten travel startups collectively announced more than $167 million in funding lately. Concepts included the online booking of tour guides, tour packages, Vietnamese domestic travel, Indian hotels, and e-visas.

In Skift's top stories this week, we covered Sonesta's rapid growth at the expense of Marriott and IHG, Asia's travel recovery, AirAsia's digital transformation, and Southwest's business travel strategy, among others.

Ugh.

In the school of online travel hard knocks, new entrants have learned that barriers to entry can be substantial. Amazon, Google, and Airbnb should realize that the devil is in the details, and the complexities.