Articles tagged “online travel agencies”

When we asked then-Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in 2016 whether Airbnb was going to eat his lunch, he responded that he was very well-nourished. But it now appears as though Airbnb has an insatiable appetite. Join us on a Skift Call March 13 to assess the Airbnb threat to hotels and online travel agencies.

Behind the usual Ryanair bluster there usually lurks a sensible business idea. If the airline offers a better accommodation product to customers, then that should persuade some to stay away from Booking.com.

Anyone who thought the three new online travel agency leaders — Jane Sun, Glenn Fogel, and Mark Okerstrom — intended to be mere caretakers of their predecessors’ policies and legacies would have been mistaken. To a large degree, they are stepping out into new territory.

At this stage, we're not exactly sure why eDreams Odigeo might interest Skyscanner/Ctrip. A private equity buyer would seem much more likely.

Airbnb has sold investors on a growth story based, in part, on adding flights and other products. But selling flights is extremely complicated.

Ctrip isn't pursuing U.S. travelers aggressively yet, but it will. The Trip.com deal was small, but might be seen as an early indicator.

Whether or not you agree with this, it's certainly an idea worth contemplating as everyone and everything in the travel industry are beginning to converge. Whatever you decide, please don't shoot the messenger.

From brands as experience platforms to strategic mergers, diversity messaging and beyond: These are the Megatrends in travel we're watching closely in 2018.

The biggest online travel story in Latin America in 2017 was Despegar's IPO. The Expedia-backed booking site raised $332 million to fund its expansion. The company has hinted that it is likely to use some of the cash to make an acquisition in 2018.

Might 2018 be the year U.S. regulators take a hard look anew at Google's travel-business practices after declining to take action in 2012? We hope so, in the interests of fair play, although the Trump Administration has been keen to reduce government regulation of businesses, not increase it.