Articles tagged “online travel agencies”

It seems odd and a stretch that such a European-focused brand would be gaining traction in the U.S. Will Lastminute.com now be able to scale its business and compete with the sector’s heavy hitters?

If TripAdvisor's hotel-booking drive doesn't work out in the face of intense competition, tours and activities won't be bungee-jumping to the rescue. But it still can be an attractive business and TripAdvisor is best-positioned for now to make it work.

Venture capital firms are turbo-charging the European expansion of the Dutch group Otravo and the French startup MisterFly. Elsewhere, Rehlat and Jumia Travel are taking flight.

The Priceline Group continues to put up strong growth numbers despite its large size. Its massive advertising budget combined with improving conversion and growing inventory position the company to take further share of online and offline bookings.

TripAdvisor became the largest travel site in the world based on its high profile in free search results. But Google has become a hyper-monetized marketplace and TripAdvisor's competitors have the resources to grossly outspend it in digital marketing.

In the long-run, Expedia will have gained by acquiring Orbitz because of its brand recognition, effective loyalty program, and list of corporate deals. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is especially optimistic about taking Orbitz's private label functionality and bringing it to the flagship Expedia brand later this year.

Expedia's CEO says his company has momentum moving into 2017, although we heard him express similar sentiments over the last two quarters and any surge wasn't particularly noticeable. This will likely be another transition year as Expedia's HomeAway gets more digital and Trivago feels its oats as a public company.

Google continues to churn out strong revenue growth numbers despite its massive size. There was little direct mention of travel on Google’s earnings call, but a few metrics give us insights into likely online travel agency earnings season and the broader online travel ecosystem.

Sophistication and adoption of back-end technology on the supply side is getting to a point where the big players in online travel are taking the tours and activities segment seriously. It's an expanding growth opportunity for new and direct revenue streams across the entire traveler journey, beyond core transport and accommodations products.

While plenty of European travel companies have struggled to cope in a difficult operating environment, On the Beach has prospered. In an uncertain world, its flexible approach to holidays means that it is able to take advantage without some of the risk that others face.