Articles tagged “tiqets”

Airbnb has struggled to scale experiences. Investing in WeRoad — and hiring its CEO — is Chesky's preferred move: partner first, potentially acquire later.

Expedia was the company that acquired Tiqets. Airbnb didn't buy the experiences brand, but seems to have made a solid return on its Tiqets investment when it cashed out.

That Airbnb didn't acquire Tiqets for its own experiences business after leading a Series C funding round, didn't give Tiqets much street cred. The Expedia deal couldn't have been a very substantial one for investors given the lack of financial disclosures.

Expedia's acquisition of Tiqets is the latest indication of the online travel agency's B2B tilt. It's certainly a niche that provides Expedia with an open lane.

Tiqets CEO Laurens Leurink says sales of travel experiences are booming. Gen Z and Millennials want cultural engagement, not checklist sightseeing. So with some help from AI, Tiqets has recently quadrupled its sales without adding staff.

Nearly three dozen tours and activities operators, reservation systems, and distributors debuted a non-profit association geared to formulate connectivity standards.

Rogue wholesale rates on metasearch sites are the gifts that keep on giving — for travelers and the metasearch sites. Expedia and Marriott seem to be making some progress on the issue.

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.

While many travel companies are struggling to survive, Google has the resources to keep innovating and rolling out new products despite the travel advertising downturn. As with flights and hotels, Google's new tours and activities advertising business will have a far-reaching impact — unless regulators step in.

The recovery for sightseeing, attractions, and experiences is still in early stages in Europe and North America. But it is happening faster than expected in some segments and countries.