Articles tagged “tour operators”

Under CEO Peter Fankhauser, Thomas Cook has quietly managed to turn itself around. The situation this year has undoubtedly been aided by an improving geopolitical climate but a more focussed, higher-quality product offering has also helped.

Chief executive pay at Europe's biggest publicly traded travel companies appears to have converged in 2016 with few bumper deals compared with previous years. It could just be a coincidence or might have something to do with the deteriorating economic climate and geopolitical issues.

The Internet has more information about destinations than any traveler could possibly need. Do consumers really need tour operators to have retail stores? It seems unnecessary, but travelers in some markets still like the model.

There is no CEO at Virgin Holidays, perhaps because of its very close relationship with airline Virgin Atlantic, instead it is led by a Managing Director. The latest changes at the top illustrate just how intertwined the two companies are.

The incoming U.S. President creates a classic 'crisis' and 'opportunity' situation for U.S.-China travel. Despite concern over tension between the two countries, Chinese business travelers see more potential investment opportunities under the new administration, while a strong dollar and continuing interest in China should continue the flow of Americans heading east.

Since the heady days of a stock market floatation in 2007, there has not been much to shout about for All Leisure Group. Like a number of other travel companies, it has not been able to cope with the level of geopolitical upheaval in key destinations. It is unlikely to be the only big travel casualty of 2017.

While Thomas Cook has yet to fully step out of the shadow of its near-collapse in 2011, the current management team has at least managed to steady the ship. But 2016 has presented its own challenges with terrorism in Turkey doing particular damage.

It's not around the corner but you can expect China's Ctrip to set up shop to compete against online and offline travel giants in the U.S. Breaking in through acquisition would be an obvious strategy although it's unclear whether that's actually part of Ctrip's seemingly very active strategic plan.

With these investments in North America and elsewhere, Ctrip is creating a new online travel agency model. It's one that goes beyond merely booking trips but guaranteeing service levels once travelers arrive abroad.

With the UK government seemingly determined to sever all ties with the European Union, things don’t look great for the travel industry. For the time being there’s not much companies can do but hope for the best.