Selene Brophy travel tips

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) claims that American Airlines has removed 40% of its fare inventory from distribution channels used by travel agents and travel management companies following the implementation of new systems with the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) New Distribution Capability (NDC) technology.

Asian travel marketplace Klook has confirmed its first strategic partnership for 2024 – a deal with Krungsri, the Bank of Ayudhya PCL in Thailand. 

European low-cost carrier easyJet announced a new partnership Monday with global tours and activities business Musement for customers to add experiences to their flight or holiday packages.

Viator drives the experience booking offering of its parent company, Tripadvisor, with a portfolio of over 300,000 offerings. Still, its market research shows that most leisure travelers are unaware of the brand.

Experience marketplace GetYourGuide has appointed Genevieve Vancutsem-Zednik as its chief people officer.

Japan, Singapore, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain have the world’s most powerful passports, allowing visa-free entry to 194 countries out of 227. That’s according to the 2024 Henley Passport Index rankings released on Wednesday. 

TUI asked its shareholders on Thursday to consider changing where and how its stock is publicly listed. 

Luxury travel planners are seeing an uptick in bookings, driven by a demand for remote destinations, exclusive group travel, and passion-centered experiences.

Operators of adventure travel tours expect 2024 to bring more demand for private group trips and more bookings during shoulder seasons.

African countries are seeing a surge in international travel, fueled by luxury safari experiences with repeat visitors. Returning travelers remain excited by the continent’s iconic wildlife. However, they want to mix up their experiences beyond spotting game from the back of a Jeep.

More international travelers have been visiting South Africa this year, with visitors from the U.S. especially seeing significant growth. But crime fears might deter a full recovery. So leaders are deploying 2,300 tourism monitors during the peak holiday season to bolster the safety of visitors.

Universal Studios is looking to England for its next theme park. The attractions operator has bought land in Bedford, 45 minutes outside of London, and may build its next big project there.  

More women are traveling alone, and tour operators and travel companies are seeing a surge in older, married women embarking on these solo adventures. 

Climate change directly impacts travel businesses: They have to handle emergency incidents on the ground caused by fires or floods and cater to customers looking for more sustainable choices.

Civitatis, an online travel agency specializing in tours and attractions, said it had found whitespace to compete against bigger players like Viator and GetYourGuide by targeting speakers of Spanish, the most widely spoken first language after Mandarin.

Using technology to make experiences easier to book isn’t the only opportunity for businesses in the sector. Travel businesses must also see technology as a means to enhance the human side of what they do in creating more meaningful and personalized experiences.

In the dynamic world of air travel, sustainable growth and adapting to shifting demographics stand as both opportunities and challenges.

Travel platforms have traditionally prompted users to search with specific queries for flights or hotels. But AI is driving a shift towards conversational search methods, and tour operator TUI is trying to stay ahead of the curve.

TUI, Europe’s largest tour package holiday operator, said Wednesday it saw strength in all its core business segments: hotels, cruises and experiences. And it’s benefiting from last years’ shift to consolidation of its products onto one global platform.

Peek, a San Francisco-based tours and activities software vendor, is launching two artificial intelligence data features for its tour operator customers.  

Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, December 5. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) and American Airlines are going head-to-head in a complaint before the U.S. Department of Transport (DOT). Skift reached out to ASTA for the group’s latest position following a response from American Airlines last month.