Experiences tips

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. 

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.

The Louvre art museum in Paris will hike its basic entrance fee next year by 29%, adding to concerns that visitors coming to Paris for next year’s Olympic Games will face spiraling costs.

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.  

WeRoad, a European-based tour operator, has secured €18 million ($19.6 million) in a Series-B funding round led by H14, bringing its total raised capital to €36 million ($39.3 million).

The travel industry is witnessing a significant shift with an aging yet increasingly active demographic of travelers seeking more than just conventional luxury tours involving a leisurely-paced cruise or train trip. 

Foster + Partners has released concept images of its design for the pavilion for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at Expo 2025, taking place in Osaka, Japan.

Sphere Entertainment Company, sister company to Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation MSG, is looking for a new location for its second Sphere venue after its London-based plans were blocked by the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan. 

European small-group tour operator WeRoad, whose tours are typically run by travelers who have never visited the destination they’re leading a tour to, has doubled its traveler numbers by 50,000 in its fiscal year ending September 2023. 

Tripadvisor has released a preview for its upcoming 2024 study on the Experience of Travel, which showed that 67% of travelers surveyed across 7 key markets placed more value on experiences than things. It’s a drum the sector has been beating for a while.

European tour operator TUI’s tours and activities division, TUI Musement, has expanded its collaboration with National Geographic Expeditions, launching 40 new NatGeo Day Tours. 

Demand for unique experiences is an unstoppable trend that will continue to shape how travel businesses operate and engage with their customers in 2024 and beyond.

Tripadvisor laid off around 125 employees, or 4% of its workforce, in the third quarter and the company said last week that additional job trims will take place before the end of the year.

Tripadvisor’s Viator has long been one of the largest online travel agencies for tours and activities. But to juice its revenue, it began letting tour operators spend more for better placement in Viator search results.

Las Vegas likes to gamble, and the opening of The Sphere arena in September was certainly a gamble for its operator. Fresh data shared on Wednesday highlighted the risks and potential rewards.

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says 2023 marks the end of the company’s focus on perfecting its core business. He’s spent the past two years gathering feedback from hosts and guests to get the basic product right. Now, he says he’s ready to move forward and launch new things. 

If Viator turns profitable in 2024, would Tripadvisor consider a spinoff? Or would that be like giving up your favorite child?

The Tourism Authority of Thailand unveiled a new marketing campaign “Meaningful Relationship” at the World Travel Market event in London on Monday.