Online travel agencies tips

Spain’s eDreams Odigeo said on Tuesday the number of bookings made on its various online platforms was rising faster than across the wider industry, boosting its profitability.

Australia’s Flight Centre Travel Group has a few issues with airlines at the moment.

Busbud, an online marketplace for bus and other ground transport tickets, is now offering more software services to operators in that industry following a company acquisition. 

Yanolja said this week it expected that a post-pandemic rebound in international travel will continue to boost its twin businesses of online travel sales via a superapp and software sales to hotels and other travel companies. The South Korea-based startup has made progress on both ambitions since 2011, when it received a $1.7 billion investment from the Softbank Vision Fund in a transaction that valued Yanolja at the time at approximately US$9 billion.

The numbers show solo travel is expected to increase in the year ahead while tour operators push to provide enhanced flexibility for single travelers, many of whom take trips in small groups.

Travel platform Agoda has been pushing ahead with a series of new fintech partnerships, with its eye on Asia’s corporate travel recovery.

Yoga enthusiasts wanting an immersive cultural retreat, football fans looking to meet their sporting heroes or individuals with a penchant for the mixology of gin — these everyday interests and hobbies are shaping “passion-driven” itineraries for travelers looking for more meaningful travel experiences.

Americans want savvy pricing regarding their travel experiences in the new year, as they keep an open mind about the type of things they plan to book. 

The potential of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to produce personalized travel recommendations and itineraries, as well as on-point content for travel companies, is setting the travel sector abuzz. 

There’s nothing quite like a surprise travel gift — and U.S. travelers are ready for it.

Indian online travel agency EaseMyTrip announced this week that it has acquired a 55 percent stake in hotel booking marketplace cheQin, owned by Gleego Innovations, for around $370,000.

Deploying travel advisors with zero travel booking experience sounds like a bad idea. But travel agency Fora believes it is leveling the playing field for individuals passionate about travel to earn extra income by planning and booking trips.  

Tour operators need to catch up in digitizing their systems to improve booking efficiency, brand reach and the overall quality of their experience. In a nutshell, the traditional way consumers find and book an attraction or activity needs to be more convenient. 

Having started as a mom-and-pop travel agency, EaseMyTrip today figures among the largest online travel agencies (OTA) in India with a market capitalization of $1.1 billion while being completely bootstrapped.

G Adventures, the small group tour operator, is restructuring as G Travel Community (GTC). The holding company sets the scene to bring its existing brands into one stable but with expanded space for new brand acquisitions.

Flight Centre Travel Group reported record travel booking inquiries for January and February, pointing to a continued uptick in performance in 2023 for Australia’s largest travel agency as it sees marked recovery from previous losses in 2022. The company is juggling a greater emphasis on online sales while reducing costs for in-person sales.

A listing in India, where the market is now more receptive to e-commerce platforms, is still on the agenda for MakeMyTrip, even as the online travel agency said it is not looking at any fundraising immediately.

Generative artificial intelligence like ChatGPT threatens the authenticity and trustworthiness of online reviews.  

Exoticca, a Barcelona-based online travel agency focused on affordable luxury tours and vacation packages, launched its first-ever brand campaign this year. The campaign, titled What a Time to be Alive, debuted in early January with TV spots in Canada and the United Kingdom and digital ads in the United States, Mexico and Spain.

Travelers make multiple purchases in preparation for their trip, a consideration Tripadvisor believes should be noticed by marketers. The company honed in on the purchasing intent of its audience and found that despite rising prices, plans to travel is on par with 2019 levels.

Tour operators need to make serious inroads into tech adoption to capitalize on the forced digital offshoots created by the pandemic. A Skift 2023 Megatrend forecasts that the global tours and activities software market is set to skyrocket, with a projected value of $1.2 billion by 2026.