Tours and activities tips

Booking Holdings has been engaged in building a “connected trip” — where travelers might book a flight accommodation and attraction on Booking.com — over the past few years.

Ben Drew, president of Tripadvisor’s travel experiences brand Viator for the past four years, announced on Tuesday that he would leave the company on April 12 for “a new opportunity in a new industry.”

German vacation rental platform HomeToGo has partnered with Komoot, a route planning and navigation app for outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, mountain biking, and running.

GetYourGuide launched a suite of tools for tour and activity operators on Tuesday. The company, which has raised roughly $1 billion in funding, aims to make it easier for solo and mom-and-pop entrepreneurs to sell their walking tours, cooking classes, and other services through its online travel app.

It was another busy week for travel startup funding, and this time it was all early rounds with lower amounts.

GetYourGuide has been rolling out its largest brand advertising campaign in the online travel agency’s history, with plans to run national TV ads during the March Madness basketball tournament and the Academy Awards.

After a sleepy holiday season, it was the biggest week in a while for startup funding in travel. 

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.

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

How will the largest of the tours-and-activities marketplaces — Viator, GetYourGuide, and Klook — grow and compete in 2024? 

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.

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).

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. 

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.

Thrill-seekers from China have a renewed interest in adventure travel to Australia and New Zealand, with one adventure tourism operator, Experience Co, seeing a direct boost, according to its financial update on Thursday. 

A new survey by tours and activities online marketplace GetYourGuide showed American consumers want gifts that allow them to travel and experience the world more. 

Borders across Israel are now closed, and flight options are diminishing as major airlines stop commercial operations in Israel. Certain governments, including the United States, will use charter flights to evacuate their citizens.