Is TripAdvisor Ready for a Merger? + 4 Takeaways From Channel Shock + Basic Economy for Cruises

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

August 24, 2017 View in browser

Editorial Note It can be challenging for smaller players in the travel industry to compete with the more dominant rivals in their sector, but the competitive landscape is always shifting in new and interesting ways. Travel tech editor Sean O'Neill examines how Travelport is working to push deeper into the Asia-Pacific market. By partnering with India's MakeMyTrip, Travelport looks to punch above its weight in one of the world's most important emerging travel markets (even if MakeMyTrip already works with distribution rival Amadeus). We also have a bite-size list of takeaways you need to know about the state of disruption and innovation in travel distribution, based on our recent deep dive into the subject. Airlines want to sell products that are more profitable and personalized, an effort which could one day leave traditional distribution platforms in a lurch. — Andrew Sheivachman, Senior Writer From Dreaming to Departure: How Pinterest Reaches Travelers Throughout The Entire Customer Journey [SPONSORED] Sponsored by Pinterest With nearly one in four online travel planners using Pinterest as a resource––often beyond the initial inspiration and ideation phase––marketers and advertisers looking to reach travelers should consider the value Pinterest has to offer. Read More Top Stories Costa Cruises Takes a Cue From Airlines With New Branded Fares Cruises have always been complicated to book, so we're curious if customers will appreciate Costa's new approach. TripAdvisor May Have Signaled Merger Readiness With Severance Package Changes The changes to golden parachute packages for TripAdvisor executives don't mean that some company is ready to swoop in tomorrow and acquire TripAdvisor — although we are not ruling it out, either. Still, the language changes sweeten the pot for management and perhaps incentivize such an outcome, according to the story. KLM Becomes First Non-Chinese Airline to Accept WeChat Pay KLM is a little less reliant on Chinese customers than other major airlines, but it's good to see the Dutch carrier taking the chance on a new way of accepting payments. We're betting it'll work out well for KLM. And we suspect other airlines will follow. 4 Takeaways on the Future of Travel Distribution and the Accompanying Channel Shock Airlines around the world are looking to revamp their distribution and merchandising efforts. Most of the innovation is happening in Europe right now, but U.S. airlines are starting to experiment, as well. Interview: Ctrip CEO on Growth Strategies and Employee Empowerment Ctrip dominates online travel in China and will benefit from the continued shift from offline to online bookings. Additionally, the company is pushing more into the lucrative outbound market. We discuss these trends and more with CEO Jane Jie Sun. Travelport Signs MakeMyTrip Deal as the India Online Travel Agency Diversifies Its Distributors for Now Travelport's distribution deal with India's largest online travel agency suggests that it can punch above its weight. But Travelport still faces a struggle against its much larger competitors. Chefs+Tech: Elements of Fine Dining Creep into Fast-Casual The term "fast-casual" seems loosely defined as fast food steps up its game and full service restaurants become more casual to adapt to changing times. Now, some of the elements that define fine dining are showing up in more casual formats. Lines = blurred. Gen Z Won't Tolerate Boring Meetings That Aren't Interactive If you want to engage Generation Z, ditch the paper, be authentic, and keep those presentations moving. Still Popular 25 Best Tourism Board Websites in the World in 2017 The best tourism websites in the business in 2017 are emphasizing user-generated content from platforms like Instagram and doubling down on video to make destinations seem more real rather than a part of a traveler's imagination. Alaska Airlines Will Finally Add Speedy Wi-Fi on All of Its Big Jets We know it takes a long time to retrofit airplanes. And we know airlines hate to remove planes from service. But we wish Alaska could work faster to add speedy Wi-Fi. Three years is a long time to wait. 8 Takeaways on Airbnb's Road to an IPO Consider this your CliffsNotes on all things Airbnb as the company continues to mature. For Gmail users: If you are using the tabbed inbox, Skift emails may be pushed to the 'Promotions' tab. To get updates from Skift direct to your primary inbox, drag and drop this email to that tab. You received this email because you are subscribed to Skift Daily Newsletter from Skift.

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