Europe Weekend Review: Summer Travel Wilts in Heat + Norwegian Air's Waiting Game

Sunshine, or rather the lack of it, is one of the main reasons why millions of Northern Europeans head abroad every summer.

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July 14, 2018 View in browser

Editor's Note Sunshine, or rather the lack of it, is one of the main reasons why millions of Northern Europeans head abroad every summer. The problem for tour operators at the moment is that a heat wave in the UK and elsewhere is making people think twice about booking that two-week trip. Of course, plenty of people have already booked — but the "lates" market (vacations booked close to departure) has the power to turn an average year into a good one. In recent weeks, a number of financial analysts have warned that the good weather might hurt Thomas Cook and TUI Group, both of which have seen their share price fall. Another factor is the World Cup. A peak audience of 26.5 million people watched England lose to Croatia in the semi-finals; that's 40 percent of the total population. Travel industry received wisdom suggests people don't want to book or go away when their national team is doing well. With temperatures supposedly on their way down and the World Cup coming to an end, travel companies will be hoping consumer demand returns. — Patrick Whyte, Europe Editor New Skift Research: U.S. Traveler In-Destination Mobile Usage Survey 2018 Mobile usage among U.S. travelers is nearly ubiquitous, but there are clear gaps between different parts of the in-destination journey. Travel brands that can add value to the mobile journey have a lot to gain. Skift Research dives into the details. Learn More Top Stories Launching The Oral History of Travel's Greatest Acquisition Booking.com This is the oral history of Priceline's two deals, the acquisitions of Active Hotels and Bookings B.V., that created Booking.com, and continue to shape the course of online travel and the competitive landscape today. The twin transactions were among the greatest Internet deals of all time, and their lessons are relevant to startups and dealmakers in any industry. Mixed Fortunes for European Tour Operators as Summer Season Begins Periods of prolonged hot weather can hurt tour operators with potential customers staying at home or booking a domestic trip instead. However, it shouldn't be used as an excuse to mask other problems within a business. What a Month of Bicycle Rides Through Valencia Reveals About Authenticity in Tourism For all its imperfections, Valencia still has its spirit and a sense of authenticity that other destinations have lost in some ways in the age of overtourism. As the city fights to maintain equilibrium, it has a unique opportunity to set an example via the proper management of tourism. Don't put doors in the field. Set up bike lanes instead. Norwegian Air CEO Is Wait and See on Possible Sale as Competitors Show Interest Norwegian Air reported earnings Thursday, and a lot of analysts expected it to feel like a funeral. But something funny happened. The airline reported a profit. Does this mean it's in good shape? Probably not, but at least it's better than a loss. UK and Ireland Cruisers Are Actually Getting Older Despite Push for Millennials While some cruise lines have had success targeting younger travelers, it is older people who are still the most interested. But so what? There are plenty of wealthy retirees who are happy to while away their days sipping cocktails at sea. New Packaged Vacations Law in Europe Causing Confusion Despite the travel industry having had years to get used to the idea of new rules governing the sale of vacations in the European Union, there are still plenty of people still scratching their heads over the changes. Video: Why AccorHotels CEO Wants Even More Brands "Anybody telling me you should be limiting the number of brands, I think it's bullshit," said AccorHotels CEO Sebastien Bazin at Skift Forum Europe. We wouldn't be surprised to see him expand the hotel giant's portfolio of brands to at least 40, up from today's 32. 6 Takeaways From The Oral History of Travel's Greatest Acquisition Booking.com The stars were seemingly aligned when Booking.com made its move. The big U.S. players were too comfortable with their huge margins from the merchant model; Booking.com focused on independent hotels; and search engine marketing was on the rise. Still, it was the entrepreneurs and dealmakers who made it all happen. Rest of the World Puerto Rico Emerges From Hurricane Maria With a Plan and New Hope for Tourism For more than a century, Puerto Rico has been divided along two identities – Puerto Rican and American. But Hurricane Maria has forced it to reach a point where its tourism industry must merge the two, and market the destination in a way like many others on the mainland have done for decades if it hopes to become a global success story. Millennials and Chinese Consumers Are Rewriting the Luxury Rulebook The luxury goods market is going to be worth more than $450 billion by 2025 and many of its trends are relevant to travel as well. Younger consumers see brands in a different way than previous generations — and for them consistency is key. Booking Holdings Buys HotelsCombined as Kayak Expands Into Asia Pacific Booking.com is Booking Holdings' favored child, but with the addition of HotelsCombined, it is apparent that the parent company still sees plenty of opportunity for its Kayak unit in metasearch worldwide. This deal will help Kayak expand in Asia Pacific, and will give HotelsCombined additional resources as well. Analysts Are Puzzled Why Booking Holdings Acquired HotelsCombined The deal surprised analysts, some of whom didn't see an obvious logic for it. Yet one thing is sure: Online hotel sales are a bit like an old-fashioned butter market. A big chunk of butter changes hands multiple times and everyone gets their hands greasy. Airbnb Believes Homesharing Is Now for a Mass-Market Audience Our Skift Take Studio videos take readers behind the scenes at major events. In the first from Skift Forum Europe, Airbnb's boss in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa discusses the broad appeal of homesharing. Delta Continues Strong Growth Despite Higher Fuel Costs As Delta goes, so goes the rest of the U.S. aviation sector. While the conversation will be centered around dealing with increased costs, all the fundamentals are still in place for Delta to continue growth across the board and expand abroad. 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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