Caribbean Preps Pot Tourism + Travel Unicorn Disadvantage + Brexit Cloud Spreads

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

November 16, 2018 View in browser

Editor's Note T​he travel industry is anxiously looking ahead to 2019 and the long-anticipated initial public offerings of Uber, Lyft, and maybe even Airbnb. Nothing, of course, is certain, as all three continue to build their operations under the veil of being private. That brings us to renowned tech investor Bill Gurley from Benchmark, who agreed this week in Los Angeles to give some time to our executive editor Dennis Schaal. Never shy, Gurley said during the interview that companies like Airbnb do themselves a great disservice by staying private at this point in their growth cycles. The larger public stage that an IPO affords has huge advantages for executives and companies, particularly with competitors, Gurley contends. ​Read the full story below — it's clear that Gurley is just as excited as the rest of us to see these unicorns take the next big leap. — Tom Lowry, Managing Editor Skift Video: How Meetings Can Give Back to the Community Sponsored by The Venetian Resort Hotels throw away hundreds, or even thousands, of unused soap bars and hygiene products daily. Now, planners and hotels are thinking of new ways to recycle these items for a good cause through corporate social responsibility initiatives on the tradeshow floor. Watch Video Top Stories Caribbean Destinations Gear Up for Pot Tourism Even While Weed Is Still Illegal Pot tourism has become a big business in places like Colorado where marijuana has been legalized. Caribbean tourism officials wish local governments would legalize the drug to get pot tourism experiences and events on the map. Airbnb and Other Unicorns Suffer by Staying Private, High-Profile Tech Investor Argues Would Airbnb and Uber, for example, be truly better off as public companies? It's unclear because they both have access to tons of money. But they would both certainly be better equipped to spin their own narratives. Brexit Dampens UK Airline Jet2's Optimism Jet2 has big ambitions for its leisure travel division and Brexit, plus other factors, have the potential to derail things. It makes planning for the future very difficult. Skift Table: Sweetgreen's New Funding Makes It the First Salad Unicorn An 11-year-old salad chain valued at a billion dollars? Surely nothing will go wrong here. Wellness Newsletter: 'Spotify of Fitness' Aaptiv Takes Its Audio Workouts Global Exercise, yoga, and meditation are surging in popularity, but consumers are as time-crunched as ever. It's no wonder that the audio-based fitness brand Aaptiv (yes, there's an app for that) has taken off. What Lola's Big Deal Means for Business Travel It will be interesting to see if Lola's fortunes change as its partnership with American Express Global Business Travel ramps up. We're quickly finding out how big a market there is for the variety of apps catering to business travelers from small- to medium-sized companies. Tiqets Raises $23 Million for Museum Ticketing: Travel Startup Funding This Week Tiqets tackled the hard problem of helping many museums that lacked tech savvy to adopt modern sales techniques. Now it's seeing a payoff. In other news, events tech company Headbox and online travel agency Sastaticket raised money. Popular Now Rome Tour Bus Restriction Stirs Europe's Latest Overtourism Controversy Tour buses bring thousands of people to Rome each day, but many increasingly run on cleaner fuels than their passenger car counterparts. Buses also replace some of those cars and probably know the traffic laws better than the average driver, another reason that has us scratching our heads at Rome's plan. Sabre to Buy Farelogix for $360 Million to Help Airlines Sell Better Sabre allegedly tried to kill smaller rival Farelogix years ago. But now there's peace in the valley. Farelogix's merchandising and direct connection technology will plug a gap in Sabre's offering and could accelerate the travel tech giant's growth. United Airlines Warns Pilots on Issue That Plagued Fatal Lion Air Flight It seems like operators were caught off guard about some advanced functionality on the Boeing 737 Max. This is both odd and unusual. 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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