Tour Operator

PhocusWire's in-depth coverage of the tour operator sector, featuring news, analysis, interviews, research and more on the brands in multi-day, single-day and packages, including their strategies, executives and positions in the market.

News / Technology

Peakwork acquired by Constellation Software

By Linda Fox | April 17, 2023

Germany-based Peakwork joins Constellation’s Vela Software division, one of six that focus on travel, aviation and other sectors. Read More

News / Online

Airbnb pauses new Experiences after predicting growth

By Kathryn Walson | April 17, 2023

The pause comes a year after CEO Brian Chesky called Airbnb Experiences a “massive, massive opportunity” and a “big area of investment in the coming years.” Read More

News / Startups

Beeyonder sees future for virtual tours despite Heygo shuttering

By Kathryn Walson | April 17, 2023

Boston-based virtual tours company Beeyonder has found that the pre-paid model is largely what makes it sustainable. Companies pay corporate rates for tours. Read More

News / Startups

Lovetovisit.com gets £2.1M to fund expansion

By Derek Catron | April 7, 2023

Funding includes £250,000 from Zip World, which offers zip lines and other adventures across the United Kingdom. Read More

News / Startups

AllFly raises $2.4M to expand group and corporate travel

By Derek Catron | March 30, 2023

New investment in the company formerly known as Bacarai was led by Lightbank with participation from Corazon Capital. Read More

Interview / Online

Chasing a dream to digitalize immersive travel in Africa

By Derek Catron | March 30, 2023

Charles Shima’s ZaNiheza is building a digital mall for immersive experiences in Africa and beyond. Read More

Interview / Startups

STARTUP STAGE: Orbzii wants to make travel planning easier

By Linda Fox | March 27, 2023

App-based Orbzii brings together flights and hotels and employs artificial intelligence to enable consumers to filter options and put together a trip as well as discuss it and share it with... Read More

Interview / Startups

STARTUP STAGE: Jerne connects travel companies with social media creators

By Kathryn Walson | March 20, 2023

Jerne is an SaaS platform for creators and experience providers to manage their relationships, navigate commercial agreements and track affiliate sales and marketing ROI. Read More

News / Online

Outdoor sports booking platform Captain Experiences reels in $2M

By Kathryn Walson | March 14, 2023

While the Austin, Texas-based startup is currently catering to the fishing and hunting verticals, it plans to expand across all outdoor sports and geographies. Read More

News / Technology

TourConnect releases booking automation tool

By Derek Catron | March 9, 2023

The reservations-focused tool drastically reduces time spent manually processing email bookings by using intelligent technology. Read More

News / Online

TUI to launch loyalty program built on guest “convenience”

By Linda Fox | March 8, 2023

Sebastian Ebel, speaking at ITB in Berlin, says he has been impressed with what hotel groups such as Hilton have done, describing its program as a "convenience product." Read More

News / Online

RocketRez acquisition adds AI tech to guest experience

By Kathryn Walson | March 3, 2023

TourOpp Go! says its chatbot technology automates communication between tourist attractions and ticket buyers. Read More

Interview / Startups

STARTUP STAGE: Travel platform Mapathink targets Southeast Asia

By Kathryn Walson | February 27, 2023

By disrupting the travel ancillary services market, Mapathink says it is looking at a huge addressable market. Read More

News / Technology

Data and personalization business BD4 shutting up shop

By Linda Fox | February 16, 2023

A statement from Dnata Travel and BD4’s founders says the decision was made following a strategic and commercial review looking at market conditions and growth prospects. Read More