Tours & Activities

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PhocusWire's in-depth coverage of the tours, activities and activities sector is produced in partnership with Arival, the essential resource for the in-destination experiences industry.

Tours tech provider BookingKit closes Series B funding round
News / Startups
Tours tech provider BookingKit closes Series B funding round
By Jill Menze | February 28, 2018
German tours and activities startup BookingKit has secured a Series B funding round understood to tally at around $4 million. Read More
in the big chair brian chesky
Interview / Online
In The Big Chair - Brian Chesky of Airbnb
By Jill Menze | February 27, 2018
The three co-founders started Airbnb with an air mattress in their apartment. Now, the 36-year-old CEO oversees a travel company worth $31 billion. Read More
Triple acquires Local Guddy
News / Startups
Triple buys travel experiences competitor Local Guddy
By Mitra Sorrells | February 26, 2018
Triple, a digital marketplace that connects travelers with local hosts for activities and experiences, has acquired competitor Local Guddy. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.   Read More
Airbnb wants Experiences in 1,000 destinations, expands activities
News / Online
Airbnb wants Experiences in 1,000 destinations, expands activities
By Jill Menze | February 23, 2018
Following news of updates to its core Homes category, Airbnb has announced expansion of its fledgling Experiences marketplace. Read More
KKday $10.5M funding round
News / Startups
KKday raises $10.5M to expand tours and activities platform
By Mitra Sorrells | February 23, 2018
Taiwan-based experiences distributor KKday has secured $10.5 million in funding to expand its service that helps travelers find local tours and activities around the world.    Read More
Airbnb Experiences pushes for profitability with expansion into live events
News / Distribution
Airbnb Experiences pushes for profitability with expansion into live events
By Nick Vivion | February 23, 2018
Today, Airbnb announced a notable expansion of its Experiences product: Concerts. Travelers, as well as locals (a demographic that the company already targets with Experiences) can book concerts wi Read More
KKday raises $10.5 million, looks to improve travel experiences product
From Our Partners / Distribution
KKday raises $10.5 million, looks to improve travel experiences product
By Sponsored Content | February 23, 2018
This is an article from China Travel Daily.It appears as part of the tnooz sponsored content initiative. Taiwan-based travel-experience platform KKday has raised $10.5 million in funding. The ro Read More
TUI Group blockchain development 2
News / Technology
Q&A: Trust, truth and transparency at the heart of TUI Group’s blockchain work
By Mitra Sorrells | February 21, 2018
TUI Group was one of the first travel brands to make headlines for its adoption of blockchain.   Read More
TripAdvisor 2018 strategy hotels attractions mobile
News / Online
TripAdvisor bets on TV advertising, improved UX to restore profit in hotel segment
By Mitra Sorrells | February 15, 2018
TripAdvisor will expand its television advertising spending to $100 to $130 million for its hotel segment during 2018, with new creative and new markets, while simultaneously reducing online marketing... Read More
TripAdvisor earnings full year 2017
News / Online
TripAdvisor has revenue elsewhere to thank as hotel growth remains flat
By Mitra Sorrells | February 14, 2018
TripAdvisor turned in modest 5% growth in total revenue for 2017 but a notable 24% increase in revenue in its non-hotel category.    Read More
Battling external forces: How a startup competes in the tours market
News / Online
Battling external forces: How a startup competes in the tours market
By Jill Menze | February 14, 2018
The travel industry has yet to see a clear frontrunner emerge in the tours and attractions space. Be it for lack of the right idea or the right distribution model - or, most likely, both - no major or... Read More
Cool Cousin guide app blockchain
News / Startups
Local guide app Cool Cousin pivots to blockchain
By Mitra Sorrells | February 13, 2018
When Nadav Saadia and his co-founders launched “Cool Cousin” in 2016, they were aiming to create a new version of a travel agency. Read More
TUI Group brings tours and activities out of the shadows
News / Distribution
TUI Group brings tours and activities out of the shadows
By Martin Cowen | February 13, 2018
TUI Group's ongoing digital transformation has created the infrastructure for "destination services" - as in tours, activities and transfers - to become a designated strategic growth area for the busi Read More
Matchmaking attractions app weeds out big-box and "locally mainstream" tours
News / Startups
Matchmaking attractions app weeds out big-box and "locally mainstream" tours
By Jill Menze | February 13, 2018
With Kolu, the app’s co-founders are harnessing the power of three to put their spin on the local attractions space. Read More
Expedia ticks modest growth in 2017, now charting "new direction"
News / Online
Expedia ticks modest growth in 2017, now charting "new direction"
By Mitra Sorrells | February 8, 2018
Expedia Inc.’s revenue increased 11% in the fourth quarter of 2017 compared to a year prior – up to $2.32 billion – but the diverse online travel company still missed analysts’ expectations by $40... Read More
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