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.

Opinion / Online

Tours are at an absolute low - here’s how they can recover after COVID-19

By Alex Govoreanu - Questo | March 26, 2020

It's starting to look like a perfectly terrifying mix between the Spanish Flu and the Great Depression, with the tours and activities sector likely to never be the same again. Read More

News / Distribution

Youth and student travel sector looks to previous crises for coronavirus recovery clues

By Linda Fox | March 25, 2020

In its latest analysis of the business impact of COVID-19, WYSE says that although every crisis is different, longer term youth and student travel was less impacted by the financial crash than... Read More

News / Online

The long tail of travel may get cut off - automation is one way to get it back up

By Marissa Trew - WiT | March 25, 2020

Tour and activity distribution CEOs offer perspective on how the sector can recover from the coronavirus setback. Read More

News / Distribution

"What just happened?" - Tours and activities come to grips with coronavirus

By Jill Menze | March 20, 2020

The date February 23, 2020, marked a significant turning point for some tours and activities brands. Read More

News / Online

Online booking rates for activities halve and cancellations jump by a fifth due to coronavirus

By Kevin May | March 11, 2020

The gloomy business outcome of the spread of the virus to more than 100 countries around the world, including some of Europe's big tourist hotspots such as Italy, which is now on lockdown, has ignited... Read More

Interview / Startups

STARTUP STAGE: Freddy is changing city tours with augmented reality

By Steven Lerner | March 10, 2020

Freddy is an interactive augmented reality travel map, city guide and game designed for parents and children. Read More

News / Technology

Checkfront raises $9.3M round, talks up independent role for activities

By Kevin May | March 9, 2020

The Canada-based company, which this year celebrates a decade of operations since its creation, received the round in a deal led by Framework Venture Partners. Read More

Opinion / Distribution

As travel giants circle, understanding the economics in tours and activities is vital

By Olan O'Sullivan - TrekkSoft | March 3, 2020

In the past 24 months, the tours and activities sector has moved from, to borrow a Cinderella analogy, the cinders to the palace, where its untapped potential has moved into the sights of major travel... Read More

Interview / Startups

STARTUP STAGE: Toristy wants to make it easier for travelers to find local experiences

By Linda Fox | February 19, 2020

Toristy recently received a funding round, which it will devote towards speeding up its white label pilots with a plan to have them in place for summer 2020. Read More

holibob-tour-activity-marketplace-startup

Interview / Startups

STARTUP STAGE: Holibob is a marketplace connecting activity suppliers with resellers

By Mitra Sorrells | February 13, 2020

Holibob is a B2B marketplace for tours and experiences that provides resellers such as airlines, hotels, travel agents and OTAs with an inventory that has been vetted for safety and quality. Read More

News / Online

Google Maps adds features allowing users to explore and share more

By Linda Fox | February 12, 2020

The service, which Google claims has a billion users, now presents users on its Android and iOS app with five tabs: Commute, Contribute, Explore, Saved and Updates. Read More

News / Distribution

TUI alters forecast for 2020, 737 MAX grounding bites but digital investment continues

By Linda Fox | February 11, 2020

The tour operator estimated earnings before interest and income tax of between €850 million and €1,050 billion for the full year ending December 2020. Read More

News / Technology

Travel tech pros put sustainability behind economy as key challenges for 2020

By Linda Fox | February 10, 2020

A Travel Technology Europe survey highlights economic uncertainty as the greatest challenge facing the industry - but sustainability and climate change follow close behind. Read More

News / Online

Phocuswright Europe - the 2020 theme: Travel's Next Era

By PhocusWire | February 6, 2020

Phocuswright Europe is a place where online travel's smartest audience connects to share ideas, debate topics and showcase what's next. Read More

Opinion / Online

As web cookies fade, travel brands must create a robust identity strategy

By Charles Mi - Adara | January 31, 2020

Recent announcements and others expected in the coming months could diminish cookie volume online - so travel brands need to evaluate new methodologies for personalization and consumer insights. Read More

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