VIDEO: The high-profile investor view on tours and activities

He's one of the prominent members of the investment community in travel (and countless other sectors), and always has lots to say about the markets and companies that he backs.

Furthermore, Erik Blachford, before he joined Technology Crossover Ventures in 2011, was a private investor and perhaps best known as president of IAC Travel where he oversaw Expedia, Hotels.com and Hotwise.

He was part of the founding team within Microsoft of Expedia, one of the first online travel agencies in the world.

In short: he's seen a lot, built a lot and invested in a lot of brands.

And now, like many of the money folk in the technology sector, he's get more than just one eye on the tours and activities wing of the industry.

He serves on the board of TCV-backed TourRadar and Liftopia, whilst TCV has invested in Airbnb (now all in with its Experiences product), Klook, and TripAdvisor and Expedia (in their early days).

PhocusWire spoke to Blachford at the recent Arival Event 2018 in Las Vegas, to uncover why he and his peers in the investment world are looking so closely at tours and activities, and lots more...