Traveling Blog: Ctrip Hits Speed Bump + Royal Caribbean Reinvents Itself + Award Flights Aren't Free

March 15, 2018

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Editor's Note

Transparency issues and forgetting that customers are stakeholders, too, have temporarily set back Ctrip in China, Travel Tech Editor Sean O'Neill reports. Playing games with pricing and fees are never a good thing.

News Editor Hannah Sampson, meanwhile, has the details on how Royal Caribbean International is making a big push to attract millennials and new cruisers. Part of the plan is to repurpose a network of private islands in the Caribbean, Asia and Australia. When it comes to overtourism issues, at least there won't be many locals to upset on these private enclaves. So there's that.

— Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor

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Recent consumer activism and regulatory issues have unsettled Ctrip. But the trend is a positive sign that Chinese consumers will gradually demand protections, which will put in place drivers for long-term stable growth.

Royal Caribbean Is Making a Billion-Dollar Push for New Cruisers

Cruise industry players talk constantly about attracting first-timers. Royal Caribbean International is putting some serious cash behind that talk with its new investments into private destinations and ship upgrades.

Overtourism Countermeasures Include Limits on Cruise Ships and Short-Term Rentals

We've been talking about overtourism for a while now and it's good to see cities getting more creative when it comes to managing numbers. Visitors are going to keep coming to the likes of Barcelona, Dubrovnik, and Amsterdam, and therefore these places are going to have to get smarter about managing the flow of people, whether they already live there or not.

Why Your Airline Award Flight Is (Often) Not Exactly Free

Southwest doesn't care if you pay with points or cash. That's for good reason. Even if you pay with points, the airline often gets paid.

What Happens When Events Grow Too Big?

Germany's biggest exhibition will test the endurance of delegates as more than 200,000 visitors flock to Hanover. The event may be too big for the host city, and many delegates will have to commute for hours each day.

U.S. Senator Demands to Know Why United Airlines Has the Most Pet Deaths By Far

United had the most reported pet deaths among U.S. airlines in both 2016 and 2017, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Air Travel Consumer Reports. While we won't pass judgment here on what the flight attendant heard or didn't hear, and what exactly transpired in the latest incident, it's clear that the airline has some work to do.

Online Bookings Grow for Small and Simple Meetings

Meetings booked online are small in stature and short in duration, which comes as no surprise. The consumerization of the booking process for meetings is well under way.

Booking.com keeps hinting that it intends to become a full-service travel agency. But these products are often less profitable than hotels. So it risks a bumpy ride. No wonder it is considering revamping its rewards program and building a chatbot to help with merchandising.

Airbnb Makes Its Battle Against Booking and Expedia Official With New Hotel Campaign

The battle for online travel dominance began long ago, but now it's really getting serious. Count this as Airbnb's official opening shot toward Booking and Expedia.

Southwest Airlines Expects New Hawaii Routes Will 'Ignite' Credit Card Sign-Ups

If you have an airline-branded credit card, you may think you're getting a free ticket. It is free — for you. But often someone is paying for it.

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