Traveling Blog: Disney's Crowd-Control Prices + Alibaba Pushes Mobile Pay + Austin Draws Wellness Tourists

September 26, 2018

Editor's Note

Alibaba has made decent strides in travel in its relatively short lifespan of 20 years. The Chinese e-commerce giant's online marketplace, Fliggy, while a small part of its overall business, is offering travel services in unique ways to China's growing middle class. And our story below underscores how Alibaba's Alipay mobile payment unit is looking to change up commerce in U.S. cities to accommodate the more than 4 million Chinese tourists to the U.S. every year.

There is some nice momentum. But the surprise announcement earlier this month that Alibaba's co-founder and visionary executive Jack Ma plans to retire in a year raises questions about the company's strategy in a post-Ma era. Critics say Ma didn't do enough to craft a succession plan. The cloud that creates will certainly make the company more vulnerable to Chinese government intervention, and ultimately trip up what have been some solid gains in travel.

— Tom Lowry, Managing Editor

Executive Q&A: Susanne Hatje of Mandarin Oriental, New York on Thriving in an Ultra-Competitive Luxury Market

Disney shifted to seasonal pricing a couple of years ago, and the entertainment giant is drilling down even more with the latest changes. Visitors will likely grumble at the more complicated new system, but we don't expect Disney's business to suffer.

Alibaba Helps U.S. Cities With Mobile Payments for Chinese Tourism Wave

The trick to getting more U.S. businesses to invest in mobile payments will be to convince them that more demand will also soon come from U.S. travelers, who are still largely cash and card-carrying consumers for now.

In Austin, Wellness Is Fast Becoming the New Weird

Austin may be best known for its music bona fides, but wellness is also becoming instrumental in bringing an eclectic mix of visitors to the Texas capital city. It must be something in the water… or in the hills.

Booking Holdings Tweaks Momondo's Marketing Strategy

Well, well, well…if Booking Holdings is cutting brand marketing spending, what does it mean for the Momondo name going forwards?

Grand Prix Near Victoria Falls Stirs Opposition From Southern Africa Tourism Execs

The proposed Grand Prix in Zimbabwe near Victoria Falls is either a bold and ambitious vision for the future or hubristic folly that will ruin the local tourism industry. Are investors and developers for real with their plans for a Grand Prix circuit on the outskirts of Victoria Falls? We'll see.

Skift Restaurants Forum

Resy CEO Ben Leventhal on Restaurant Tech's Connected Future

Resy wants to solve the technical problems that frustrate the people running restaurants. Personalization is one thing, but the real value will be created by software platforms that talk to each other.

OpenTable Wants to Own Data-Based Dining

OpenTable has lost ground to rivals over the last few years, but the company is looking to leverage its scale and experience in the space to become a data-fueled recommendation engine for diners and a source of quality intelligence for restaurant operators.

Tips From a 104-Year-Old Food Business on Staying Relevant

When taking on a business with such a storied history, there's always a balancing act between looking backwards and looking forwards. Russ & Daughters is a New York institution and one to which its customers feel a deep attachment.

Not long ago, all discount airlines needed to compete was cheap fares. But times change, and with legacy airlines poaching some of their customers, more ultra-low-cost carriers are taking loyalty seriously.

The New York Times Adds Day Tours to Grab Piece of Booming Tours and Activities Sector

The newspaper business continues to go through an evolution in the digital era, all while the travel industry is thriving and demand grows for tours and activities. City Tours probably won't be the biggest revenue generator for the Times anytime soon, but it could do a lot to make the publisher cooler and more relevant.

25hours Hotels Pilots Its Own Concierge Service for Local Communities

Another day, another attempt from a hotel company to reinvent the role of the hotel concierge.

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