Traveling Blog: TripAdvisor Weathers Ad Slump + Emerging Market Lessons + iPhone Updates Lift Travel

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September 12, 2018

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Editor's Note

So often the travel industry gives lip service to the importance of the emerging markets of the world. But figuring out a successful model in these fragmented markets is no easy task. That's why our latest Skift Research Report focusing on MakeMyTrip in India and Despegar in Latin America is essential reading. Both companies, as Senior Research Analyst Seth Borko writes, are "highly evolved to match their regional niches." Both companies are public, traded on U.S. exchanges, allowing our analyst to go deep on the details. Their emerging market successes are no small feat, and contain lessons for all of online travel.

— Tom Lowry, Managing Editor

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Emerging markets will shape the future of the travel industry, but each region requires a unique strategy. MakeMyTrip and Despegar, online travel leaders in India and Latin America, provide distinct insights into how to succeed in their respective home markets.

Skift Forum Preview: TripAdvisor CEO Shrugs Off Advertising Slump as a Blip

Here's an unorthodox thought in business: TripAdvisor CEO Steve Kaufer knows that the company's value proposition for its customers can remain strong even when the financials face difficulties every once in a while. That's a truism that sometimes gets lost when pundits focus merely on stock price variations.

Apple's New iPhone Push Notification Tweaks Could Help Travel Brands

Despite the hype, Apple is merely playing catch-up to Android by rolling out new tools for fine-tuning app notifications. But it's still good news for the many users of business travel apps on Apple devices.

Priority Pass Parent Invests in Mobile Airport Food Ordering Platform Grab

If it wasn't obvious that Collinson and Priority Pass were expanding into the dining scene before, it is now.

A Peddler of Fake Reviews on TripAdvisor Gets Jail Time

TripAdvisor hopes that jail time will scare off the dishonest folks creating fake reviews. We hope so, too.

What's Behind the Face-Off Between Airports and Airlines in Australia

Australia's airlines are urging the government to reign in the airports, claiming they are abusing their monopoly power to extract unreasonable charges. It's a tough call for Canberra, which wants to see more investment in airport infrastructure, but doesn't want to be seen allowing price gouging from some of the most profitable airport operators in the world.

BridgeStreet Adds Hostels and Vacation Rentals to Biz Travel Platform

BridgeStreet is bringing homeshares and hostels to its platform in order to offer more variety to business travelers. The key will be finding success among travel managers by making it easier for them to book stays outside traditional extended stay hotels.

Innovative Hoteliers Tap Craft Cocktail Culture for Luxury Guests

Craft cocktail culture is based on the same principles driving change in the luxury hospitality world today: consumers' desires for best-quality ingredients, a curated sense of place, and staff conscious (and connected to) the local scene.

How 260-Year-Old Cox & Kings Stayed Relevant

Cox & Kings remains at the forefront of luxury tourism — not bad for a company that began life in 1758.

I wrote out all the things that inspire me and the team at Skift about the daily and larger promise of travel and the global industry that drives it.

New Hilton-Foursquare Mobile Concierge Is a Promising But Missed Opportunity

The idea's there, but why not take it a step further and personalize it that much more?

Hotelbeds Consolidates Travel Agency Business Under One Brand

After two blockbuster deals, change was to be expected. If travel agents end up getting more choice and better technology, they won't have much to get upset about.

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