Traveling Blog: Lonely Planet For Sale + Disney Eyes New Lands + How To Lure Chinese Tourists

May 9, 2018

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Editor's Note

Back in 1999 fresh from ABC, Bob Iger was trying to make a name for himself in his first corporate job at The Walt Disney Co., overseeing international operations. During that year, Disney announced a joint venture that would be the first pillar to building the Hong Kong Disneyland resort.

Fast forward 19 years later, and Iger, now Disney CEO (we guess he made a name for himself) is still at it. As Skift News Editor Hannah Sampson reports, Iger dropped big hints during an earnings call on Tuesday that Disney may be eyeing other parts of the world to possibly build new parks, less than two years after christening Shanghai Disney Resort. The bottom line punch from Black Panther may have made the biggest headlines for Disney Tuesday, but Iger showed he's never stopped scouting the globe for ways to promote the brand.

— Tom Lowry, Managing Editor

Chinese outbound travel continues to boom and shows high potential for future growth. Travel brands and destinations need to understand the evolving behaviors and preferences of Chinese travelers in order to most effectively appeal to this market.

Lonely Planet CEO to Depart as Company Pursues Sale

Lonely Planet has weathered the death of the guidebook better than any of its peers, and its new leader will need to figure out a way to flourish rather than just survive as it builds on the pieces of its empire.

Disney Is Exploring Where to Put Its Next New Worlds

Disney is pouring money into expanding its existing theme parks, so it should come as no surprise that the company would consider building in new countries altogether. While the CEO called such a move an "inevitability," no one should hold their breath for an announcement anytime soon.

TripAdvisor Q1 Shows Some Positives Although Core Hotel Business Is Still Tough Going

Beyond all the financial razzmatazz, TripAdvisor's core hotel business is still under pressure while the much smaller experiences and restaurant businesses are growing nicely — although not profitably at this point. If TripAdvisor can hang on while these non-core businesses mature, then its outlook would be much brighter.

SeaWorld Strikes a Familiar Tune With Fresh Focus on Animals

SeaWorld wants to talk more about its animals and the workers who take care of them. But the company should realize that any focus on animals will come with additional scrutiny.

Tourism Australia Targets High-Spending Consumers With New Premium Strategy

Everyone is talking about experiential travel these days. But Tourism Australia is upping the ante, using experiences to drive a premium strategy aimed at attracting more affluent visitors.

Check Out our Finalized Editorial Program for Skift Tech Forum

We're excited to announce our finalized editorial program for Skift Tech Forum, featuring 20+ talks with c-suite leaders and decision makers defining the future of travel, plus original data on industry topics that matter to you and your organization.

Restaurant Tech: Square Steps Into the Dining Room With a New Point of Sale System

How do you compete with legacy software systems? If you're Square, you create a well-designed, cloud-based, intuitive, self-serve product and send it into dining rooms across the country.

Skift Table

We have some big news today for Skift Table, our brand devoted to understanding the business of restaurants. Join us for a day-long event in New York City this fall that will carry on the Skift tradition of amazing speakers, engaging content, and the best attendees on earth.

New Event: Announcing Skift Restaurants Forum on Sept. 24 in New York City

The Skift Table Restaurants Forum is a one-day event devoted to the key trends and disruptions shaping the business of dining out. It will feature the nation's top restaurateurs, key executives, and essential thought-leaders who both shape and understand the consumer behaviors at the forefront of change in the modern restaurant industry.

Poor geography knowledge is a bane of nearly every destination's existence. Natural disasters are an unfortunate opportunity for tourism officials to educate travelers, even if many will always struggle to read a map.

Can Hotel Companies Have Too Many Brands?

We'd pay good money just to see hospitality executives try to guess which hotel brands belong to which companies.

Newly Rebranded Priceline Has Global Ambitions

If you follow the money, you'll see that Booking.com, for good reason, is the parent company's favored brand even in the United States. Priceline, though, does have brand recognition and will try to make the most of it given the hand that it has been dealt.

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