Retail travel screwed as agents go to the wall, Airbnb planning to file for IPO, will hotels become travel agents and things you need to know Now in hotel digital marketing.

Retail travel screwed as agents go to the wall
Monday, 17th August 2020

Retail travel is screwed. Hard to say but, after Flight Centre last week announced it will lose between $825 million and $875 million for the financial year ending June 30, impossible to dispute.

It’s sad but inevitable that many of these agencies are going under anyway because their business model – which has for so long ignored domestic travel – is structured around high cost international trips and the commissions that come with them >>

Comments on Airbnb planning to file for IPO in August
17 Aug 2020 : Financial executives at wealth management advisory Oita Chuo Pacific Management have commented on Airbnb Inc, as the company are planning to file paperwork for a stock market listing within the next few weeks, setting the stage for its shares to begin trading as early as the fourth quarter >>

Enhanced transatlantic co-op to restore Safe travels urged
17 Aug 2020 : Harmonised health protocols and coordinated contact-tracing technologies can prevent further outbreaks >>

Insights from first webinar in GBTA Collaboratory 2020
16 Aug 2020 : 'Business travel recovery will be uneven, with innovative and creative companies taking the lead' was just one of the many key takeaways from trendcaster Dr Shawn DuBravac >>

40% of excess unemployment is in hospitality sector
17 Aug 2020 : Faced with a fresh round of bleak employment data, the American travel industry is renewing its pleas for leaders in Washington to return to the negotiating table and finalize another coronavirus-related relief package—without which the prospects for an overall US economic recovery look increasingly grim >>

HIGHLIGHT ARTICLE

Will Hotels Become Travel Agents - Revisited
Monday, 17th August 2020

In early 2019 I asked the question whether hotels could learn from travel agents in adding value through 'ancillaries' – meaning all of the extra services and products linked to the travel experience.

At the time the original article was written, there was ongoing concern about how to compete with Airbnb and other home-stay products as well as how to compete with the twin OTA behemoths of Expedia and Priceline.

Fast forward a little over a year and what a change in the accommodation and travel landscape! Hotels are closed all over the world, travel agents are struggling and the OTAs are overwhelmed >>

The Owner’s Obligation – Cash
Despite the tremendous run of profit growth and returns the U.S. owners have enjoyed since the Great Financial Crisis in 2009, it is doubtful that most were equipped to handle the hit to their fiscal health >>

Top 5 Things You Need to Know Now in Hotel Digital Marketing: August 2020 Edition
As Q3 comes to an end and hoteliers prepare their Q4 digital strategy, it’s important to keep a pulse on the evolving digital landscape to make a greater impact on performance >>

In case you've missed it: Global eNews of August 14, 2020
Counting the social costs of tourism in the COVID-19 era, Booking.com to restructure business and ancillary revenues in the age of COVID-19 >>