online travel agent
Redefining The Value Chain in Tourism: Lessons From Thomas Cook’s Demise
Achim Schmitt | October 25, 2019
By Achim Schmitt Thomas Cook: An Industry Perspective On September 23rd, 2019, Thomas Cook – one of the world’s oldest travel companies – declared bankruptcy. The 178-year old travel firm was forced to indefinitely suspend its operations after failing to secure £200 million in emergency funding, despite having already reached an agreement for a £900 million rescue deal. But this wasn’t the first time that Thomas Cook rifled with financial struggles. The company almost went under in 2011 when its debt reached £1.24 billion – but narrowly avoided it by securing an emergency loan of £100 million. Now, 8 years later,�...
New Research Shows Fraudulent, Misleading Hotel Bookings Rob Consumers of $5.7 Billion Annually
AHLA | October 7, 2019
WASHINGTON (October 7, 2019) – The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) released new research that reveals online booking scams and dishonest marketing practices by fraudulent and misleading travel websites continue to deceive and confuse consumers. In fact, 23 percent of consumers report being misled by third-party traveler resellers on the phone or online, which amounted to $5.7 billion in fraudulent and misleading hotel booking transactions in 2018 alone. “The numbers we saw in this research are completely unacceptable. Consumers are being robbed of billions of dollars every year by bad actors,” said Chip Rogers,...
The Rise and Fall of OTAs
Rob Sudakow | July 24, 2019
Is Expedia Destined for Disruption? By Rob Sudakow Travel and Tourism accounted for approximately $8 Trillion of the world economy in 2018 and 10% of the world’s work force - a 6% increase from 2017 and no foreseeable signs of slowing. The travel industry is directly tied to global consumption growth and as wealth and populations continue to grow, demand for travel products will continue to expand. With statistics like this it should come as no surprise that there is a rush to jump into the market. The industry has a long history of failing to drive change and transform internally. “The travel and hospitality industry as a whole has ...
Klobuchar Urges Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to Investigate Potential Existence of Deceptive Conduct by Online Travel Agencies
November 7, 2017
While the large online travel agencies serve an important role in promoting consumer choice and competition for hotel and airline bookings, their size and market influence may allow them to engage in practices that could be detrimental to consumer welfare In a letter to Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim and Federal Trade Commission Acting Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen, Klobuchar calls on the agencies to examine the extent to which these websites may be engaging in misleading or anticompetitive conduct, affecting the prices and levels of service available to American consumers WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, the R...
Global OTA Customer: The Value of the International Booker for U.S. Hotel Properties
Expedia | October 30, 2017
Global customer reach is invaluable for hotels. The many advantages that come with an international booker include a higher average daily rate, and longer length of stay. And while this may seem more advantageous for independent hotels and small chains, since global hotel chains also have a worldwide reach, when you factor in international packages, it's clear that all hotels stand to benefit from international guests who book through OTAs. Companies like Expedia are helping hotel partners not only reach incremental travelers, but identifying those that provide the highest value to properties in any market. Expedia looked at 2016-2017 b...
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