GOOD DAY, READERS.
Thirty years into online experiences booking, the specialists are winning — for now, writes Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. GetYourGuide crossed €1 billion in revenue in 2025, grew at more than twice Tripadvisor/Viator's clip, and is profitable. Tripadvisor/Viator is also profitable and advancing; Klook turned profitable for the first time in the 12 months ending September 2025. Meanwhile, Booking.com is posting 80% attractions growth — but from a small base.
Airbnb is trying experiences again after multiple false starts. Expedia acquired Amsterdam-based Tiqets earlier this year and is routing it through B2B channels rather than fighting the consumer battle. The verdict: the platforms built around experiences from day one are the clear leaders — but the big OTAs have the time and resources to keep at it.
Skift Transatlantic Summit
The busiest travel relationship in the world is also now the most contested: geopolitical friction, AI reshaping distribution, gateways running full.
Join senior leaders from destinations, airlines, OTAs, and travel tech in Dublin on October 15 to work through what comes next.
DON’T MISS THESE STORIES
Experience Pure Plays Are Winning, OTAs Are Still Catching Up
by Dennis Schaal
Every major OTA — and even most hotels — say experiences are core to their strategies. But 30 years after the first experiences middlemen appeared, it is still a very tough business with the specialists having an edge.
Airline Lobby Backs Ban on Surveillance Pricing — While Insisting No Airline Does It
by Meghna Maharishi
The airline industry is arguing surveillance pricing is different from dynamic pricing. But as airlines get more sophisticated in their use of AI, the issue isn't going away.
What Airbnb Used to Be: Boutique Wants Fewer Homes, More Taste — and No Investment Funds
by Colin Nagy
Marc Blazer is building one of the cleanest anti-Airbnb points of view in travel: real, deeply designed homes for design-literate travelers who want taste, context, and character over inventory. The argument is persuasive. The hard question is whether it survives contact with growth.
ALLIANZ PARTNERS + SKIFT
72% of travelers are more likely to use a loyalty program that includes travel protection. Airlines are sitting on a massive differentiator — most just aren't using it. This Skift report with Allianz Partners breaks down what it takes to win the loyalty game in an uncertain economy.
For $7 a week, Skift gives you something the industry is missing – the full picture. Subscribe today for 25% off.
MORNING HEADLINES
SKIFT PODCAST NETWORK
Viator is thriving. TheFork is solid. And the core TripAdvisor product is getting pushed out by AI and losing relevance fast.
In this clip from Good Morning Hospitality, Brandreth Canaley, Michael Goldin, and Jamie Lane break down how one of travel's most recognizable brands ended up in a position where selling the flagship might actually make more sense than selling the subsidiary.
SKIFT TRAVEL 200
How are public travel companies performing around the world? The Skift Travel 200 pulls the data you need to understand global market movements. Paid subscribers get full access here.
See more essential travel news in your search results.
