innovate travel agent

Supercharging Digital Transformation for Travel Agencies and Professionals

RateHawk + Skift

December 20th, 2023 at 10:00 AM EST

For travel agencies to navigate the next evolution of business-to-business travel booking, they need a forward-thinking technology partner that knows how to balance digital innovation with human expertise — especially in an industry known for its resistance to change.

This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a Skift partner.

The travel industry has been in recovery mode for the past few years, with overall global performance finally returning to 2019 levels in 2023 . Driven by a global wave of digital adoption, the online travel sector is growing even more quickly — according to Skift Research , online bookings will reach $666 billion by 2024, 26 percent above 2019 levels.

Although the worst days of the Covid-19 pandemic may be over, several challenges remain — including lingering supply chain issues, erratic fluctuations in demand, economic uncertainty, and new expectations around flexibility and safety. For the online travel sector, fragmented distribution is another persistent challenge, especially in Europe, where the underlying hotel supply is much less branded than in the U.S.

“To thrive in this unpredictable environment, travel agencies and travel management companies (TMCs) need to rethink their operations, reinvent their approach to digital transformation, and stay abreast of shifts in customer preferences, emerging destinations, and changes in industry regulations,” said Felix Shpilman, CEO of Emerging Travel Group, a Dubai-based company that has developed into a major global incremental distribution channel for hotels and chains.

Launched in 2010, Emerging Travel sources inventory to its own platforms — a collection of brands tailored to different audiences, including business-to-consumer users, travel professionals, and corporate travelers — as well as to other companies through API connections. Built for a business-to-business audience, its RateHawk brand is known for its robust technology platform that serves travel agencies and TMCs with user-friendly booking tools.

SkiftX spoke with Shpilman about the challenges facing travel agencies and professionals, the importance of balancing automation with the human touch, and how RateHawk differentiates itself through intuitive user-experience (UX) and user-interface (UI) design, combined with an extensive inventory of accommodations from numerous suppliers.

Navigating the Complexities of Today’s Booking Landscape

While the specific needs of leisure and business travel agencies, TMCs, and travel professionals looking for API booking solutions may be different, “they all earn a living through selling travel and deriving income from booking fees or commissions,” Shpilman said. “They need to continue surfacing relevant booking options with their customers in order to maintain profit margins.”

Surfacing relevant booking options with customers means managing constant fluctuations in pricing, promotions, and availability with real-time updates and synchronization across platforms. The evolving nature of travel preferences and the need for personalized experiences add to this complexity. The core challenge is that agents earn a modest percentage of the massive profits generated by the travel industry — and even before the disruptions caused by the pandemic, leisure travel agencies faced intense competition from business-to-consumer services that focused on discounting.

“Agents cannot compete with business-to-consumer services because of how the structure of the market works at face value,” Shpilman said. “The oligopolistic structure of airline companies further limits agents’ margins, particularly in the business travel segment. On the other hand, no business-to-consumer service has successfully replaced the role of leisure travel agents worldwide.”

This hyper-competitive landscape, coupled with the high cost of travel purchases, poses an enduring obstacle, but agencies should remember that customers will book wherever it’s most profitable and wherever they get the best service. Agencies can level up and provide outstanding service if they have the right digital tools in place.

How Technology Empowers Travel Agents and Professionals

Balancing human-to-human interaction with scaled-up technology services is a delicate act and a common problem across sectors today. In the travel industry, the human touch provided by travel agents remains indispensable, particularly in offering personalized assistance to clients.

There are concerns that a tech-first experience may remove the personal interaction that makes travel special — however, advanced technology can actually enhance the human touch. For example, generative artificial intelligence (AI) can concisely summarize conversations to reduce the time agents and managers spend taking and reviewing notes or sharing context when transferring contacts.

In other words, to paraphrase the sentiment expressed at Skift Global Forum in September , we’re not going to be replaced by AI — we’re going to be replaced by people who know how to use AI. Technology can evolve the role of travel agents, helping them compete with business-to-consumer services and freeing them up to make better and faster decisions.

“I don’t see a world where technology completely replaces the expertise of human travel agents,” Shpilman said. “Automated solutions powered by AI and machine learning will continue to improve, but AI will serve as a co-pilot, helping travelers book more easily and assisting agents to make better proposals. It’s a co-pilot on both sides of the transaction.”

Shpilman’s vision of a future where technology complements — rather than replaces — the expertise of travel agents aligns with the platform’s commitment to building functional and easy-to-use products for travel professionals.

“When we started building our business-to-business products in 2014, most travel agencies were still using text-based global distribution systems (GDS) to make travel bookings,” Shpilman said. “We saw a huge opportunity to reinvent the user interface and add the modern functionality agents need, so we applied our business-to-consumer knowledge toward improving the design and coupled it with an extensive inventory of accommodations from 220 active, optimized supplier connections. Combining this incredible under-the-hood tech with a beautiful platform interface is where RateHawk’s magic comes from.”

The RateHawk platform includes many innovative features that help travel agents conduct business more efficiently, including a Selection Tool designed to enhance service quality and client engagement by simplifying hotel selection and offering customizable templates, seamless booking processes, and branding options. Another feature, pay-by-link , allows agents to process payments directly with clients’ cards or via remote payment links, simplifying transactions and enabling business in various environments.

“These products are in high demand among travel agents, and we are constantly iterating and developing new tools to meet their needs,” Shpilman said.

RateHawk’s Rebranding Strategy and Future Outlook

Product innovation and differentiation, combined with overwhelming scale, can be a winning formula for success in the online travel sector. At World Travel Market in November, RateHawk announced a major rebranding initiative that encompasses an updated corporate identity, strategic reimagining, and the unveiling of a new logo.

“When RateHawk began as a startup, we lacked the budget and clarity to define our role in the business-to-business booking ecosystem,” Shpilman said. “Now, as we scale into new markets, this rebranding reflects how we see travel agents as unsung superheroes, overcoming challenges, navigating change, and exceeding expectations. We see ourselves as the agent’s friend and partner, and we wanted to communicate that more clearly.”

Looking ahead to an even more hyper-digitized and automated world, Shpilman believes travel will continue to be an expensive and complex purchase that requires human expertise and that there will always be a need for building functional tools that accommodate travel agents’ evolving needs.

“The travel tech sector is booming, but it hasn’t always been viewed as particularly glamorous,” Shpilman said. “But the development of digital technologies is reshaping the industry and making it more appealing. I love that I get to interview and hire a lot of young people around the world and get them excited about this dynamic industry — because we’re living in an immensely exciting time.”

Learn more about RateHawk’s business-to-business travel booking capabilities.

This content was created collaboratively by RateHawk and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX .

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Tags: booking , digital transformation , online travel agencies , ratehawk , SkiftX Showcase: Technology , travel tech , travel technology

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Disrupting The Travel Industry: A Breakdown On Startup Driven Innovation

The one-fits-all approach has lost its influence on the travel industry. More people, especially Millennials, no longer consider a beach holiday as the ideal way to spend their annual leave. People travel for the experiences that await them in new locations. Moreover, consumers increasingly carry out their booking activities online – by themselves thus overall changing their travel habits. This situation has a profound impact on the travel industry and challenges travel agents (TAs) to adapt in order to survive.

While at the turn of this century, arranging a holiday entailed a visit to the local travel agent, digital travel is the new frontier. It is still being debated whether the metaverse will change the way we travel for good. Still, for travel agents, it signifies a pressing need to address the ongoing digital transformation. To identify what trends are disrupting the travel industry, we analyzed 1.000+ TravelTech startups . In this breakdown, we will share the eight most impactful innovation areas with you.

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Conversational Interfaces

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has come a long way in understanding human behavior , particularly in terms of natural language understanding (NLU) and natural language processing (NLP). Because conversational interfaces will soon be disrupting the travel industry, chatbots experience extensive hype with good reason.

Chatbots allow travelers to directly interact with travel agents in a trusted manner, before and while traveling. Customized communication with passengers enhances customer experience, builds trust, and increases retention rates while reducing costs dramatically. The maturing development of conversational interfaces holds the potential for a far more advanced level of bots in the near future. Instead of fully replacing human travel agents, however, it is expected they will cooperate with one another.

Net Solutions leverages chatbots to provide a personalized travel experience. The startup’s chatbots can be launched on Messenger, Telegram, and Slack among other services and provide full analytics to better understand customer behavior . The service includes features such as providing customer support, tracking orders, and distributing content.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

For customers, AI simplifies travel decisions , shortens the time of purchase, and enhances personalized offerings throughout the entire travel lifecycle.

For travel agents, automating low priority tasks frees up time of the human workforce which then can be used to add further value. There are a few ways in which AI is disrupting the travel industry:

• Offering accurate travel recommendations such as alternative travel dates, destinations, and local sightseeing options based on previous searches or
• Personalizing bookings to boost customer loyalty which results in repeated sales.

WayBlazer provides travel intelligence that recommends the most relevant destinations and products for every traveler. The startup uses natural language to search and discover the best destinations , resulting in an 81% improvement in search result quality according to the startup. Moreover, the recommendations are backed by contextual media and also feature reviews.

Augmented Reality (AR) & Virtual Reality (VR)

AR and VR technologies advance travel experiences by demonstrating destinations (“try before you fly”), preserving historical landmarks, and even creating new attractions.

Augmented and Virtual Reality equip travel agents with the tools to highlight their unique selling points such as hotels or destinations. By inviting visitors to be a part of the story it becomes the traveler’s story. Ultimately, a journey that boosts engagement, culminating in a one-of-a-kind travel experience .

Realities is one example of a startup bringing these experiences to life. The startup lets travelers explore a library of interesting places all around the globe in photorealistic quality. Currently available for HTC Vive, the images (“scans”) are based on photogrammetry and other scanning techniques like LiDAR (Light Detecting and Ranging).

Mobile Travel

Nowadays, mobile has turned into the latest sales channel for travel agents. Thanks to tourism pairing well with mobile devices, passengers can continue to modify their journey once they have taken off. From cross-device service to personalized & data-driven search results, integration of travel information, as well as AR/VR apps and wearables, travel apps are disrupting the travel industry.

Localscope by Cynapse is a single app containing aggregated information from various sources. The startup lets travelers discover places, people, and information about them using geo-tagged data from multiple local search engines, social networks, and media sharing services. The app includes badges for ratings, check-ins, likes and can add geo-tagged reminders for any location.

Digital Payment

In Western Europe, digital travel sales will pass 121 billion Euro , opening diverse possibilities for travel agents. The increase in digital payments comes down to three main lines of disruption: P2P payment applications, digital wallets (eWallets), and the rise of cryptocurrencies .

While these technologies improve efficiency and convenience, gaining travelers’ trust is still a challenge. When implementing these solutions, traditional and online travel agents need to be aware of these concerns to address them correctly.

WeTravel develops a platform that collects payments securely while also managing (group) bookings efficiently . The startup allows travel agents to create a booking page that collects downloadable traveler information, and, additionally, collects payments as well as refunds.

Personalized Travel

We mentioned the importance of personalized experiences earlier in this report. However, it becomes even more apparent taking into consideration that “more than 85% of travel consumers [say] personalization has affected their travel purchase decisions”.

Personalizing travel experiences starts with understanding traveler behavior and tailoring travels according to their needs . Similar to airlines, travel agents need to take care to provide their customers with personalized offers, genuinely created to meet their expectations.

ViaHero does exactly that – the startup offers one-on-one consulting to discuss travel needs before the trip and phone support during the trip. Furthermore, travel arrangements are taken care of in advance and travelers are equipped with a personalized guidebook as well as a tailor-made offline map . To achieve these experiences, ViaHero works with local experts with “on-the-ground knowledge”.

User-Generated Content (UGC)

Given the limitless amount of information available on the Internet today, travelers sometimes are overwhelmed by it. User-generated content, namely blog posts, social media shares, etc., is one way to turn this information into actionable insights.

Moreover, UGC is a powerful tool to give potential customers an authentic look at a travel agent’s offerings . Besides contributing as an inspiration for wanderlust and increasing trust, user-generated content is an influential way to get in front of new target audiences.

Streetography is a map-based photo-sharing app that enables users to share their images and geo-tag them to the corresponding locations. In turn, travel agents can integrate these “photo maps” on their website or app and create new ways to discover destinations for travelers .

Web & App Travel Aggregators

Ready-made itineraries are to become a thing of the past due to the rising demand for personalized travel. Web and app-based travel aggregators on the other hand are poised to disrupt the travel industry.

From the better-known flight, hotel, and car aggregators to thematic tours, outdoor activities, luxury travel, and sustainable tourism, travel aggregators offer fully customizable travel experiences . Some aggregators expand their support throughout the entire trip, allowing travelers to change preferences during the trip or even fully plan how to spend their time at the desired destination.

Holidayen is one web-based travel aggregator that has found its niche. The startup focuses on sightseeing tours, attraction tickets, and activities. With more than 100.000 booking options , the meta-search engine provides travelers with an extensive overview of several destinations. Additionally, the platform allows users to save and revisit their activities at any time.

As demonstrated, transforming travel habits and an increased desire for personalization not only pose threats but also immense opportunities for travel agents and companies.

Together with the eight most dominant innovation areas, travel communities, beacons, wearables, blockchain technology, and biometric data will further enhance the customer experience in planning leisure as well as bleisure trips. All of these emerging technologies together, will change tourism and disrupt the travel industry as we know it today.

Despite many emerging technologies in the sector, the travel and tourism industry has not reached its peak yet. This is an enormous chance for travel agents looking to gain a competitive advantage .

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Innovation in Travel Must Put the Traveler First

May 21, 2019  By  Nicolas Boutin ,  Jason Guggenheim ,  Jervin Justin ,  Pranay Jhunjhunwala , and  Tom McCaleb

To understand the state of innovation in travel, it’s important to study both the industry’s startups and its incumbents. In our review of the past three years, we found that in general, innovation has slowed, and—especially for incumbents—that innovation should focus more strongly on the customer experience.

Investment activity is a strong proxy for the level of innovation among startups. In 2018, overall venture funding for travel startups dipped to a four-year low, while the underlying “pulse” of funding—excluding a small set of “unicorns,” startups valued at $1 billion or more—has been creeping up much more slowly than in the first half of this decade. (See Exhibit 1.) At the same time, the focus of those investments has shifted from North America to Asia, so travelers in Europe and the US are less likely to experience any innovations that those investments generate in the short run.

Meanwhile, among incumbents, recent innovation has focused on efficiency and unbundling services—in other words, imposing charges for services that had been included in the base price—rather than on features that improve the travel experience for customers. With the growing presence of machine learning, these companies have unparalleled opportunities to personalize customer journeys and protect their control of the customer relationship. For this reason, we are cautiously bullish about travel innovation. We formed this view after interviewing 25 experts from travel and tech companies, travel industry startups, corporate venture funds, and incubators.

We are cautiously bullish about travel innovation.

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The expectations of our expert panel members were lower in 2019 than the extreme bullishness expressed in Travel Innovated: Who Will Own the Customer? . But the message is remarkably similar. Traditional travel companies—airlines, hotel chains, and cruise lines—have a choice. They can actively shape the experience of their customers—through both internal development and participation in the broader open innovation ecosystem—or cede that role to, for example, the large tech companies. Inaction is a tacit invitation to tech companies to burnish their reputations as customer-friendly innovators while travel companies are reduced to commodity providers of hotel rooms and airplane seats.

Follow the Money

Overall funding for travel startups declined from $31 billion in 2017 to $13 billion in 2018. But to present a clear picture of the state of innovation, we prefer to exclude unicorns, such as the now public Uber and Lyft. Their inclusion can skew the view of entrepreneurial activity because, in some cases, they, like Lyft, take on massive late-stage funding prior to going public. Excluding these companies, funding rose by nearly 10% from 2015 to 2018, far less than in the years prior to 2015. The growth in investments into younger, smaller companies suggests that investors still have an appetite for travel investments.

Two other noteworthy trends are the rise of corporate participation in the startup market and a shift of the center of gravity to Asia.

Corporate Buy-In. Corporations are contributing a greater share of overall travel startup funding than just a few years ago. In 2018, for example, corporations participated in 21% of travel startup financings, compared with 14% in 2013. The share of corporate financing—24%—was even higher in 2017, but the multiyear trend is upward, while the share of venture funding has been slipping over the past decade. Coupled with travel companies’ experimentation with inhouse incubators and digital factories, these trends suggest that travel companies are continuing to view innovation as a priority.

Corporations are also investing in earlier financing rounds. In 2018, for example, 56% of corporate financings were in seed, Series A, and Series B rounds. Those three rounds made up just 30% of corporate travel-financing activity in 2013. Nearly half, or 48%, of all corporate startup investments in 2013 were for acquisitions. In 2018, only 9% of these investments were for acquisitions. (See Exhibit 2.)

These trends suggest that incumbents are willing to look outside their organizations for innovation and fresh ideas. For their open-innovation efforts to pay off, effective partnering and integration are critical.

The Asian Surge. In the case of Asia, investors are following the miles. The Chinese airline travel market grew from 440 million passengers in 2013 to more than 600 million in 2018. By 2022, China will likely be—in terms of numbers of passengers—a larger air travel market than the US. It’s no wonder then that the share of travel startup investments in Asia rose from less than 20% ten years ago to 36% today. Asian investors are responsible for about 85% of these investments, which is about the same percentage of North American travel startups funded by North American investors.

Many of these startups are offering Asia-specific solutions that address holes in the continent’s travel infrastructure. For example, China does not have a long history of credit card networks, privately owned travel companies, or intermediaries. Accordingly, most of the Asian innovations are unlikely to translate into a change in the travel customer experience in North America or Europe anytime soon.

Recent Innovation: Efficiency Versus Experience

Over the past decade, the innovation efforts of travel companies—excluding digital natives such as Airbnb—have focused on unbundling and identifying ways to extract more money from customers, who do not consider having to pay for meals, checked bags, early check-in, inflight entertainment, or extra legroom beneficial forms of innovation.

These moves are, of course, necessary for preserving the companies’ financial health. At US-based Spirit Airlines, the world leader in generating ancillary revenues, add-ons generate about $55 per customer per flight. A revenue management team dynamically prices checked and carry-on bags and the cost of each seat, taking into account demand, flight duration, and customer profiles.

At the same time, however, passengers and guests are being exposed to much more enriching “customer journeys” when they, for example, engage in online shopping. Consequently, they expect comparable care and attention in their travels. Airlines’ mobile apps now allow customers to change flights, view upgrade and standby lists, track flights, and order rental cars, while hotel apps facilitate checking in and out, upgrades, messaging with the front desk, and keyless room entry. Many of these innovations, however, were driven less by a desire to improve the customer experience than to reduce operating costs. Many customers like these apps, but others find them impersonal and burdensome.

Travel companies face at least two obstacles in their pursuit of innovation. First, they operate with thin margins, so the cost of replacing or updating legacy IT systems can be prohibitive. Second, many travel companies are simply risk averse and reluctant to place long-term bets. Several travel companies, for example, have launched and shuttered in-house incubators because the payoff was too slow.

Opening the Door for Tech Companies. Aversion to risk and a focus on efficiency create room for others to offer innovations that customers actually want. In general, tech companies—with their reams of customer data, talented programmers, and willingness to experiment and take risks—are leading the way. For instance, Google—through its search, customer review, mapping, calendar integration, and real-time alert capabilities—has done far more recently than any other company to improve the customer experience in travel.

Avoiding the Commodity Trap. Superior customer experience is a positive not only for the customer. It can lead to price premiums and higher loyalty and advocacy for companies that do it well—all the more reason that travel companies should not cede the innovation landscape to the tech companies.

Changing the Game for Startups. Although they can be agile and flexible, startups do not have access to the consumer data and resources of large tech companies. Accordingly, many startups have pivoted away from serving consumers to working directly with established travel companies.

This shift has not been easy. Incumbents have been willing to work with startups on peripheral functions, but they are understandably reluctant to let them work on core functions such as reservations, revenue management, and hotel operations. Furthermore, they already have in-house systems in these areas or are working with established vendors such as Amadeus and Oracle.

Future Innovation: The Power of Machines to Improve Customer Journeys and Operations

Artificial intelligence (AI) was on the minds of the travel experts we interviewed. Three years ago, in a prior version of this publication, we described the power of data to help provide a smooth and personalized travel experience, but the experts did not even mention AI. The situation has changed. In our discussions with the experts, AI was the innovation topic that—after personalization and self-service and automation—they mentioned most often. (See Exhibit 3.)

Personalization. AI and personalization are complementary. Travel companies have large amounts of information—especially indicators of customer behavior collected through loyalty programs—that they do not fully exploit. On the basis of customers’ previous interactions, AI can help travel companies by noting which services customers have accessed in other trips or would likely enjoy.

AI can also make the hotel or cruise ship experience more seamless and personalized. Using facial-recognition technology, for example, Royal Caribbean promises passengers that they will be able to get “from car to bar in 10 minutes.” And with AI, hotel guests can be automatically assigned to the types of room that they have enjoyed in the past.

Travel companies have rich opportunities for reaching their customers in new ways with AI. Companies can draw on a wide variety of customer data to suggest trip ideas that are likely to be of greatest interest, and travelers can respond, quickly booking trips through a choice of platforms, including mobile devices, chatbots, and voice assistants such as Alexa and Siri. If a trip is a recurring offering, the company can automate bookings on the basis of information in each customer’s calendar.

Travel companies have rich opportunities for reaching their customers in new ways with AI.

Operational Improvements. Travel companies should not abandon their AI and other innovation efforts in operations. In fact, improved operations and customer experience go hand in hand. Customers often interact with several travel companies at different stages of their journeys. Many of these situations, involving, for example, weather-related delays or unforeseen mechanical breakdowns, are emotionally charged and beyond the companies’ control. Nonetheless, it’s not at all unusual for customers to hold the companies responsible. AI can help companies anticipate and prepare responses to such lapses even when they are not at fault.

AI can help airlines avoid disruptions. For example, Dutch airline KLM and BCG are working together to develop AI-enabled decision support tools that can help predict delays, optimize aircraft and crew scheduling, and improve the passenger experience. With these tools, an airline can quickly analyze many scenarios, taking into account crew positions and availability, aircraft locations, and maintenance programs. Armed with such analyses, frontline staff can make integrated decisions that boost operational performance. Qantas has developed AI routing models that reduce the risk of delays and turbulence while minimizing fuel, crew, and costs.

Many of these data-based innovations will require connecting data across systems and companies. Several experts said that the International Air Transport Association’s efforts to provide a common data standard (through New Distribution Capability), a single record (through ONE Order), and open software (through Open API) will help enable that connectivity. Others emphasized the need to make sure that customers receive value in exchange for agreeing to share their personal information and to comply with privacy regulations such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.

Seemingly far-off innovations such as electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) and fully autonomous planes and cars may be available much sooner than many realize, but they are still several years away. (See the sidebar “Innovation in Flight.”)

Innovation in Flight

Recent innovation in travel has been modest, but several breakthrough technologies are nearing commercialization. In short-haul air travel, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis and small fixed-wing electric aircraft are on the horizon. An on-demand eVTOL taxi will pick travelers up at their homes or offices and fly them directly to destinations within 500 miles. In January 2019, Boeing NeXt successfully tested an eVTOL aircraft: it took off, hovered, and landed on its own.

For trips of up to 700 miles, more cost-conscious travelers might opt for a hybrid jet or turboprop. These planes will offer lower-cost and more environmentally sustainable travel, even if the batteries are not yet economical for purely electric air travel. Boeing HorizonX and JetBlue Technology Ventures are backing Zunum Aero in its development of electric aircraft. With cruising speeds as high as 340 miles per hour and a cost-per-average seat mile of $.08, these aircraft could compete with traditional aircraft and open new routes. Zunum Aero aircraft can optionally be piloted remotely, helping address the pilot shortage. The company expects the first flight of its 12-seat aircraft in 2020. Subsequent models will be designed for up to 50 passengers.

Travel Companies Can Avoid the Commodity Trap by Working with Startups

Three years ago, we asked, How can travel suppliers protect their place in the value chain? The question remains relevant today, even if the context has changed. At the time, startups appeared to be a larger threat. Today, the tech companies are playing a more passive role than we had anticipated, funneling traffic to direct channels rather than competing directly against travel incumbents.

Even so, travel companies should be concerned about the risk of ending up as commodity providers while big tech companies own the customer relationships. Travel companies should be sharpening their focus on customer-centric innovations and improving the customer relationship—even at the risk of disrupting their own businesses. They certainly need to be willing to work with startups simply to gain access to their talent and creativity. These collaborations and partnerships will require changes in context in at least three areas.

Travel companies should be concerned about the risk of ending up as commodity providers while big tech companies own the customer relationships.

Alignment.  Travel companies’ executives and middle managers need to be willing to work with startups and incorporate their innovations. To move beyond the not-invented-here mindset, travel companies will need to rethink their KPIs and incentives. For example, JetBlue tied the compensation and KPIs of senior executives to the success of its JetBlue Technology Ventures incubator. With the proper incentives in place, JetBlue executives now willingly work directly with the management teams of companies funded by the incubator.

Agility.  Travel companies need to be able to create hassle-free partnerships with startups. And they need mechanisms for seamlessly connecting their IT systems with those of their partners. JetBlue Technology Ventures, for example, has built fast-track procedures that accelerate collaboration between portfolio companies and divisions of the airline.

In interviews, travel startup executives complained about the multiyear processes and high legal expenses they incur in partnering with travel companies, which too often try to push startup partnership development through extended procurement and legal processes designed for billion-dollar aircraft orders. Even if an initiative survives that gauntlet, complete implementation can sometimes take years.

Attitude.  Travel companies need to take a more venture-capital-oriented approach to innovation. Travel executives seem to forget that nine out of ten startups—and internal innovation projects—fail. Even successes are unlikely to generate profits for a long time. It’s not unreasonable to expect a large travel company to manage a diversified portfolio of 30 to 50 internal projects and external partnerships.

Travel companies should view their partners as equals rather than subordinates. In too many cases, the travel company dictates contract terms—insisting, for example, on exclusivity—that turn off the startups with the best ideas. In fact, they should be willing to, like JetBlue Technology Ventures, introduce the startups to other companies in the travel industry.

To increase the odds that they benefit from rather than face the consequences of disruption, incumbents should welcome and engage with potential disruptors. JetBlue Technology Ventures’ involvement with Joby Aviation, an eVTOL startup, and Zunum Aero, a hybrid-electric-aircraft startup, exemplifies willingness to make long-term investments even at the risk of business model disruption.

Change in Context.  With data a key element of many innovation trends, travel companies need to recapture the advantage that they have ceded to Google and others. It may make sense for industry participants to band together or for individual companies to work with their cobranded credit card partners to strengthen their understanding of their customers’ needs. At the same time, they should take steps to assure their customers that they will receive benefits in exchange for allowing the use of their data. This is ground that travel companies must recapture if they want to provide their customers with a seamless, friction-free, and relevant experience.

By developing a more open approach to innovation—especially when it benefits the customer experience—established travel companies can remain relevant in the face of competition from the large technology companies. Innovation is one way these companies can avoid being viewed— and ultimately valued—as providers of a commodity.

Managing Director & Senior Partner, Travel & Tourism Global Leader

Managing Director & Senior Partner

Managing Director & Partner

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Travel Disruptors: Capturing B2B growth

In 1996, Expedia—then under the auspices of Microsoft—debuted as one of the internet’s first online travel agencies (OTAs). Expedia Group is now a publicly held company encompassing brands such as Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo. It sees more than six million average daily visitors and more than one billion average monthly searches across its sites and apps.

Ariane Gorin joined Expedia Group in 2013 and is now president of Expedia for Business. She oversees the company’s fast-growing global B2B ecosystem, which counts Walmart and United Airlines among its partners. Gorin’s advice to young people who are thinking of entering the travel industry? “Go for it,” she says, “because once you get in, you’ll never want to leave. What we do as an industry is help people create memories, and that’s incredibly meaningful.”

In this installment of Travel Disruptors , Gorin spoke with McKinsey’s Emma Loxton about the industry’s postpandemic recovery, Expedia Group’s B2B offerings, and how generative AI (gen AI) might change the business of travel. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

McKinsey: As the travel industry continues to bounce back from the pandemic, we see people traveling and interacting with travel companies in slightly altered ways. How has Expedia Group responded? Where have you invested to deliver for customers?

Ariane Gorin: It’s been an interesting few years. One thing that’s certain is that people need to travel, want to travel, and—no matter what barriers are put up—will find a way to travel.

At Expedia Group, when COVID-19 arrived in 2020 and borders closed, we saw consumers shifting to Vrbo, which is our vacation rentals brand. People were concerned with health and safety and wanted to be in their own bubbles, so they started renting whole homes. This meant that, while the air and hotel businesses didn’t do as well, the Vrbo business thrived.

Then, as vaccinations began and international borders opened, we saw people returning to international travel, hotels, and airlines. At Expedia Group, we have a diversified business, both geographically and in terms of brands and lines of business, so that as travel patterns changed, we always had an answer.

In terms of investments, I think we’ve led the way in having a focus on self-service and automation. When the pandemic began, we needed to handle a sudden onslaught of requests for cancellations, refunds, and credits. We were prepared because we’d already made a lot of investments in self-service technology. We quickly developed the ability, for example, for people to self-service airline credits, which was important for travelers but also really important for our airline partners. We let consumers make modifications using chats on our platform, instead of having them spend time on the phone with an airline trying to cancel or modify a ticket.

We also took advantage of the past couple of years to replatform our entire company. We have a number of brands—Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo, and others—that were each running on different technology stacks. In a world where having access to data and scale can be an advantage, the idea that we had these separate stacks and couldn’t innovate on them all at the same time was a problem for us. We found we had an opportunity, during a period of depressed demand, to do a lot of technology work under the covers and to then reemerge with a great platform that had scale and modern infrastructure and that allowed us to use modern data science to innovate faster for our travelers.

McKinsey: Countries have taken different paths back from 2020, and travel markets are developing at varied paces. How do you see the industry evolving in different markets?

Ariane Gorin: There are parts of the industry that have grown past where they were prepandemic, but other parts haven’t fully recovered yet. For example, air capacity in the United States is above prepandemic levels, but airlift between the United States and China is still only a fraction of what it was. Corporate travel is expected to recover, at a dollar value, in 2024 to where it was prepandemic, but when you factor in inflation, it means that from a volume perspective it still won’t have fully recovered.

There remain a lot of areas where there could be waves of growth. When you look at the middle-class population in Asia, it was about 2.0 billion people in 2020, but it’s expected to be 3.5 billion people by 2030. India, over the past decade, has issued 100 million passports, but still only 7 percent of the Indian population has a passport—compared with more than 40 percent in the US.

McKinsey: You’ve been instrumental in developing B2B offerings for Expedia Group. What was the genesis of that effort, where does it stand now, and what’s your value proposition for the different organizations that you work with?

Ariane Gorin: I started working on B2B initiatives in 2014. At the time, B2B was a small part of our business—basically using our hotel inventory to power other travel companies—and it wasn’t growing much. I think there was a perspective that the B2B business was sort of a sideshow.

What my team and I realized was that the travel industry was immense and that the major OTAs, at that time, were only a small portion of it. There was still a ton of business being done through corporate travel, OTAs in emerging markets, offline retail, and loyalty programs. Those were huge pockets of demand that our brands weren’t going after and that our hotel and airline partners wanted to be able to access.

We thought about how we could power all these other companies by bringing to them our technology and, especially, our supply of high-quality inventory. In recent results, B2B was at a record $995 million and growing at a 26 percent increase year over year for us. And there’s still a big runway for helping to power other companies.

The first thing in any B2B effort is understanding what your client or partner needs. For example, we work with an online travel agency in Indonesia. They already understand travel, and they are experts at knowing what their local traveler wants—how to market to that traveler, what payment types that traveler wants to use, and so forth. They know all of that. What they’re looking for from us is mainly access to great hotel inventory in Europe and in the US.

On the other extreme, earlier this year we announced a partnership with Walmart in which we are powering the travel component of its loyalty program. Walmart is not a travel company, so it is looking to Expedia Group to bring in a turnkey travel solution. And that includes not only the hotel inventory and the like but also the front-end technology. It’s our content and it’s our customer support. Similarly, if you go to United Airlines online and you look at the hotel tab, that’s us. They’ll be the first to say they’re not the experts in hotels, so they want our hotel inventory and also the great e-commerce experience that we can bring.

It’s really about listening to your partner and then having modular blocks of solutions—from technology to inventory and all of the support around them—that you can then fit to what the partner needs.

One of the things that’s helped our B2B business succeed is that we are part of a company that also has a B2C business. So we know what kinds of photos, content, and descriptions travelers want, and we are constantly making sure that our technology has the best uptime possible because we’ve got millions of people shopping on our own brands. When a B2B partner decides to come to us for their inventory or their technology, they know that it’s going to be backed by what’s working for these massive consumer brands.

McKinsey: Expedia Group is a very large company in the travel industry. How do you think about working with smaller organizations and entrepreneurs to create value for the traveling public?

Ariane Gorin: We’ve realized there are a lot of small companies or even individuals that want to participate in the travel industry, and we work with them in a number of ways.

One is that we have a program that allows an individual at home to become a travel agent. You can sign up for the Expedia Travel Agent Affiliate Program, which we call TAAP, and we’ll put all the tools at your fingertips to start to sell travel. For example, one woman who lost her job at the beginning of the pandemic decided to start her own travel business through TAAP, and that helped her build back her income.

For start-ups that are trying to make their way in the travel industry, we recently created an accelerator program. Its theme was around making travel more inclusive and accessible, so we chose a handful of start-ups that were working on accessibility. We gave them technical expertise, marketing expertise, access to coaches and mentors in our company, and stipends. It’s a six-month program. And in some cases, we actually looked at whether we could integrate their services into our products. It’s really fun to see how all of those start-ups are evolving.

And, of course, there are the individual property owners using Vrbo. What these entrepreneurs are primarily looking to us for is distribution. And our promise to them is that we’re going to develop a great platform with great marketing that’s going to attract travelers, but we’ll also provide advice about photos, descriptions, and other things they can do to help themselves get in front of the travelers who interest them. We have a lot of intelligence about what makes a property successful that we can share with them.

McKinsey: What’s your view on the biggest use cases for gen AI in the travel industry?

Ariane Gorin: I think smart players are going to benefit from it. We have often talked about how to “put the travel agent back in the OTA”—how to create a personalized experience for people, so they feel that Expedia Group knows them, is recommending things that make sense for them, and is helping them discover new things. I think within that realm of personalization, we can use gen AI to respond more easily to people’s queries and make proposals for them. We’ve already integrated ChatGPT on the front end of the Expedia app and into the shopping flow for our travelers. For example, if you’re looking at a particular property, you can ask questions about amenities, and you’ll have more conversational customer service experiences.

But I think there are also a lot of internal use cases. I have a fairly large team of commercial people who are out talking to partners every day. How can we use gen AI to make them more effective when they’re speaking to a partner? Can we use gen AI to create a summary after a call? Can we off-load some of the less value-add work for them so they can spend their time on more value-add things?

I suspect that in every boardroom, management teams are talking about this. What can you do to make your product better, but also what can you do internally for your company? At Expedia Group, we’re asking what we can do for travelers and for our internal teams, but also what we can do for our partners. We have a lot of information and data about what’s happening in the industry, so we’re wondering to what extent we can provide insights to our partners to help them make better decisions.

McKinsey: What’s one thing you wish you could change about the travel industry?

Ariane Gorin: There’s no denying that, like many industries, we have a big impact on the environment—even though, over the past few years, the growth of the industry has been faster than the growth of our environmental impact. Simply because we’re moving people around the world, sustainability is a real issue. So if I had a magic wand, the first thing I’d do is help us reach our sustainability targets much faster.

Ariane Gorin is the president of Expedia for Business. Emma Loxton is a partner in McKinsey’s London office.

Comments and opinions expressed by interviewees are their own and do not represent or reflect the opinions, policies, or positions of McKinsey & Company or have its endorsement.

This interview was edited by Seth Stevenson, a senior editor in the New York office.

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Inside Fora, the startup igniting a possible renaissance for travel agents

Somewhere in between travel lockdowns during the first year of the pandemic and the current chaos plaguing airports around the world, a bevy of new travel startups launched with promises of a better experience.

The latest entry is Fora , self-described as a tech-forward travel agency that essentially serves as a hub for experienced travelers looking for a launchpad to run a side gig (or more) as a travel agent.

Since launching in August just one year ago, Fora now boasts nearly 500 travel advisers worldwide (97% of whom have never worked in the sector before), operating within its network, with more than 30,000 people on the wait list.

And this week, the New York–based company announced $13.5 million in Series A funding, which will help advance the development of the travel agency’s technology for advisers.

Fortune recently spoke with cofounders Henley Vazquez, Evan Frank, and Jake Peters, who shared more about what it‘s like to run a travel business right now.

The following interview has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

Could you share a bit about your professional backgrounds before launching Fora?

Vazquez: Each of us are repeat founders who have worked in the travel industry for decades. I originally caught the travel bug in college when I took a gap year, and have been a travel adviser for more than 15 years. I was on the founding team at Indagare, which is where I learned all about being a travel adviser and working with hotels. Then, I founded Passported, a Virtuoso travel agency. 

My cofounder, Evan Frank, started in corporate finance, then venture capital, and has spent the last 10-plus years building new disrupters in the travel and hospitality space. He’s a three-time founder or CEO of travel and hospitality marketplace startups, including Onefinestay, which was bought by Accor Hotels. 

Jake Peters, Fora’s cofounder and chief product and technology officer, is our tech genius. He’s a self-taught programmer and tech entrepreneur with more than two decades in the industry. With his passions rooted in tech, data, and travel, Jake wanted to make dramatic shifts within the travel agency industry alongside Evan and I. 

The three of us make up a dynamic team, each with very different specialties and interests, which is what makes it work so well. We cofounded Fora in order to create a new type of travel agency that welcomes everyone with the interest or passion—the go-to person for travel tips in their networks—to sell travel in a way that was previously reserved for pro travel agents. Our mission is to build the next-generation brand in travel, empowering a network of travel entrepreneurs along the way.

What inspired the launch of Fora?

Frank: When we first started Fora, we actually looked at the real estate industry and drew some inspiration. Compass had just IPOed, and we read that there were 3 million real estate license holders in the U.S., the majority of whom were not full-timers. Yet, there were only 100,000 travel agents. We asked ourselves why there was such a disconnect, especially considering how fun a full-time career in travel could be, as I observed in my cofounder Henley. Having our kids in the same school, Henley and I were constantly surrounded by other moms and parents who were planning trips for their families all around the world, but they had no idea that they could be monetizing those bookings by being a travel adviser.

That said, traditional travel advisers had to hit a certain amount of sales in order to be successful and work in the industry, so there was never room to sell travel as a side gig. We wanted to change that and began brainstorming over the pandemic, when travel had come to a screeching halt. Henley and I both had the same idea: Travel is coming back and remote work isn’t disappearing, so why can’t more people do this job, and how can we build a more viable organization? Even though travel was on hold, we knew the current travel industry was dominated by big online booking sites and big agencies, but people craved human connection and experiences they’d receive with a traditional travel agency for when we’d start to travel again. 

There were also 1.5 million women who left the workforce due to the pandemic, and we knew these people would have the time and interest in a side hustle or new career. Plus, much of education and training was forced to move online due to the pandemic, and this created the first opportunity to train up a remote labor force at no real disadvantage to being based in an office. The creator economy and cohort-based courses also really exploded due to being stuck at home with a computer. 

From there, we decided we wanted to enable entrepreneurs to transform their passion for travel into revenue, and to do it by curating the most incredible experiences for travelers. By empowering the long tail of who could sell travel for a living and building tools to make the work easier and efficient, we created Fora that has the technology of an online booking site, but human touch like a traditional travel agency.

Being a travel agent as a career significantly changed as consumers were able to book travel themselves via the internet, causing a decline for the profession since the 1990s. Why do you think there might be a comeback now?

Vazquez: The market for travel agents is at an all-time high with all things COVID as it relates to cancellations, last-minute changes, and stress-free travel in the midst of a pandemic. It’s our job to stay on top of the current travel advisories, trends, and restrictions so you don’t have to worry about it. 

The internet is also uncurated and uncontrolled, with endless possibilities but no one to sort through the noise for you. That’s where our agents step in. Plus, they’re there to support when things go wrong. 

On top of that, travel advisers are able to set you up with perks and added benefits that you can’t get when booking with an online booking site. Because of their direct relationships with the property, people using travel advisers are more likely to get an upgrade, dining and spa credits, and added amenities. Plus, we’ll make sure the special occasions that you’re traveling for are celebrated because we’re in constant contact with the properties and their team. Think: wine in-room upon arrival, a romantic turndown, or a surprise treat for the kids. 

The travel industry is certainly rebounding, even as airports suffer from record delays, cancellations , losses of luggage , and meltdowns ( in some cases, literally ). But inflation and a looming recession have some people nervous about spending on travel. What do you think will be some of the top travel trends this fall and holiday season?

Vazquez: The looming recession hasn’t stopped travel from happening, but we do continue to see last-minute travel planning as the trend that won’t quit, and we suspect that has to do with confidence in spending. We recently saw one-third of a record week of bookings all with departure dates for the following week. If there’s uncertainty in the markets, what we’re seeing is a hesitation to plan much further into the future (rather than a hesitation to not travel at all).

That said, what’s unique is that everything is so much more expensive in travel right now, but people are still booking their dream trips regardless of the cost. After being stuck at home for two years, they are eager to see the world again. 

In terms of trends, there’s also less of a focus on action-packed itineraries. Fewer people are asking for tickets to the Louvre or museums; most don’t want to plan a back-to-back itinerary. Instead, they’re wanting to wander and explore the cities they’re in, eat great meals, and feel immersed in places they’ve missed. We’ve also seen a major rise in adventure and outdoors-focused travel. I lived in Costa Rica for part of the pandemic, driven in large part by the need to do things again and not be stuck indoors. From national parks to tropical rain forests, we’re seeing the same trend in trip planning—let’s get active!

In terms of airfare, now there are more travelers than there are seats available. For people who haven’t thought about your flights this holiday season, you have to get on it now, although we do know from our data that last-minute remains the name of the game. The big thing is that people are adjusting their behavior to the unpredictability of flights, building in buffer days or flying in earlier versus later to safeguard against delays and cancellations. We’ve all gotten pretty good at the “go with the flow” approach, even if we don’t like it. Working with a travel agent means that you have a friend in the industry who can help you navigate the ever-changing nature of travel right now.

How is the company funded? Is it self-funded or have you reached out to investors? What has the financing process been like?

Frank: In order to innovate in the travel agent industry—historically very fragmented with lots of small owner-operators, and as a result generally too low margin to build technology and many of the capabilities typically seen only at OTAs [online travel agencies]—we needed to raise capital early. Agents have been left behind in the online booking revolution in travel; we want to put the power back in their hands and build something that feels halfway between a traditional agency and an OTA. An OTA that’s powered by humans.

As a result, we’ve been VC-backed since early days. We closed a $5 million seed round in fall 2021 and just announced our Series A funding for $13.5 million that was co-led by Heartcore Capital and Forerunner. This Series A funding will be used to accelerate the next evolution of our platform: an innovative client and booking management system—the first of its kind in the industry—exclusively for our community of travel advisers.

We’re an experienced team with exits under our belts and diverse backgrounds—agency, travel supplier, building technology products—which has helped attract this equity capital.

Looking forward five years, how do you want to Fora to grow? What kind of services do you want to add in the future?

Peters: Travel advising can really be the best job in the world. However, in order for this to be true, and in order to welcome thousands of travel-passionate people into this industry, a lot needs to be rethought: from payments to marketing to enabling different ways of working to community—and to simplify the planning and booking process. 

We have grand visions and many ideas for things we can build; piecing our platform together thoughtfully is the work we are undertaking now. At the moment, our focus is laying foundations both from a product and underlying tech perspective, but also more importantly from a process perspective—how we build, how we listen to and support our advisers, and how we interact with the travel tech and supplier community at large.

And we’re doing this all with a laser focus on enabling our advisers to be productive and enjoy the work of selling travel and serving their clients. I enjoy looking ahead a few years and thinking about how we will have a product that weaves together all of the necessary components; this includes booking tools, client management tools, payments, supplier information, training, and community, and more into a single offering that is powerful and a joy to use.  

I know I speak for everyone on the team when I say that we’re very committed to growing Fora and getting it to a much larger scale than today. We want to bring new people into the industry and empower them to transform their passion for travel into a meaningful career, side hustle or full-time. We want to support travel advisers as best we can with technology and community. The travel agent industry has roughly 100,000 agents. Our mission at Fora is to bring in the next 100,000 agents, or more, with a more progressive approach to training, labor, and technology. We want to make being a Fora adviser the best job in the world.

This is an installment of   Startup Year One , a special series of interviews with founders about the major lessons they have learned in the immediate aftermath of their businesses’ first year of operation.

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• Tips & tricks

11 Ideas to Help Differentiate Your Tours in 2024

Table of Content

1. streamline your mobile booking experience, 2. push direct bookings more than any other channel, 3. leverage google things to do for greater visibility, 4. introduce “travel like a local” packages, 5. focus on business travelers, 6. promote ecotourism experiences, 7. embrace family tours, 8. introduce “skip the line” tours, 9. don’t forget solo travelers, 10. maximize your social media presence, 11. prioritize accessibility for all travelers.

Whether you’re just starting out or entering year 10, running a business in the travel industry requires innovative ideas to stay competitive and take advantage of current trends. In other words, you need to be ready to give consumers around the world what they’re looking for when they book their next trip. From maximizing your social media presence to leveraging Google Things To Do, tour operators need to be creative and forward-thinking to succeed in the world of tourism. In the following sections, we’ll explore 11 proven strategies your company can’t afford to ignore.

In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become indispensable tools, whether consumers are planning their next vacation or shopping for a new car. Recent statistics show that 2.64 billion people , approximately one-third of the world’s population, prefer to shop online using their smartphones rather than tablets, laptops and desktop computers.

In the travel industry, prospective customers are increasingly relying on their phones for all aspects of their trip, from initial research to final booking. As a result, it’s imperative that businesses adapt to this trend. Your website should be designed to be responsive, meaning that its design seamlessly adapts to both small and large screens. More importantly, you need to ensure that users can easily check availability, view pricing, and purchase your offerings with just a few clicks – all key interactions you don’t want to miss out on. Our suggestion is to invest in a reservation software solution that is optimized for both mobile and desktop access so that your clientele can enjoy a seamless booking experience regardless of the device they choose.

The way consumers plan their vacations is changing rapidly, with more and more choosing to book directly with travel suppliers. This shift away from third-party OTAs (online travel agencies) is driven by the convenience and transparency that direct bookings provide. Since direct bookings tend to generate higher profits for companies like yours, it’s important to prioritize this method of customer interaction. That being said, the appeal of direct bookings isn’t just about the bottom line. They also help you build deeper relationships with your customers, build trust, and lay the groundwork for repeat business.

To effectively sell your tours directly, consider implementing a modern booking solution like Regiondo . With our software, you can sell tickets online, manage reservations and connect with over 200 distribution channels, all from one unified dashboard. To learn more, schedule a demo with one of our consultants.

Pro tip: If your goal is to drive more direct bookings, make sure your customers can easily find your website when they search for relevant keywords or your brand name on Google. For best results, it’s also important to ensure fast page load times and, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, provide a mobile-friendly interface for seamless booking across all devices. Assess your site’s performance against these metrics and more with our free SEO Grader tool .

In the digital age, being visible on Google is critical for any business, and the tourism industry is no exception. An often overlooked platform that can give your business a significant boost is Things to Do , a module for the popular search engine that shows users nearby attractions, experiences and activities based on their search queries and location.

The first step is to get your tourism business listed on Google Things to Do. Follow the guidelines outlined here and submit accurate information, including your business name, description, location, and hours of operation.

Use high-quality photos and videos

Use high-resolution images and videos to give potential customers a glimpse of what they can expect from your tours.

Collect reviews

Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews and detail their tour experiences. Not only will this add credibility to your listing, but it can also boost your rankings on the platform.

Offer online bookings

Google Things to Do allows direct booking of activities, so make sure your booking system is compatible with Google’s platform to provide a seamless experience for your customers. This way, prospects can book activities on the spot, increasing the chances of immediate conversions.

Today’s travelers are looking for authentic, enriching experiences. Simply “seeing” a destination isn’t enough anymore; they yearn to immerse themselves in the local culture and understand the essence of life abroad. For tour operators, this trend represents a golden opportunity. Instead of covering saturated tourist hubs like Paris, Tokyo, or San Francisco, shift the spotlight to less-popular but equally compelling locations. Our recommendation? Design your tours to immerse visitors in authentic experiences, from tasting traditional cuisines to participating in age-old traditions.

Many of us travel the world for business, so why not combine that with some leisure exploration? More and more people are doing just that, extending their work-related trips to indulge in local experiences. While adding a few extra days to a business trip was once the norm, today’s travelers are extending their stays for weeks at a time, taking advantage of the convenience and cost-effectiveness. With the ubiquity and reliability of global technology, we see professionals spending even more time abroad, juggling work and exploration. This shift presents a golden opportunity for tour operators as they seek comprehensive, multi-day packages that require no planning on their part.

Ecotourism is as popular as ever, perhaps even more so now that small tour operators are able to offer great experiences to their customers. But what exactly defines an eco-tour? Typically, ecotourism focuses on visits to pristine natural areas, with an emphasis on environmental education and conservation advocacy. While it may seem like a niche market, there’s a growing demand for this kind of tours, and travelers are eager and willing to invest in them.

An emerging phenomenon is multi-generational travel, where family members of different ages travel together. It’s not just parents and their children, but also grandparents who are joining in and forging deeper connections in new environments. This trend holds immense potential for the future, as today’s adventurous seniors are eager to create lasting memories with their grandchildren during their golden years. For tour operators, the key is to create experiences that appeal to different age groups. This means curating child-friendly activities in destinations that also appeal to adults. While orchestrating such packages can be challenging, tapping into the multigenerational travel segment promises a steadily growing audience for years to come.

In recent years, “skip the line” tours have gained tremendous popularity, reflecting travelers’ desire to make the most of their precious time while on vacation. If you haven’t already added the “skip the line” option to your offerings, consider doing so promptly, as failure to adapt could send potential customers to competitors that offer the convenience they desire.

Solo travel continues to grow as more women and people over 45 seek to explore personal interests without compromise. As a tour operator, you can tap into this segment by curating packages specifically for independent adventurers. By demonstrating a deep understanding of their unique needs, you stand a greater chance of driving impulse purchases.

The digital age has reshaped the way consumers engage with businesses, and social media is at the forefront of this transformation. As of September 2023, a staggering 4.8 billion people are actively using these platforms to connect with their friends and family .

In a world where many potential customers are constantly scrolling through their social feeds, your online presence should be both engaging and informative. Here’s a blueprint for maximizing your social media engagement:

• Stay consistently active: Update your feed regularly with fresh content to keep your audience engaged.
• Re-post top-performing posts: If something resonated once, it’s likely to do so again.
• Engage promptly: Respond quickly to comments and questions to build trust.
• Connect with travel influencers: Connecting with well-known travel industry personalities can increase your brand’s visibility.
• Engage with active followers: Recognize and interact with your most engaged followers to build loyalty.
• Leverage visual storytelling: Share stunning images and videos that showcase your travel experiences.
• Share relevant content: Post links to articles, blogs or other resources relevant to travel enthusiasts.
• Share travel wisdom: Provide insightful travel tips and advice.
• Embrace hashtags: Use trending and unique hashtags to make your content more discoverable.
• Be unique: Your content should reflect your brand’s unique essence and values.

According to a study by Accessio, over 20% of travelers have some type of accessibility need . As a result, it’s critical for tour operators to adapt and provide options that make the travel experience enjoyable for everyone.

Adapt infrastructure and information

Start by assessing the accessibility of your transportation options, routes and destinations. Make sure your websites and mobile applications are ADA-compliant and easy to navigate for those using assistive technology.

Offer specialized tours

Consider offering specialized tours for people with special needs. This may include wheelchair-accessible paths, sign language interpreters, and Braille or audio guides.

Train staff

Make sure your staff is trained in disability awareness and how to provide assistance when needed. This not only makes the tour more accessible, but also contributes to a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere.

Communicate transparently

Be upfront and clear about the level of accessibility your tours offer. This will help travelers make informed choices and set reasonable expectations.

The travel industry, with its dynamic and consumer-driven landscape, constantly challenges tour operators to innovate and adapt. As we’ve seen, staying on top of the latest trends is paramount to success. From embracing the digital age with mobile-optimized experiences, to understanding the evolving needs of diverse traveler groups, operators are challenged to continually adapt and refine their offerings. Solo travelers, families, eco-enthusiasts and those looking to skip the lines at popular destinations are just a few of the segments that offer significant growth potential. In addition, the role of social media in promoting a business cannot be overstated, given its extensive reach and interactive nature.

Perhaps one of the most poignant takeaways from this research is the need for inclusivity and accessibility. As the world becomes more connected and empathetic, companies that embrace an inclusive approach that values each traveler’s unique experience and ensures accessibility for all will lead the way.

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Travel Leaders Network always looking to innovate

February 8, 2024

As John Lovell tells it, “people are prioritizing travel” and there’s no sign that things are slowing down. For the Travel Leaders Network that ‘prioritizing’ translated into an exceptionally strong performance in 2023 and a 2024 that’s already off to a great start.

Lovell, the president of the Travel Leaders Group, was in Toronto this week – along with senior executives that included Stephen McGillivray, CMO, Travel Leaders Group, Roger Block, president, Travel Leaders Network, Christine James, vice president, Travel Leaders Network Canada, and Cory Voss, CIO, Travel Leaders Network – to update the trade here on a batch of new and ongoing initiatives.

And it was all good news as Lovell celebrated the fact that the demand for travel is indicative that the role of the travel advisor is “stronger than ever.”

In fact, Lovell called it the “renaissance of the travel advisor” as demand is not only strong for the current year, but continues to show strength into 2025.

Roger Block, president of Travel Leaders Network, observed of 2023 that “our growth, in terms of bringing in new, high quality members, was unabated,” with the group welcoming 300 new members in the U.S., while 42 members were added in Canada.

Christine James, vice president of Travel Leaders Network Canada, was quick to point out that those new Canadian additions “were really good quality advisors with a good book of business.”

As Block sees it: “Travel advisors are undergoing a renaissance and are seeking out new partnerships for their businesses. We can offer advisors of all sizes and specialties access to amazing lead generation programs, marketing opportunities, technology and more. Not only am I excited for these agencies to take advantage of our offerings, but I am also looking forward to the fresh ideas and energy they will bring to TLN.”

One of the offerings that Travel Leaders Network agencies are now able to take advantage of is TobyAI, an artificial intelligence engine designed specifically for supporting travel advisors

Travel Leaders Network has teamed up with Travel Research Online (TRO) to introduce TobyAI to its members, with Stephen McGillivray, Chief Partner Marketing Officer of Internova Travel Group, the parent company of Travel Leaders Network, explaining: “We are big believers that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be helpful when creating marketing materials and can improve efficiencies for members so they can concentrate on selling and serving clients.”

McGillivray continued: “While nothing will ever replace the human expertise that travel advisors bring to the table, it is important that our industry embraces the ways AI can streamline work and help advisors run their agencies. We’re always looking for ways to innovate and this tool does exactly that.”

In a typical session with TobyAI, TLN advisors can:

• Craft itineraries
• Draft a new bio for Agent Profiler, TLN’s lead generation tool
• Write client correspondence
• Curate engaging social media posts

TLN members will also be able to access DALL-E 3, the ChatGPT tool that generates images that adhere to the user’s text-based prompts.

Travel Leaders Network also expanded its Leaders Alliances to four communities that include:

• Luxury Leaders Alliance
• Honeymoon & Destination Wedding Leaders Alliance
• Independent Advisor Networks Leaders Alliance
• Technology Leaders Alliance

Created to let members with similar business strategies and sales learn from each other and industry experts, the Alliances represent some of the travel industry’s top travel sellers in luxury and romance travel, as well as host agencies and technology experts and ended 2023 with over 500 total members participating.

All Alliance members must apply with a nomination from their agency owner. Applicants go through a rigorous vetting process, with TLN staff evaluating each candidate to determine if they will be able to add value to the Alliance.

Pointing out that the Leaders Alliances are an effective way to bring the group’s experts together,” Block explained that: “Members can enjoy the advantages and benefits of being part of a large travel agency network while also experiencing the close-knit atmosphere of a small community through our Alliances. And because they are exclusive and not open to everyone, being a part of a Leaders Alliance holds significant value.”

Go to www. TravelLeadersNetwork.com for more

And stay tuned, there’ll be more on the Travel Leaders Network in an upcoming issue of Canadian Travel Press.

IN THE PHOTO 

Seen from l to r, are John Lovell, Stephen McGillivray, Christine James, Roger Block and Cory Voss during a briefing session in Toronto on Feb. 7. 

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Tech Transforms Agent & Traveller Journeys!

The demand for such personalised experiences has surged, as highlighted by the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), reporting a 14% year-over-year increase, with 50% of people more likely to use a travel agent today than they would have in the past.

Travel agents are expected to deliver quality and efficient services to meet this demand. But travel agents can’t do it alone. Thanks to emerging technologies and well-rounded partner support programs, they now have the tools to make dream vacations a reality.

Empowering the agent through technology

Technology platforms have become essential for travel agents looking to create the perfect trip for their travellers and have sometimes made all the difference in driving success for their business. When it all goes wrong, agents want to work with a trusted partner who has their back and will ensure the right outcome for their travellers. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, programs like Expedia TAAP have played a vital role in assisting partners through challenging times with the support of trusted customer service advisors and the platform’s efficient self-serve tools. Moments like those have proven so impressionable that Expedia TAAP still receives praise from partners for handling those situations.

It’s been remarkable to see how technology supporting travel agents has evolved dramatically over the last few years. Agents now have access to an array of services, like self-service managers, virtual agents and live agents, to help them manage the surge in business. Evolving technologies, such as open-source platforms and enhanced quote tools, enable agents to create customizable quotes quickly and easily for trips of all sizes.

This is just the beginning, as investment in these platforms will continue, with new services, user interfaces and payment capabilities expected to be available in the coming year.

Adding AI to the travel journey

Let’s not leave AI off the table. The rise of generative AI has taken the world by storm across all industries, and travel is no exception. Expedia Group is at the forefront of AI and Gen AI in travel, leveraging 70 petabytes of high-quality data on traveller behaviour to innovate new products rapidly. These advancements offer endless opportunities for faster trip planning, booking, and management for travel agents.

Right now, AI-powered virtual assistants help travel agents with productivity, enhancing workflow and streamlining tasks. Since this feature was launched on Expedia TAAP in 2020, the company has powered more than 30 million virtual conversations and saved over 8 million hours in agent call time. Agents can also use AI as a virtual assistant to quickly identify and book — or re-book — passengers with new flights or accommodations. In a world where travellers expect instant solutions to any problem, these tools can be the difference between retaining customers long-term and losing them.

And the future of incorporating Gen AI into the travel agent workflow is not far away. It’s exciting to begin exploring the possibilities of how this technology will open the doors for an even more efficient way of working.

The growing investment in travel agents

But even with all the impressive advancements in AI, technology won’t take over travel agents completely. This desire for booking trips through travel agents is growing, and it’s believed to be primarily due to travellers appreciating human interaction, fast support, and unparalleled expertise. The travel agent community has proven remarkably resilient and essential to the travel ecosystem. It continues to be a growing part of Expedia Group’s business, with a significant amount of support and emphasis being put on it.

The future hinges on ensuring travel agents have access to the latest and most trustworthy tools to create perfect trips for their clients. In the ever-evolving travel landscape, programs and services like those offered by Expedia Group are critical to staying ahead. As travel evolves, anticipate a wave of innovative products designed to empower agents, reinforcing their pivotal role in shaping the seamless and extraordinary travel experiences for modern travellers.

Written by: Robin Lawther, VP of Expedia TAAP (Travel Agent Affiliate Program)

=================================.

• Personalized Experience
• Technology in Travel
• Travel Agents
• Travel Innovation.

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Visit Moscow Tours

Saint Petersburg - Karelia 9 days - 8 nights

Moscow - Saint Petersburg tour package 8 days/7 nights

Moscow - saint petersburg 5 days/4 nights.

Moscow - Saint Petersburg 6 days/5 nights

Sochi tour 8 days/7 nights

Altai tour package 11 days/10 nights

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Happy New Year tour package- best price 8 days/7 nights

Baikal tour package 7 days/6 nights

Christmas tour package- best price 5 days/4 nights

Moscow tour package 4 days/3 nights.

Special Winter Edition Tour 8 days/7 nights

Saint Peterburg tour package 4 days/3 nights

Moscow-Kazan-Saint Petersburg 9 days/8 nights

Moscow-Suzdal-Saint Petersburg 9 days/8 nights

Moscow-Saint Peterburg tour package 8 days/7 nights BEST DEAL (15th of MAY-22d of MAY only)

Moscow-sochi tour package 6 days/5 nights.

Moscow - Velikiy Novgorod - Saint Petersburg tour package 9 days/8 nights

Moscow-Saint Petersburg-Baikal lake 14 days/13 nights

Moscow-Saint Petersburg-Sochi tour package 10 days/9 nights

Moscow-Altai tour package 14 days/13 nights

Moscow-Murmansk-Saint Petersburg 11 days/10 nights

Saint Petersburg - Karelia 8 days/7 nights

Moscow tour package 5 days/4 nights including tank riding and Stalin Bunker visit

Moscow-Saint Petersburg tour package 7 days/6 nights including tank riding and Stalin Bunker visit

Magic Ice of Baikal Lake - 7 days / 6 nights

SPA tour package Grozny (Chechnya) 4 days - 3 nights

Hiking tour package Dagestan 5 days - 4 nights

Suzdal and Vladimir Tour

Moscow Kremlin Tour

River Cruise Tour

Driving Tour around Saint Petersburg

Peterhof Tour

Moscow Driving Tour

Moscow in 1 Day (Walking tour)

Welcome to visit moscow tours.

We provide authentic, informative and memorable tour packages and city tours, at very competitive prices. Visit Moscow Tours are available not only in Moscow, but also in other cities: Saint Petersburg, Kazan, Suzdal and Sergiev Posad.  We also organise customised individual programs tailored just for you.

Our guests come in large groups, small private groups, as couples or as single travellers. We take care of and treat our guests with respect in a friendly and warm family environment. We show people our beautiful cities with passion and deep knowledge of their history, culture and traditions.

Our guides are extremely hospitable, helpful and well-informed. They are simply the best because only by providing the best services can we make the world fall in love with Russia. And we are very happy when our guests say that they will definitely come back to Russia and that they will tell all their friends how great Russia is! That is what inspires us to put even more dedication and hard work into our tours, knowing that what we do is positive and meaningful.

Our classic tours include tours of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, two main Russian cities.

Moscow is a big and busy  megalopolis and Russia’s capital city, where more than 12 million people live and work. Our capital city is happening place; it is mysterious, elegant, luxurious, fashionable, clean and bright, with its unique legends, traditions and events. It is with great pride that we show the Red Square and the Kremlin, our Underground and Tretyakovskaya Gallery, among other stunning attractions.

Saint Petersburg is our second capital,  the second largest city in the Russian Federation. This wonderful city has a strong and lively aristocratic spirit, uniquely Russian royal architecture, magnificent museums and theatres. Saint Petersburg bears the royal heritage of Russia, which can be felt in its air, its streets, parks, monuments, museums and citizens.  In Saint Petersburg tours, we will take you to the Hermitage, Peter and Paul Fortress, Faberge Museum and Orthodox Cathedrals. We’re sure you will love it!

If you have a few more days to spare, venture into the dreamy Russian countryside in Suzdal or Sergiev Posad. Suzdal is a small town with a population of about ten thousand people, situated on less than 15 square kilometres. This tiny area is home to 53 historic cathedrals, five monasteries and a kremlin. Church domes are visible like mushrooms from anywhere and everywhere in the town like in a fairy tale. No wonder Suzdal is called the ‘Town Museum”.  It is definitely worth visiting!

Just try any of Visit Moscow Tours’ tour packages or any individual city tour, and we promise that you will want to come back to Russia again.  Russia is huge with countless amazing places to visit. There are so many unique experiences to be had and energies to be felt that one tour is definitely not enough to explore this vast land. It is also a very safe destination to travel, and we have a tradition of warm hospitality. Our people adore and take care of visitors as our own guests, and even if they do not know your language very well, they still try to be helpful and hospitable.

Our guides will show you the most interesting attractions and historical places, taking you on a journey to the past to enjoy stories of medieval times, the Romanov monarchy, the Soviet Era. And of course, we will show you the contemporary life of our country through authentic local experiences.

We look forward to meeting you soon!

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• Moscow Tours

Our 20 Best Moscow Tours of 2022

Join us on an unforgettable tour to Moscow, the capital of Russia. Imagine visiting Red Square, St. Basil’s the Kremlin and more. Moscow is one of Europe’s most vibrant cities and one of Russia’s most historical. All of our tours to Moscow are fully customizable and can be adjusted to fit any budget. Our most popular tours are listed below. Please click on the tour details to learn more or contact us for more information about our Moscow tours using the form at the side of the page. You can also schedule a call with one of our Russian travel specialists to learn more.

Classic Moscow

This is our most popular Moscow tour that includes all the most prominent sights. You will become acquainted with ancient Russia in the Kremlin, admire Russian art in the Tretyakov Gallery, listen to street musicians as you stroll along the Old Arbat street, and learn about Soviet times on the Moscow Metro tour.

Accommodation

PRIVATE TOUR

A Week in Moscow

This tour is a perfect choice for those who wish to get to know Moscow in depth. One of the highlights of this package is the KGB history tour which gives an interesting perspective on the Cold War. You will also have time for exploring the city on your own or doing extra sightseeing.

Weekend in Moscow

This tour is a great way to get acquainted with the capital of Russia if you are short of time. You will see all the main attractions of the city, the most important of which is the Kremlin - the heart of Russia. The tour starts on Friday and can be combined with a business trip.

Group Tour Moscow Break by Intourist

Russia's capital has so much to offer, from the Kremlin and the Metro to the Old Arbat street and the Tretyakov Gallery. Besides these sites, you will also visit a fascinating country estate which today is quite off the beaten path, Gorky Estate, where the Soviet leader Lenin spent the last months of his life.

Kolomenskoye Tour with transport

The history of Kolomenskoye stretches back for centuries. In 1380, Dmitri Donskoi’s army passed through Kolomenskoye on their way to the Kulikovo battlefield, and it was...

Tours by car

Kremlin, Red Sq., Cathedrals & Armory Tour

The Kremlin is truly a fascinating structure, at the same time it is an ancient tower, the city’s former military fortification, a palace, an armory, the sovereign treasury...

Walking tours

Kremlin, Red Sq., Cathedrals, Armory, Diamond Fund Tour

Old Arbat walking tour

You will be told of the street’s interesting history and view the street’s artisan culture. You will also have the opportunity to view and purchase souvenirs from the...

Tour to Sergiev Posad with transport

Considered by some to be the Russian Vatican, Sergiev Posad is the temporary residence of the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Trinity St. Sergius Monastery (Lavra)...

Tour to Kuskovo with transport

The Kuskovo Estate often called the Moscow Versailles due to its perfectly preserved French park, is an example of an 18th century, luxurious Moscow summer residence. Its history...

Tour to Tsaritsyno with transport

The Tsaritsyno Estate is located in the southern part of Moscow. The estate was constructed for Catherine the Great by the Russian architects Bazhenov and Kazakov in a romantic...

Moscow Metro and Old Arbat Tour

The Moscow Metro is one of the largest and most grandly built metro systems in the world. It was meant to be a showcase of the Soviet Union’s achievements for both the Russians...

Vodka Museum Tour with transport (excursion and vodka tasting)

Vodka is an important component of Russian life, an element of national identity and everyday culture. We invite you to visit the Vodka Museum and feel the atmosphere of long-gone...

Mikhail Bulgakov Apartment Museum

This apartment museum located close to Patriarch Ponds became the prototype of the "bad apartment" described in the novel "The Master and Margarita." Currently the museum's...

Kremlin, Red Sq., Cathedrals & Diamond Fund Tour

The State Museum of Lev Tolstoy Tour

Take this opportunity to learn more about the Russian writer Lev Tolstoy. During the visit to the museum you will see part of a vast collection of exhibits connected to Tolstoy...

Novodevichy Convent Tour with transport

Tour of the Novodevichy Monastery. Founded in 1524 by Grand Prince VasiliIoanovich, the original convent was enclosed by fortified walls and contained 12 towers. The structure...

City Tour with Visit to St. Basils & Red Sq. with transport

Panoramic City Tour. This Moscow tour is a great start to your trip and the best way to get acquainted with many of the city’s major highlights. Our professional guide will...

City Tour of Moscow

Head to the heart of Moscow with a professional guide on a 4-hour private walk through the city center. See Tverskaya and Old Arbat streets, Theatre Square with the world-famous...

Moscow Metro walking tour

Kremlin, Red Square and Cathedrals Tour

KGB Tour with transport

This is a very interesting and insightful tour. You will visit places connected with Stalin’s terror - a time of great repression and fear. You will be shown monuments to...

Soviet and Post-Soviet Moscow Tour

The tour begins with a drive or walk down Tverskaya Street – a Soviet masterpiece. In the years of Soviet power, Tverskaya began to undergo a transformation: it was widened...

Tretyakov State Gallery Tour

This world-famous gallery contains masterpieces of Russian art beginning in the 10th century up until today. You will view exquisite Russian icons and paintings from the 18th and...

Jewish Heritage of Moscow Tour

This tour offers a detailed look into the history and present-day life of the Jewish community of Moscow. On the tour, you will visit sites connected with the cultural and religious...

Vodka Museum Tour with transport (excursion only)

Lena, our guide in Moscow was excellent. She was very knowledgable and could answer any question we had for her. We liked that she could pick up on our interests and take us places we might not have thought of to go. When we realized that one of the places we had chosen to see would probably not be that interesting to us, she was able to arrange entry to the Diamond Fund and the Armoury for us. Riding the Metro with Lena was a real adventure and a lot of fun. In Saint Petersburg we found Anna well versed in the history of the Tsars and in the Hermitage collection. Arkady in Veliky Novgorod was a very good guide and answered all of our questions with ease. Novgorod was perhaps a long way to go for a day trip, but we did enjoy it. Vasily was a great driver to have and kept us safe with good humour and skill. We enjoyed ourselves so much, my daughter says she is already planning to return. We would both have no hesistation to recommend ExpresstoRussia to anyone we know.

Just wanted to let you know that My grandson Bruno and I couldn´t have been more pleased with our week in Moscow (6/15 - 6/21). We were absolutely enchanted with the whole experience, including getting lost a couple of times in the Metro during our free time. Although both our guides (both Eleanas) were excellent, I would particularly commend the first one (she took us to the Tatiakov, the KGB tour, and to that beautiful cemetery where so many great Russian artists, authors, composers, musicians, militarists, and politicians are buried). Her knowledge is encyclopedic; and her understanding of today´s Russia as a product of its past was, for us, truly enlightening. I will be taking another tour in Russia, with my wife, within the next two or three years. I will be in touch with you when the time comes. Meanwhile, I will refer you to other potential visitors to Russia as I meet them.

Tours to Moscow

Our Moscow tours are land only meaning that you arrange your own air travel to Russia and our expert staff meets you at the airport and handles everything else from there. Our online Airline Ticket booking system offers some of the most competitive rates to Russia available on the web so if you need tickets, please visit our Russian air ticket center . Rest assured that you will be taken great care of on one of our Moscow tours. Express to Russia has a fully staffed office in Moscow that will help to make your visit fun, informative and unforgettable. Please remember that of all these tours are private and can be adjusted to your taste. You can add, replace or skip some sights; you can add more days to the package or cut the tour short. Our specialists will be glad to help you create the tour of your dreams!

Moscow, a City Like No Other

Moscow is Russia’s largest city with a population of between 12 and 13 million. It is also Europe’s largest city and when you visit Moscow, you can feel it. The layout and architecture of the city is eclectic, ranging from crooked, ancient streets and alleyways to wide, bustling boulevards, from medieval churches to Stalin skyscrapers and to modern, glass buildings towering over everything and of course in the center of it all is the Kremlin and the magnificent Red Square. Moscow is also home to a fantastic, efficient and very beautiful metro system – each station having its own special design. In fact, Express to Russia’s Moscow metro tours and excursions are some of our most popular attractions that we offer. On our Moscow tours, you will see this and more.

Moscow Tours centering on Russian History

Moscow has a long and interesting history and has been the capital of Russia in many of its different iterations – capital of the Grand Duchy of Moscow , the Russian Empire and of course the Soviet Union (who could ever forget the Soviet Union?). Moscow, was founded in the 12th century by Prince Yuri Dolgaruki (Yuri of the long arms – he really did have long arms!). From that time on, it was home to the Russian Tsars until Peter the Great moved the capital to St. Petersburg in 1703. The city has survived invasions and sieges from the Mongols, the Tartars, the Poles, Lithuanians and Napoleon but has always persevered. Our Moscow tours will enlighten you on this great history and give you insights into Muscovites and their unique culture. Our Moscow tours show you what the city is like today but also brings to life the past. Moscow never seems to sleep and is bursting with energy. A Moscow tour with Express to Russia is truly the best way of getting to know Russia’s largest and most vibrant city.

Frequently Asked Questions From Our Travelers

What is the best time to visit moscow.

Any time of year is fine depending on what you plan to do. Summertime is pleasantly warm, ideal for exploring the city and its vibrant atmosphere, but Moscow will be much busier and accommodation is more expensive. Winter can be quite cold but beautiful nonetheless, and this is unproblematic if you intend to spend most of your trip in museums and galleries. There are also various festivals and events organised throughout the year. For more information about the best time to visit, read our guide

How many days are enough in Moscow?

If you plan your itinerary strategically and aren’t averse to a packed schedule, you can cover Moscow’s main sights over a long weekend. Most popular attractions are in the city centre, and the Moscow Metro allows you to cover much ground in a small amount of time. Ensure that your accommodation is fairly central and book tickets in advance, so that you can make the most of your days. For an informative and well-organised day out, check out our Moscow day tours with options to suit all interests.

Do they speak English in Moscow?

As Russia’s capital city, tourists are well accommodated in Moscow. There should be English-speaking staff in restaurants, bars, hotels, shops and attractions in tourist hotspots, and there are also English-speaking tourist police. Transport services have English translations on their maps and English announcements via intercom; alternatively, order taxis from the Yandex Taxi app (Russian Uber), though it’s unlikely that your taxi driver will speak English. If you get stuck and cannot communicate, it’s fine to use Google Translate.

Is it safe to travel to Moscow?

It is no less safe to travel to Moscow than to any European city if you exercise common sense and look after your belongings. As with every city some regions can be more unsavoury than others, but no tourist attractions are located there. The traffic in Moscow is notorious, so exercise caution when crossing roads. Do not take unlicensed taxis; book in advance or take public transport, which is widespread and perfectly safe. If you encounter any problems, look for the special tourist police who can help you. For more information, read our guide about staying safe in Russia .

Our travel brands include

Express to Russia

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Northeast Severe Weather April 2024

Affected Airports - City , State Association:

• Albany Intl, NY  (ALB)
• Allentown Bethlehem, PA  (ABE)
• Baltimore Washington, MD  (BWI)
• Bangor, ME  (BGR)
• Boston, MA  (BOS)
• Buffalo, NY (BUF)
• Burlington, VT  (BTV)
• Harrisburg Intl, PA  (MDT)
• Hartford Springfield, CT  (BDL)
• Manchester, NH   (MHT)
• Montreal, Canada (YUL)
• New York JFK, NY  (JFK)
• New York LGA, NY  (LGA)
• Newark, NJ  (EWR)
• Philadelphia, PA  (PHL)
• Portland, ME    (PWM)
• Providence, RI   (PVD)
• Rochester, NY   (ROC)
• Salisbury, MD (SBY)
• Scranton Wilkes-Barre, PA  (AVP)
• State College, PA  (SCE)
• Syracuse, NY  (SYR)
• Washington Dulles, DC  (IAD)
• Washington Reagan, DC  (DCA)
• Watertown, NY  (ART)
• Westchester County, NY   (HPN)
• Worcester, MA (ORH)

For complete details View

issued: April 2, 2024

American Airlines has implemented a special exception policy to our travel partners that is now available for our mutual customers due to expected o perational disruptions, including delays and cancellations due to inclement weather

Our Travel Notice exception policies on American are also available when ticketed to/from/through on our Joint Business partners: This applies to both prime and codeshare flights as shown below:

Inventory Requirements

Lowest Inventory, Same Cabin

If original inventory is not available rebook lowest inventory available in the same ticketed cabin. As a reminder, customers that do not hold a Basic Economy fare should never be booked into B inventory.

Basic Economy -

• Must be booked in B inventory only. If B inventory is not available, then an alternate flight must be selected. Advance Purchase and Ticket Change restrictions are waived.

Instant Upsell -

Refer to Travel Notice Policy - Travel Agency Guidelines for rebooking guidelines and Endorsement Box requirement when the customer purchased Instant Upsell (IU) directly with American on aa.com . IU PNRs contain the following SSRs:

• OTHS AGENCY RETAINS CONTROL OF TKT FOR REISSUES
• OTHS INSTANT UPSELL ANCILLARY EMD ISSUED 001xxxxxxxxxx

Refer to Exceptions to Fare Rules .

Note: If customers are unable to rebook or reissue their ticket within the given timeline, they can cancel their reservation and use the value of the ticket toward the purchase of a new ticket; all rules and restrictions apply. Travel must commence no later than one year from the date of original issuance.

Endorsement Box Requirements

• Refer to individual Travel Notice for Event Name
• Ticket Reissue required. This is the only required verbiage and supersedes all other information.

Instant Upsell (IU) tickets must use waiver code: TNADV/IU when rebooking in the Instant Upsell Inventory IU PNRs contain the following SSRs:

Refer to Travel Notice Policy - Travel Agency Guidelines for Endorsement Box requirement when the customer purchased Instant Upsell (IU) directly with American on aa.com .

Changes to Origin/Destination - Not Allowed

• Waive Change Fee
• Ticket reissue for original ticketed fare
• 300 Mile Radius is always allowed, unless otherwise stated in the notice
• Changes to origin/destination are not permitted for the travel notice
• Any changes made to origin/destination all fare rules apply

300-Mile Radius Only - Allowed

• Within same country
• For booking inventory, view Inventory Requirements

Basic Economy Short-haul fares

book in B inventory only.If B inventory is not available, then an alternate flight must be selected.

Changes to Connection City

Changes to Co-Terminal

Changes to Co-terminal and MAC airports on AA Prime and AA*/Codeshare flights are allowed

• Co-terminal & MAC Airports are considered the same routing.  

Reissue Policy Information

American Airlines will waive change fees and travel agents may rebook and reissue tickets provided the below guidelines are met and applied:

• Ticket issued on the following ticket stock: AA 001, AY 105, BA 125, El053, IB 075, JL 131, QF 081
• Applies to AA*/ one world flights
• Travel has not commenced on the affected flight segment and the ticket has not been reissued by American Airlines
• The first departure flight is more than 2 hours away
• Affected coupons are in OK status
• Travel reissuance only in accordance to dates identified in the applicable Travel Notice Exception Advisory
• More than one change allowed without an additional collection, including penalty or change fee within the Travel Notice dates
• Original issuing agency responsible for ticket reissue
• Ticket Revalidation not permitted
• The return travel must be booked in the original class of service (inventory)
• Refer to Extend Travel Rebooking after the Travel Event
• Basic Economy must be rebooked in the appropriate Basic Economy inventory
• Please ensure the above procedures are accurately followed to prevent debit memo issuance

Rebooking - Exception to Fare Rules

Exception to Fare Rules: All fare rules apply with the exception of the following:

• Advance Purchase requirement waived
• Minimum/Maximum Stay requirement waived
• Change Fee waived
• When changes to the outbound travel occur, the unaffected return date may be changed to protect the original length of the trip. The return travel must be booked in the original class of service (inventory).

SalesLink Request

• Rebook flights in compliance with Travel Notice Exception Policy
• Log-in to SalesLink at www.saleslink.aa.com
• Request Type: select 'Service'
• Input AA PNR
• Waiver Type: select 'Travel Notice'
• Travel Notice: select applicable Travel Notice event name
• Select 'Next' - and complete request
• Verify: SalesLink approval remarks in PNR
• New Ticket Endorsement Box: Enter event name only
• Ticket Reissue required

Endorsement Box requirement: 02APR24 or the exchange will be subject to a debit memo

Extend Travel Rebooking Guidelines

If customers are unable to rebook within the New Travel Dates, may reschedule their reservation to/from the same city or alternate cities and reissue their ticket with the below guidelines:

• Cancel their itinerary and apply the value of the original ticket towards the purchase of a new ticket for travel commencing within 1 year from the date of original issuance
• Change fee only is waived as long as the original ticket is reissued within ticket validity and the impact dates are in accordance with those identified in the Travel Notice
• Basic Economy fares may only be used towards the purchase of other Basic Economy fares.
• Residual MCO's are not allowed when using the TNADVE waiver code for reissue.
• Extend Travel Rebooking does not apply to tickets in conjunction with Instant Upsell (IU)

Refund Policy Information

When the flight is cancelled or the length of delay is 91+ minutes , travel agents may refund ticket(s) through normal GDS/ARC/BSP processing. Refer to our Schedule Irregularity policy for delays 90 minutes or less.

• Refund To Original Form Of Payment - All penalties/fees waived
• Non-Refundable Fare
• Refundable Fare with cancellation Fee
• Basic Economy Fare
• Bulk/Opaque Fare

Note: If the ticket has been exchanged by American as an INVOL submit the refund request directly with American. Refer to American Airlines Refunds .

When the flight is not cancelled or the length of delay is 90 minutes or less , a refund does not apply:

• If customer elects to cancel their reservation and use the value of the ticket toward the purchase of a new ticket outside the Travel Notice dates; may use Extend Travel Rebooking or may hold ticket for future travel; all rules and restrictions apply.
• Travel must commence no later than one year from the date of original issuance.

En route/Diversion

• Connecting customers' en route to one of the above-listed destinations or whose flights are diverted will have the option to return to their original departure city and rebook travel to alternate future dates.
• Customers should work directly with the airport to obtain a boarding pass for return travel to their original departure city. If the customer wishes to rebook travel to alternate future dates, please contact American Airlines Reservations for assistance. Alternatively, they may receive a refund if re-accommodation options are unacceptable.
• If a ticket has already been reissued by American Airlines or the ticket is partially used, travel agents must submit the refund request online at https://prefunds.aa.com/refunds/

American Airlines will continue to monitor this Travel Notice Exception Advisory and adjust this policy if needed. Changes will be posted on AA.com and www.saleslink.aa.com reference. Please check these sources frequently for the most up to date information.

• www.saleslink.aa.com Reference: Select Travel Notice Policy - Travel Agency Guidelines
• Visit www.saleslink.aa.com and navigate to AA News and Offers to view current travel notices.
• Contact your Sales Support Center 800-621-8489 or American Airlines Reservations 800-433-7300 (U.S. and Canada) or for Reservations outside the U.S. and Canada, please see our Worldwide Reservations Numbers American Airlines encourages all customers to check flight and gate status prior to leaving for the airport. For complete travel information, visit AA.com .
• Group reservations must be changed by AA Group & Meeting Travel
• Information contained on this web site is subject to change at any time without notice. American Airlines shall not be liable for any consequences resulting from your reliance on the information.

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F.B.I. Examining Free Airfare Upgrades Received by Adams

Federal prosecutors and F.B.I. agents are scrutinizing international flights taken by Mayor Eric Adams of New York aboard Turkey’s national air carrier, Turkish Airlines.

By William K. Rashbaum ,  Michael Rothfeld and Dana Rubinstein

Federal authorities investigating Mayor Eric Adams’s campaign fund-raising have been examining valuable flight upgrades they believe he received from Turkish Airlines that elevated him to its highest class of seats available on international trips, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The scrutiny is part of a broad corruption inquiry that has already led the F.B.I. to search the homes of the former top New York-based executive of Turkish Airlines and aides to Mr. Adams, who has frequently traveled abroad and has made no secret of his affinity for flying on the Turkish carrier.

The investigation burst into public view in November after F.B.I. agents searched the homes of the former airline executive, Cenk Öcal, the mayor’s liaison to the Turkish community, Rana Abbasova, and his chief fund-raiser, Brianna Suggs — and seized Mr. Adams’s electronic devices.

The inquiry has shaken an administration that has become increasingly mired in investigations and beset by legal and ethical problems .

The broader investigation has focused at least in part on whether the Turkish government conspired with Mr. Adams’s mayoral campaign to funnel foreign money into its coffers, and whether Mr. Adams pressured the New York City Fire Department to sign off on Turkey’s new high-rise consulate in Manhattan despite safety concerns.

Mr. Adams’s relationship with Turkish Airlines has extended beyond that of simply being a passenger. He has attended meetings and events with representatives of the air carrier, which is half-owned by the Turkish government’s sovereign wealth fund. Some of those interactions took place in the presence of Turkish business leaders and diplomats with their own close ties to Turkey’s government and its president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan and F.B.I. agents conducting the inquiry have developed evidence that Mr. Öcal helped arrange at least some of the upgrades in coordination with Ms. Abbasova, two of the people familiar with the federal investigation said. They and others interviewed for this article spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing federal investigation.

Mr. Adams, who extolled Turkish Airlines in 2017 when he told a pro-government publication that the carrier “is my way of flying,” received the upgrades both while serving as Brooklyn borough president and as mayor, on both official and personal trips, some of the people said.

Brendan R. McGuire, a lawyer for the mayor and his 2021 campaign, said there was nothing wrong with Mr. Adams’s receipt of the upgrades.

“As borough president, the mayor consistently disclosed his official travel to Turkey, did not receive any improper upgrades and did nothing inappropriate in exchange for an upgrade,” Mr. McGuire said. “Speculation is not evidence. We look forward to a just and timely conclusion to this investigation.”

The F.B.I. searches on Nov. 2 prompted the mayor’s abrupt return from a trip to Washington, D.C., where he was seeking federal aid for the city’s migrant crisis. They were followed by weeks of news coverage focused on the corruption inquiry, but agents and prosecutors have made few public moves since then.

Mr. Adams has not been accused of wrongdoing, and it remains unclear whether the investigation will lead to criminal charges against him, Mr. Öcal, Ms. Abbasova or anyone else.

A lawyer for Ms. Abbasova, Rachel Maimin, declined to comment. After repeated attempts to reach Mr. Öcal, including visits to his New Jersey home and messages left with his wife, he declined to answer questions or provide the name of his lawyer.

A representative of Turkish Airlines declined to comment, as did spokesmen for the F.B.I. and the federal prosecutors from the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, who are jointly conducting the inquiry.

Mr. Adams has long boasted of being an avid traveler, and he has taken trips in recent years to Turkey, the Dominican Republic , Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, Monaco , Ghana , Azerbaijan, Greece, Israel , Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar , Senegal and China . He has talked about retiring to Azerbaijan, Israel and Lebanon.

It was unclear how many free upgrades Mr. Adams accepted while flying Turkish Airlines or what their total value was. In 2023, round-trip business class seats on Turkish Airlines between the United States and Turkey generally cost at least $3,400 apiece — or about four times as much as an economy class seat, travel industry experts said.

It was also unclear what, if anything, Mr. Öcal, the airline or the Turkish government might have gained from awarding the upgrades.

But Mr. Adams received the upgrades during a period in which he and the airline were developing a close relationship, a New York Times review of city emails suggests.

Mr. Adams has flown on Turkish Airlines since at least August 2015, when as Brooklyn borough president he took an official trip to Turkey and the carrier funded travel that his aides valued at about $1,500.

Mr. Adams took a second official trip four months later, justifying it by saying he needed to speak about “city marketing” at a conference, meet with local officials and visit a refugee camp, city records show. Mr. Adams flew Turkish Airlines on that trip as well, according to the records.

On another trip to Turkey in 2017, this time in a private capacity, he gave an interview praising Turkish Airlines to The Daily Sabah, saying that it accommodated his dietary needs and lauding its security protocols.

Sent from 2015 to 2021, while Mr. Adams was borough president, the emails reviewed by The Times make reference to a series of private meetings between Mr. Adams, Turkish Airlines executives and Turkish government officials and businesspeople, as well as appearances with them at public events.

Often the meetings and appearances were arranged through Ms. Abbasova, Mr. Adams’s liaison to the Turkish community.

More than a few involved Mr. Öcal, who appeared to be on a first-name basis with Mr. Adams. “Cenk from turkish airlines opening,” Mr. Adams wrote to his staff in response to one invitation to an event, possibly referring to Mr. Öcal’s speaking slot. Mr. Öcal would later serve as one of several hundred people on Mr. Adams’s mayoral transition team.

The first meeting described in the emails was scheduled for May 2016, when Ms. Abbasova inquired if he could attend a “dinner w Turkish Airlines.” The emails did not specify with whom he would be meeting, but his assistant responded that he would be available.

He agreed to another meeting, a dinner with Mr. Öcal at Liman, a Turkish restaurant in Brooklyn, in April 2017, the emails show. Also scheduled to attend were the chairman and treasurer of the Türken Foundation, an American charity with close ties to the Turkish government. It was incorporated in 2014 by a son of Mr. Erdoğan and another man, who at the time was a board member of Turkish Airlines. Mr. Erdoğan’s daughter currently sits on its board .

The Türken Foundation’s chairman, Behram Turan, its treasurer, Memiş Yetim, and another board member would go on to give a total of $6,000 to Mr. Adams’s mayoral campaign from 2018 to 2021, contributions that were first reported by The City . Mr. Adams’s campaign refunded $1,000 to Mr. Turan to comply with the rules of the city’s public matching funds program.

Reached late last year, Mr. Turan, an engineer who lives in New Jersey, said he was an American citizen who has lived in the country for 30 years. He added that there was nothing inappropriate about his donation. On Thursday, Mr. Yetim said he could not remember the dinner with Mr. Adams. Mr. Turan declined to comment.

In September 2017, Mr. Adams attended a Türken Foundation dinner and event with Mr. Erdoğan at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Manhattan. Mr. Adams would later present Mr. Yetim with a proclamation honoring the Türken Foundation for “outstanding achievements and contributions to society.”

In December 2017, Mr. Adams was scheduled to attend another dinner, this time with Turkish consular officials, at a Brooklyn seafood restaurant run by two of his close friends . Mr. Öcal and another top Turkish Airlines official were on the guest list, the emails show.

In 2019, the emails show, Ms. Abbasova passed along an invitation from Turkish Airlines for Mr. Adams to attend a gala at the Metropolitan Club in Manhattan. Mr. Adams had another event that night but an internal staff memo noted that he would do his best to attend, the emails show. Ms. Abbasova would be on site and provide frequent updates, the memo said.

Mr. Adams did make it to the event, which featured Turkish dishes, a raw bar and high-end cocktails. He even took the microphone to speak, according to an article in Elite Traveler, a luxury lifestyle publication, which published photos of the event, including several of Mr. Öcal in a shiny blue tuxedo. Mr. Adams was the only city official listed in the account of the night, along with Turkish consular officials and diplomats, business leaders and Martha Stewart.

Mr. Adams won the Democratic mayoral primary in June 2021. Soon after, he contacted the commissioner of the New York Fire Department at the time and urged him to allow the opening of the Turkish consulate building, which had been held up over fire safety concerns. The building received a temporary certificate of occupancy that September — shortly before Mr. Erdoğan presided over the consulate’s grand opening in Manhattan .

Mr. Adams previously said it was part of his role as borough president “to notify government agencies of issues on behalf of constituents and constituencies.”

In May 2022, the Turkish Philanthropy Funds , a New-York based nonprofit devoted to supporting social investments in the Turkish and Turkish American communities, held its 15th anniversary gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mr. Adams, who made remarks at the event, was there in a dark suit, posing with the foundation’s chairman and the night’s honoree, the billionaire founder of the strained yogurt company Chobani.

Mr. Öcal was there too, and was photographed in a tuxedo with the Turkish ambassador to the United States and their wives. It is unclear if he interacted with Mr. Adams that night. Their fortunes had gone in opposite directions.

Mr. Öcal had been fired by Turkish Airlines by then, according to a Turkish news report, and Mr. Adams was newly ensconced as the mayor.

Susan C. Beachy contributed reporting.

William K. Rashbaum is a senior writer on the Metro desk, where he covers political and municipal corruption, courts, terrorism and law enforcement. He was a part of the team awarded the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News. More about William K. Rashbaum

Michael Rothfeld is an investigative reporter in New York, writing in-depth stories focused on the city’s government, business and personalities. More about Michael Rothfeld

Dana Rubinstein covers New York City politics and government for The Times. More about Dana Rubinstein

Explore Our Coverage of the Adams Administration

Burger King and Baptisms: Mayor Eric Adams keeps finding eye-catching ways to seize the spotlight on the issue of public safety  through appearances at Rikers Island, even when the narrative turns against him.

Gun-Detecting Technology: Adams announced that New York City planned to test technology  to detect guns in its subway system as officials seek to make transit riders feel safe after a deadly shoving attack.

Grappling With Acts of Violence: Adams was recently confronted with two tragic events that crystallized some people’s persistent fears  about the city: the shooting death of Police Officer Jonathan Diller  and a man being fatally pushed into the path of a subway train  in an unprovoked attack.

Sexual Misconduct Accusations: A woman has accused Adams  in a lawsuit of asking her for oral sex in exchange for career help in 1993 and sexually assaulting her when she refused. Adams said the accusation was completely false . A few days after the revelations, a top adviser to Adams was accused of sexually harassing  a police sergeant and punishing her when she refused his advances.