This week the travel industry trade press has been reporting on speculation that Uber might buy Expedia: Skift – https://skift.com/2024/10/17/uber-expedia-super-deal-our-answers-to-10-big-questions/ PhocusWire – https://www.phocuswire.com/why-uber-not-buying-expedia-but-think-amazon-should None of this analysis talked about AI agents or autonomous vehicles so I thought I should add my perspective including these two key strategic elements. The frequency perspective Traditionally, success in the […]

Unless you are living under a rock, you will know that generative AI is coming to your phone. Within the next few months we will see: new iPhone hardware with Apple Intelligence Google Pixel 9 with Gemini ChatGPT app with Advanced voice mode supporting more human-like conversations AI is not just coming to existing phone […]

Why this question today? In the last few weeks: Google (Waymo) now open access in San Francisco with their robotaxis (i.e. available to tourists with no waiting list), becoming one of the largest growing US city based attractions and a significant sign of what is to come to all US cities in the next few […]

Key themes are emerging that will shape the future of tourism due to AI and AGI after 2030. This article takes a look these five themes and the known unknowns that surround them: end of the web browser (for travel ecommerce) end of the group tour end of the tour guide end of the tour […]

Risk is a judgement. When I set off to sail over the Atlantic (twice), or drive London to Kathmandu (4 months), run a marathon (twice), cycle 1000 miles John O’Groats to Lands end, race a 21 foot boat from the UK to the Fastnet rock and back (and win), or just be a startup founder, […]

Tour bus companies are integral to both the mobility and sightseeing sectors, connecting tourists with the people and place of unfamiliar destinations. By facilitating expansive exploration, they not only enhance the visitor experience but also thrive as profitable businesses. But as readers of this blog know, mobility is changing. As such, when mobility changes, tour […]

I am thinking about hiring. Not actually hiring, but thinking about hiring. So with that in mind, I have pulled together some questions that I could ask in a job interview. The more senior you expect to be, the more of these questions I expect you to be able to give a good answer to. […]

Last week I went to the Arival conference in Orlando and I was surprised by the reaction to the content. Some tour operators were saying too much AI in the schedule. Well I have news for you, your upstream big tech partners are winning AI and you are not part of their plans. Tomorrows experience economy […]

In the AI age, you can’t just be a digital service anymore. For the digital only companies this makes it a strategically important task deciding what to do beyond digital. This post is a quick summary of how Viator, GetYourGuide and Google are going physical with three different approaches. Not mutually exclusive of course, but […]

Too much AI debate in the sightseeing sector relates to generative AI such as text, image & video generation. This article outlines why we should prioritise addressing other forms of AI first, and how we can incorporate decentralised technology approaches within an overall AI strategy. First, why is everyone distracted by generative AI? I believe […]