Skift Take

As consumers become more comfortable with last-minute mobile booking — and require more depth in their travel experiences — those who sell tours and activities need to adapt their offerings.

It’s a good problem to have: You’re going on vacation, but what do you do when you’re there? Travelers are demanding more authentic, immersive experiences — but they also sometimes leave that planning until the last minute.

At the Skift Global Forum recently, we heard from CEOs who talked about tours, activities, experiences, and traveler behavior from different viewpoints.

In this episode of the Skift podcast, we’re bringing you two conversations on the subject that we had backstage in the Skift Take Studio.

The first is with Brett Tollman, CEO of The Travel Corporation, which owns hotels, a river cruise line, guided tour operators, and youth travel companies. He spoke to Skift contributing writer Jeremy Kressman about efforts to reach younger travelers, the challenges of selling escorted vacations online, and how the company’s brands try to create authentic experiences across the globe.

Our second conversation is with Ruzwana Bashir, co-founder and CEO of the tour booking and technology site Peek. She spoke to editor and podcast host Hannah Sampson about what kind of activities are resonating right now, why tours and activities are ripe for disruption, and how consumer behavior is forcing providers to adapt.

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This is one of several conversations we’re bringing you from backstage at the Skift Global Forum. The Skift Take Studio Series is presented by Mastercard, a payments technology company that is enabling loyalty, security and data solutions for the global travel industry.

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Tags: sgf2016, skift global forum, skift podcast, stp2016, tours and activities

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