The pandemic was also a disaster for Booking.com, with the travel portal laying off a quarter of its workforce. CEO Fogel wants to expand the business beyond the brokerage of accommodation.
The Internet platform Booking.com wants to become an all-round travel portal on the way out of the Corona crisis and rely on climate-friendly offers.
CEO Glenn Fogel aims to ensure that customers no longer primarily book their accommodation via Booking.com, but rather all the way to their destination and back again. “In this way we will be able to expand our business in the long term,” said Fogel of the German press agency. Customers can already book their flight or drive from the airport to their hotel. Climate-friendly travel options are also planned. The US manager did not initially name any details.
“This means that in the future we could offer our customers options for more climate-friendly transportation, for example by offering electric rental cars.” A second option: “We could also support hotels and … partners in converting them into a climate-friendly business,” said Fogel. This is also based on the consideration that small and medium-sized hotels are often not as financially strong and do not have the know-how to convert their buildings into a climate-neutral way. After strong quarterly figures, US competitor Expedia had also announced that it wanted to break new ground.
Overnight stays collapsed
In 2020 the tourism industry experienced a slump. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of overnight stays in Germany fell by almost 200 million to 302 million. It was the lowest level since all German figures were presented in 1992. According to the Federal Cartel Office, Booking.com, with its headquarters in Amsterdam, has the largest market share in online hotel bookings in Germany, ahead of its competitors HRS and Expedia.
The travel industry also expects a tailwind from success with drugs against the corona virus – as recently reported by the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer, according to which its pill should reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by 89 percent. The Expedia group had reported figures almost at pre-crisis levels for the third quarter, while the accommodation broker Airbnb recently made a strong comeback with a record quarter.
Share of business trips is decreasing
According to Fogel, the pandemic has permanently changed the travel industry. “Leisure travel recovered much faster than business travel,” he said. “We have all learned to communicate very well on video conferences. I think in the long run companies will look more carefully at which business trips are necessary. ” One day the absolute number of business trips will also be higher than in the record year 2019. But their share of the overall travel market will remain lower.
“We are already seeing that airlines are reducing the number of their seats in business class and are offering more economy seats,” said Fogel. Many business hotels are looking a bit more in the direction of leisure: “In the future, business travelers will more often combine leisure and business. A business traveler from New York will consider: If I fly to Munich on business, do I only want to attend a two-day meeting, or do I stay two or three days longer privately? “
Source From: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
