Skift Daily Briefing Podcast
August 6, 2019 View in browser

For many travel advisors with Caribbean-bound clients, the tourist deaths in the Dominican Republic, political unrest in Puerto Rico, and the abrupt U.S. travel policy change to Cuba are putting their ingenuity to the test. When headlines make clients nervous or — in the case of Cuba — travel plans confront a roadblock, travel advisors must act quickly to find alternatives.

While travel advisors are used to negative fallout from widely publicized incidents, this summer, with its string of disturbances, has been unusually challenging. As one advisor put it, "you are constantly putting out fires."

In another story, we look at the significant growth of women-only tours, particularly those to destinations where women still lead a segregated existence. These trips not only promote exchanges between women from different cultures but are also opening up opportunities for women in the tour destinations to enter new careers and share their experiences. In the travel realm, as elsewhere, sisterhood is powerful.

For more coverage of pertinent issues, click here.

Any suggestions for the coverage you would like to see are welcome. Feel free to contact me at mbl@skift.com.

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Travel Advisors Scramble to Find Alternatives for Caribbean-Bound Clients

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Travel Advisors See Growing Demand for Women-Only Tours That Promote Empowerment

A proliferation of women-only tours reflects the fact that women are a driving force behind the trend for experiential and adventure-oriented travel. The tours enable participants to interact with women from cultures far different than their own.

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It all comes down to uncertainty, making consumers more cautious and businesses more likely to cancel travel. Unfortunately, this anxiety isn't going to end any time soon.

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Sabre Hunts for More Tech Deals to Overcome Sales Slump

Sabre's management must have seen this quarter's sales slowdown coming. After all, the company's prior management had underspent in the research and development work necessary to keep its sales growth humming. Sabre's new leaders have been investing in its long-term growth, but the payoff in sales growth may take a while.

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Amadeus Finds Growth in Businesses Outside of Distribution

Amadeus deserves credit for making strides in reducing its dependence on its original core business of airline distribution. Few companies in any industry succeed in diversifying. But work remains to be done. Plus, the company may not be doing enough to capture Asia's potential as a market.

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Skift Travel Advisor Editor Maria Lenhart [mbl@skift.com] curates the Skift Travel Advisor Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Tuesday. Have a story idea? Or a juicy news tip? Want to share a memo? Send her an email.

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