Intermediaries Focus On Value Proposition As Recession Threat Looms
Trivago, Etraveli Group and Hopper believe a focus on helping consumers find the right deals will stand them in good stead
Travel intermediaries are confident that their models will hold up if the world plunges into a recessionary period following the COVID crisis.
A panel including hotel price comparison site trivago, booking.com-owned Etraveli Group and Hopper, discussed prospects at this week’s Phocuswright Europe conference in Amsterdam.
Axel Hefer, chief executive of Trivago, said “it does not feel like a world in balance right now” with global supply shortages, rising prices and interest rates going up.
“We feel that the economy will come down to an extent,” he said, but added: “What does that mean for someone helping people to compare prices? That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
Lisa Katsouraki, senior vice president corporate development and strategic partnerships for Etraveli, said:
“We are headed into something we would probably like to avoid after two-and-a-half years of COVID. Things are going to be more difficult going forward.
“But we are on a path to growth. There is more and more we are rolling out with booking.com and we are way past 2019 levels.