Amazon Explore - Is This Another Attempt to Enter the Travel Industry?
12 experts shared their view
Amazon Explore launched recently, tries to capture consumer demand for experiencing virtual tours and activities in destinations, such as how to cook a dish, personalized guided tours of cities and attractions.
Some local experiences executives believe that this is Amazon's initial step toward entering in full force the highly lucrative and digitally-underserved "Tours & Activities/ Local Experiences" travel sector and that it would be an "easy implementation" for Amazon to become an online retailer/online travel agency in the local experiences sector and can do this "just by opening a category" on their site.
Other industry experts believe that these virtual tours are more like curated reality cooking and travel shows, more like Amazon Prime TV series, and not yet another attempt by Amazon to enter the travel business as an OTA and that the online retail giant does not have the expertise and technology to enter the travel space as a major player.
The question is, is Amazon Explore yet another attempt by Amazon to enter the travel space as a major player and online travel agency/retailer?
Odd to think that we would refer to Amazon as not having the 'expertise and technology to enter the travel space as a major player". Was it that long ago that opinion was that if anyone could Amazon could? Are we not envious of how Amazon has streamlined the progression of conversion? Didn't anyone notice that Prime Video is a major entertainment producer and award winner? What exactly is the 'travel landscape' these days? With hotels selling bonds for future stays and common space for local school education pods? Where hospitality is done at a distance and less, (contact) is safer. Amazon and those lesser to scale than them are innovators. Discovering and offering what might be sold to those who might want to buy it. Nothing is made without a potential market, It's one of the reasons we build hotels where we did. With the uncertainty of at the very least short term of travel for many, why not offer a means of experience, (escape) on a platform they already have to an audience that can be introduced to a variety of options in a current and future tense to purchase 'things' for? Or am I the only one watching travel shows and videos?