The US travel services industry, which includes both traditional and online travel agencies, increasingly faces a new source of competition for booking services: the airlines and hotel operators themselves.

A growing number of airlines and hotels are adopting strategies — such as loyalty programs, fees on third-party bookings, or discounts on direct bookings — to encourage consumers to book services directly with them.

In 2014, gymnasium and exercise equipment surpassed golf equipment as the largest sports equipment segment in the US, a position golf equipment had held since 2006. Since that time, many observers have declared the downfall of golf, citing falling participation levels and the millennial cohort’s apparent lack of interest for the game. In addition, the number of open golf courses in the US has taken a tumble in the past decade.

As the current craze over Pokemon Go demonstrates, the age of electronic gaming has more than arrived. What many don’t know, however, is that the age of eSports has dawned as well. If you are saying to yourself, “What the heck is eSports?” you are not alone, but that does not mean eSports is not big business.

eSports (a.k.a. electronic sports or professional gaming) is a growing market where athletes compete via computers rather than on a field or in a stadium. So instead of watching football, baseball, or basketball, fans of these sports are watching StarCraft II, League of Legends, and Dota2.

Despite past failures and false starts, virtual reality is taking off. According to a report by Rider Research, virtual reality has become one of the hottest technology buzzwords for 2016. Consumer demand is rising fast as realistically priced virtual reality and augmented reality products hit the market.

But what exactly are augmented reality and virtual reality products? Who can use them? And which industries are going to most benefit from these new technologies? Read on to find out.

One of the world’s oldest professions is matchmaking, and given the role of technology in today’s world, it’s no surprise that the industry is booming. With an explosion of new websites and apps, the dating services industry has performed very well in the past five years and is continuing to grow as today's singles turn to the Internet for help finding love.

Read on to discover insights into the market for dating services and what the future holds for this industry.

Jack W. Plunkett, CEO of Plunkett Research, Ltd, highlights several e-commerce trends that are transforming retail, travel, entertainment, and communication.

The travel industry is undergoing tremendous change. Social media is opening up new creative ways for travel companies to market to consumers and broaden their reach. At the same time, mobile shopping is skyrocketing, forcing industry players to adapt quickly in order to capture the sales of on-the-go shoppers.

Perhaps most importantly, the sharing economy is now a multibillion dollar market and one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry. Some analysts speculate that disruption is the “new normal” in the travel industry. To learn more about these shifts, read the blog post below.

Thanksgiving Day includes many different traditions for families all over America. From cooking extravagant dinners to traveling to visit friends and famly, the options for celebrating the holiday are truly endless. But there is one common factor that affects families during Thanksgiving weekend each year: high spending.

Thanksgiving weekend is one of the most expensive of the year, and that’s not just because of the amount of turkey being purchased. Food, travel costs, and shopping on Black Friday are all contributors to high spending during the five-day span. In this blog post, we will look at some of the main factors that influence consumer spending patterns during Thanksgiving.

What links such diverse travel marketers, like airlines, hotels, cruise lines, rental car agencies, travel agencies, tour operators, and travel media outlets, in their pursuit of sales, growth and profits? Those marketers that win and beat their direct competition will be the ones that understand the needs, wants and desires of the best potential customers and put insights into action with marketing strategies, tactics and guest services that really matter. 

When it comes down to the best potential customers for any travel marketer, it is the affluent consumer, people with plenty of disposable income to spend and an appetite for new, exotic, out-of-the-ordinary experiences.

Is Bali really the best-kept secret of the global FinTech community?

Bali is known for its pristine beauty and its outstanding hospitality. In Part-1 of this two-part series, we showed that behind the scenes there is a vibrant and colorful international FinTech and Startup community evolving on the island. We also explored why Bali is so attractive for FinTech activities and listed "The 10 Magnetic Powers of Bali." Now, let's take a look at the leaders in Bali's FinTech community.