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Travel brands are certainly not immune to the tectonic shifts now ripping apart traditional digital marketing strategies. Our 2017 Digital Transformation Survey reveals that many in the industry are in fact unprepared to cope with the deluge of new digital content formats now pervading the traveler mindset.

Travel is an emotional journey full of ups-and-downs. Our 2016 Experiential Traveler Survey exposed some compelling realities about traveler preferences and tolerances for technology usage, brand engagement, and product offering. How will you connect with your audience along that journey?

Instagram and Snapchat have exploded in recent years; the user base is certainly there but at the same time, they leave something to be desired for advertisers. Visual content is also a challenge on the production side. How travel brands leverage both branded and user generated content to engage potential customers will vary. One certainty is that travel should continue to experiment with visual content and the platforms that attract millions.

Travel search and booking looks completely different today than it did just years ago. But the value-add that agents can bring to the travel experience will be difficult to obviate completely, either through disintermediation or automation. The intersection between high-tech and high-touch is now a key battle ground for travel brands the world over. Those with the customer care infrastructure to deliver could stand to gain, if they can get their digital house in order.

Expedia has a lot going for it in the short to mid term but shifts in technology and consumer tastes have disrupted the travel space before, and will do so again. Dara and team will need to stay vigilant in addressing numerous vulnerabilities, especially as they go up against the big platforms including Google, Facebook, Amazon and others.