Google Maps Poised to Be an $11 Billion Business in 4 Years

Google Maps Poised to Be an $11 Billion Business in 4 Years

Google Maps rolled out an augmented reality feature. A traveler tries it in Vietnam. Justanothersimian / YouTube



Skift Take: When you're Google, you can take more than a decade to hone a product such as Google Maps and attract more than a billion users without having to worry that it isn't making lots of money. But the monetization of Google Maps will soon start in earnest, and travel marketers, for the most part, will hustle to get in.

— Dennis Schaal

Read the Complete Story On Skift

http://travel.atspace.co.uk/google-maps-poised-to-be-an-11-billion-business-in-4-years/

Smartair Raises $6 Million for Dynamic Packaging Tech: Travel Startup Funding This Week

Smartair Raises $6 Million for Dynamic Packaging Tech: Travel Startup Funding This Week

Israel's Jaffa Port, with Tel Aviv's hotels in the background. Smartair, an Israeli travel startup, has raised a $6 million round of funding.
Dana Friedlander / Israel's Ministry of Tourism



Skift Take: This week travel startups announced more than $46 million in funding. Of note, two of the companies, Smartair and Tastemakers, are making bets on Africa's online travel growth. Meanwhile, online travel company Hostelworld has invested in Tipi, a software provider for hostel managers.

— Sean O'Neill

Read the Complete Story On Skift

http://travel.atspace.co.uk/smartair-raises-6-million-for-dynamic-packaging-tech-travel-startup-funding-this-week/

Google Maps Poised to Be an $11 Billion Business in 4 Years

Google Maps Poised to Be an $11 Billion Business in 4 Years

Google Maps rolled out an augmented reality feature. A traveler tries it in Vietnam. Justanothersimian / YouTube



Skift Take: When you're Google, you can take more than a decade to hone a product such as Google Maps and attract more than a billion users without having to worry that it isn't making lots of money. But the monetization of Google Maps will soon start in earnest, and travel marketers, for the most part, will hustle to get in.

— Dennis Schaal

Read the Complete Story On Skift

https://travel.atspace.co.uk/google-maps-poised-to-be-an-11-billion-business-in-4-years/

Smartair Raises $6 Million for Dynamic Packaging Tech: Travel Startup Funding This Week

Smartair Raises $6 Million for Dynamic Packaging Tech: Travel Startup Funding This Week

Israel's Jaffa Port, with Tel Aviv's hotels in the background. Smartair, an Israeli travel startup, has raised a $6 million round of funding.
Dana Friedlander / Israel's Ministry of Tourism



Skift Take: This week travel startups announced more than $46 million in funding. Of note, two of the companies, Smartair and Tastemakers, are making bets on Africa's online travel growth. Meanwhile, online travel company Hostelworld has invested in Tipi, a software provider for hostel managers.

— Sean O'Neill

Read the Complete Story On Skift

https://travel.atspace.co.uk/smartair-raises-6-million-for-dynamic-packaging-tech-travel-startup-funding-this-week/

Six Flags Jersey Devil Coaster video

Six Flags Jersey Devil Coaster video

If you think your roller coaster resume is impressive, you’re about to have a new heavy hitter to add to your list. Any self-respecting coaster aficionado needs to have ridden the tallest, fastest, longest in the world, and that’s exactly what the Jersey Devil Coaster will be in the summer of 2020. Coming to Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, the single-track coaster will be 13 stories high, 3,000 feet long, with speeds topping out at 58 mph. It will feature four trains with 12 seats each, drops as low as 87 degrees, and inclines as high as 130 feet. There will also be special elements like two inversions with a 180 degree stall and zero-gravity roll.


In an official statement, Six Flags Great Adventure said, “We are thrilled to expand our unrivaled collection [of roller coasters] with the Jersey Devil Coaster. Jersey Devil folklore has been a source of fear and intrigue here in the Pine Barrens for more than 200 years, and this iconic piece of New Jersey history inspired the design for this monstrous scream machine.”



The legendary Jersey Devil creature is said to make its home in the Pine Barrens on the outskirts of the amusement park. The myth paints the creature as a kangaroo with a goat-like head and cloven hooves, which was the 13th child of a woman in the Pine Barrens. According to the story, when she learned she was pregnant the mother shouted, “Let this one be the devil,” and sure enough, the baby immediately transformed into the Jersey Devil.



The post New Jersey Six Flags is getting the longest, fastest roller coaster in the world appeared first on Matador Network.


https://travel.atspace.co.uk/six-flags-jersey-devil-coaster-video/

Texas man to visit every Starbucks

Texas man to visit every Starbucks

Everyone has an obsession. Maybe it’s craft beer, or videos of kittens, or in the case of a 47-year-old man from Houston, Texas, named Winter (born Rafael Antonio Lozano Jr.), it’s Starbucks. Yes, Starbucks, home of the Pumpkin Spice Latte and the Unicorn Frappuccino, beverages that transcended their humble origins and became cultural touchstones. There is perhaps nothing more equally familiar to every city-dwelling person on Earth than that green sign stamped with a mermaid, and Winter wants to visit every single one on the planet. It’s a goal he’s already spent $150,000 on trying to accomplish.


So far Winter — Indiana Jones of the corporate coffee world — has visited 15,000 Starbucks locations (12,000 stores in the US and Canada, the other 3,000 in 55 locations around the world). His most recent visit was to a Starbucks in Lima, Peru. He has deemed the Starbucks in Fukuoka, Japan, the most beautiful. His second favorite is in Paris, where he says one location resembles a “palace.” Next up, Winter plans to visit Starbucks roasteries in Shanghai and Tokyo. Winter is about halfway through completing his journey: There are 300,000 Starbucks locals worldwide.


One has to give total props to Winter; he is an extremely accomplished traveler, and he’s kind of becoming an influencer, too. Inspired by a website where he documents his travels, a friend of his coined the term “Starbucking,” which in turn has become a mini-trend for other similarly inclined coffee tourists.


None of them are as committed as Winter: He told NBC this is a “lifetime project” that began after he spent countless hours hanging out in a Starbucks in Dallas. And it’s not just the architecture he longs to gaze at. He wants to try the coffee, too. On one trip he consumed 29 cups of coffee in a day. Nothing fancy for him either; he prefers a simple drip coffee.


Winter is a freelance computer engineer, so he has the luxury of working remotely. He also — and this should dispel any doubt that he is truly dedicated to his quest — lives out of his car to finance his travels.


“It’s been instrumental in allowing me to afford Starbucking to the extent I’ve pursued it over the past year,” Winter told NBC.


Can’t fault him for that. After all, he’s living his dream to the fullest, and that’s not something very many people can say for themselves.



The post Man spends $150,000 on quest to visit every Starbucks in the world appeared first on Matador Network.


https://travel.atspace.co.uk/texas-man-to-visit-every-starbucks/

Six Flags Jersey Devil Coaster video

Six Flags Jersey Devil Coaster video

If you think your roller coaster resume is impressive, you’re about to have a new heavy hitter to add to your list. Any self-respecting coaster aficionado needs to have ridden the tallest, fastest, longest in the world, and that’s exactly what the Jersey Devil Coaster will be in the summer of 2020. Coming to Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, the single-track coaster will be 13 stories high, 3,000 feet long, with speeds topping out at 58 mph. It will feature four trains with 12 seats each, drops as low as 87 degrees, and inclines as high as 130 feet. There will also be special elements like two inversions with a 180 degree stall and zero-gravity roll.


In an official statement, Six Flags Great Adventure said, “We are thrilled to expand our unrivaled collection [of roller coasters] with the Jersey Devil Coaster. Jersey Devil folklore has been a source of fear and intrigue here in the Pine Barrens for more than 200 years, and this iconic piece of New Jersey history inspired the design for this monstrous scream machine.”



The legendary Jersey Devil creature is said to make its home in the Pine Barrens on the outskirts of the amusement park. The myth paints the creature as a kangaroo with a goat-like head and cloven hooves, which was the 13th child of a woman in the Pine Barrens. According to the story, when she learned she was pregnant the mother shouted, “Let this one be the devil,” and sure enough, the baby immediately transformed into the Jersey Devil.



The post New Jersey Six Flags is getting the longest, fastest roller coaster in the world appeared first on Matador Network.


http://travel.atspace.co.uk/six-flags-jersey-devil-coaster-video/

Texas man to visit every Starbucks

Texas man to visit every Starbucks

Everyone has an obsession. Maybe it’s craft beer, or videos of kittens, or in the case of a 47-year-old man from Houston, Texas, named Winter (born Rafael Antonio Lozano Jr.), it’s Starbucks. Yes, Starbucks, home of the Pumpkin Spice Latte and the Unicorn Frappuccino, beverages that transcended their humble origins and became cultural touchstones. There is perhaps nothing more equally familiar to every city-dwelling person on Earth than that green sign stamped with a mermaid, and Winter wants to visit every single one on the planet. It’s a goal he’s already spent $150,000 on trying to accomplish.


So far Winter — Indiana Jones of the corporate coffee world — has visited 15,000 Starbucks locations (12,000 stores in the US and Canada, the other 3,000 in 55 locations around the world). His most recent visit was to a Starbucks in Lima, Peru. He has deemed the Starbucks in Fukuoka, Japan, the most beautiful. His second favorite is in Paris, where he says one location resembles a “palace.” Next up, Winter plans to visit Starbucks roasteries in Shanghai and Tokyo. Winter is about halfway through completing his journey: There are 300,000 Starbucks locals worldwide.


One has to give total props to Winter; he is an extremely accomplished traveler, and he’s kind of becoming an influencer, too. Inspired by a website where he documents his travels, a friend of his coined the term “Starbucking,” which in turn has become a mini-trend for other similarly inclined coffee tourists.


None of them are as committed as Winter: He told NBC this is a “lifetime project” that began after he spent countless hours hanging out in a Starbucks in Dallas. And it’s not just the architecture he longs to gaze at. He wants to try the coffee, too. On one trip he consumed 29 cups of coffee in a day. Nothing fancy for him either; he prefers a simple drip coffee.


Winter is a freelance computer engineer, so he has the luxury of working remotely. He also — and this should dispel any doubt that he is truly dedicated to his quest — lives out of his car to finance his travels.


“It’s been instrumental in allowing me to afford Starbucking to the extent I’ve pursued it over the past year,” Winter told NBC.


Can’t fault him for that. After all, he’s living his dream to the fullest, and that’s not something very many people can say for themselves.



The post Man spends $150,000 on quest to visit every Starbucks in the world appeared first on Matador Network.


http://travel.atspace.co.uk/texas-man-to-visit-every-starbucks/

TravelSky’s Performance Offers a View of China’s Slowing Air Travel Market

TravelSky’s Performance Offers a View of China’s Slowing Air Travel Market

China Eastern Airlines is one of many domestic Chinese airlines to rely on TravelSky, a tech vendor, for its computing needs. TravelSky reported its first-half 2019 earnings on Thursday. China Eastern Airlines



Skift Take: New data from China's travel tech giant TravelSky shows that the country's pace of air travel growth slowed in the first half of the year. But the country remained the fastest-growing region in the world in terms of aviation and traveling.

— Sean O'Neill

Read the Complete Story On Skift

http://travel.atspace.co.uk/travelskys-performance-offers-a-view-of-chinas-slowing-air-travel-market/

Online Travel Agency eDreams Odigeo Urges Investors to Stick Around

Online Travel Agency eDreams Odigeo Urges Investors to Stick Around

An aircraft in the sky. eDreams is diversifying its product offering. tatsuo yamaguchi / Flickr



Skift Take: EDreams believes it has developed a long-term recipe for success but needs time to realize those gains. If it can convince enough people to sign up — and stay signed up — to its subscription service it might prove it is on to something.

— Patrick Whyte

Read the Complete Story On Skift

http://travel.atspace.co.uk/online-travel-agency-edreams-odigeo-urges-investors-to-stick-around/

TravelSky’s Performance Offers a View of China’s Slowing Air Travel Market

TravelSky’s Performance Offers a View of China’s Slowing Air Travel Market

China Eastern Airlines is one of many domestic Chinese airlines to rely on TravelSky, a tech vendor, for its computing needs. TravelSky reported its first-half 2019 earnings on Thursday. China Eastern Airlines



Skift Take: New data from China's travel tech giant TravelSky shows that the country's pace of air travel growth slowed in the first half of the year. But the country remained the fastest-growing region in the world in terms of aviation and traveling.

— Sean O'Neill

Read the Complete Story On Skift

https://travel.atspace.co.uk/travelskys-performance-offers-a-view-of-chinas-slowing-air-travel-market/

Online Travel Agency eDreams Odigeo Urges Investors to Stick Around

Online Travel Agency eDreams Odigeo Urges Investors to Stick Around

An aircraft in the sky. eDreams is diversifying its product offering. tatsuo yamaguchi / Flickr



Skift Take: EDreams believes it has developed a long-term recipe for success but needs time to realize those gains. If it can convince enough people to sign up — and stay signed up — to its subscription service it might prove it is on to something.

— Patrick Whyte

Read the Complete Story On Skift

https://travel.atspace.co.uk/online-travel-agency-edreams-odigeo-urges-investors-to-stick-around/

Bottomless Mimosas are a scam

Bottomless Mimosas are a scam

The siren song of the bottomless Mimosa is a strong one. Champagne! Until you can’t drink it anymore! It’s like you’re a Roman god minus the vengefulness. All you’re missing is a nymph feeding you grapes. And in some parts of Miami, you can actually do that too.


But much like $20 of free play at a casino or any trip you get from a timeshare, bottomless Mimosas aren’t done for your benefit. Like the Bernie Madoff of brunch, they bilk you out of your hard-earned dollars with the promise of infinite drunken riches and offer nothing in return but a head-pounding hangover.


The menu makes it look like a fantastic deal: You can order one Mimosa, and it’ll cost you $6. Or you can shell out somewhere between $10-$20, and you get them BOTTOMLESS! There is literally no bottom to your glass! The Mimosas never end!


Seems like a no-brainer, right? But let’s break it down for a second.


The bottles of Champagne used for your bottomless bubbly drinks might cost the restaurant $3 each, and it’s almost never actual Champagne. Instead, it’s a budget bubbly made in the US, or prosecco. (Upscale places, like your Zumas of the world, use expensive shit, but we’ll get to them in a minute.) Unless they’re leaving you the whole bottle to mix on your own, your Mimosa might get an ounce of this bubbly, of which there are 25 in a standard bottle of bubbly. That breaks down to 12 cents per Mimosa, plus the cost of orange juice.


You’d have to be an entire family of Andre the Giants with a taste for cheap André to even make a dent in that kind of profit margin.


To add insult to injury — or maybe just protect themselves from liability — some restaurants go so far as to limit how long you can sit there and enjoy your “unlimited” Mimosas. Which means it’s actually not unlimited but rather limited to how many you can down in 120 minutes.


That limit is further hampered by waiters who are about as eager to refill your Mimosas as they are to tell you which menu items have gluten. Not that you can blame the waiters. If you had to spend your Sunday dealing with drunk people who believe they’re entitled to as much bubbly as their livers allow, you’d wish unthinkable things on them too.


Like a New Year’s Eve open bar where they only staff two bartenders, the system is rigged.


Some restaurants offer bottomless Mimosas for free when you buy a brunch entrée. Which seems like a much better deal until you realize that brunch itself is a scam.


Photo: Iris_Images/Shutterstock


Brunch, for the unaware, is a massive cash cow for restaurants. The food is generally made with cheaper ingredients than dinners, and there’s a high margin on each dish. So even by giving away 12 cents worth of sparkling wine, they’re cashing in the gourmet garbage disposal that is a brunch menu. Even if someone does manage to consume enough Mimosas to make the bottomless price worth it, the Mimosas acted as a loss leader to get the person into the restaurant and purchase the higher margin food. Plus the unlimited Mimosas help you not realize the food you’re getting isn’t the restaurant’s best.


Fine-dining restaurants, like Zuma, offer Ruinart Champagne or, if you pay a little extra, Taittinger or something similar. This seems like a slightly better deal since you’re getting a sparkling wine that’s not available at CVS. But these brunches generally run about $100 if you upgrade the bubbly.


It’s not quite the scam that the cheap stuff is. But if you think you’re getting anywhere near a bargain by dropping the price of a round-trip on Spirit on a hybrid meal, you’re simply a sucker.


I understand small restaurants and mom-and-pops sometimes depend on brunch to break even in the brutal world of restaurants. And you can’t blame them for trying to make the most of booze-fueled logic. But like so many legal scams, it’s on us, the consumers, to figure it out and say no, thank you, I’ll just have a cocktail today (there are so many better aperitivi anyway that include actual liquor). Come Monday, you and your bank account will both realize it was the better decision.



The post Your bottomless Mimosas are a scam, regardless of where you eat appeared first on Matador Network.


http://travel.atspace.co.uk/bottomless-mimosas-are-a-scam/

Dr Seuss Experience in US and Canada

Dr Seuss Experience in US and Canada

If you’ve ever fantasized about what life would be like in a Dr. Seuss book, then you only need to dream on a little bit longer. The Dr. Seuss Experience is taking to the road with a multi-city tour, starting on October 26 in Toronto.


The exhibit is designed to be an immersive experience through nine different worlds in the Seuss universe. Visitors will feel like they’re one of the characters as they head through a balloon-filled maze from Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, listen for Whos in a field of clovers from Horton Hears a Who!, and walk under Truffula Trees from The Lorax.


Photo: The Dr. Seuss Experience/Facebook


In addition to living your favorite childhood stories, there’ll be plenty of Instagram opportunities and character meet and greets within the 15,000-square-foot space.


The experience has apparently been a few years in the making, only now coming to fruition. “I wanted to explore the books and bring the characters to life in a new and engaging way,” said Susan Brandt, president of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the company founded by Audrey Geisel, and the late widow of Theodor Seuss Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss himself.


Photo: The Dr. Seuss Experience/Facebook


Other than Toronto, the exhibit will stop in several North American cities, such as Boston, Seattle, and Houston. Just like its location, the experiences within the exhibit will change in each city. Some of the rooms will be switched out for other Seuss novels, and there’ll even be changes for the time of the year. Whatever city gets a How the Grinch Stole Christmas-themed experience for the holidays should expect to be the object of much envy.


Tickets are expected to go on sale sometime next month, and prices have yet to be released, but can you really put a price on nostalgia?


Be sure to sign up on the official website to receive updates.



The post An immersive Dr. Seuss exhibit is touring around the US and Canada appeared first on Matador Network.


http://travel.atspace.co.uk/dr-seuss-experience-in-us-and-canada/

Bottomless Mimosas are a scam

Bottomless Mimosas are a scam

The siren song of the bottomless Mimosa is a strong one. Champagne! Until you can’t drink it anymore! It’s like you’re a Roman god minus the vengefulness. All you’re missing is a nymph feeding you grapes. And in some parts of Miami, you can actually do that too.


But much like $20 of free play at a casino or any trip you get from a timeshare, bottomless Mimosas aren’t done for your benefit. Like the Bernie Madoff of brunch, they bilk you out of your hard-earned dollars with the promise of infinite drunken riches and offer nothing in return but a head-pounding hangover.


The menu makes it look like a fantastic deal: You can order one Mimosa, and it’ll cost you $6. Or you can shell out somewhere between $10-$20, and you get them BOTTOMLESS! There is literally no bottom to your glass! The Mimosas never end!


Seems like a no-brainer, right? But let’s break it down for a second.


The bottles of Champagne used for your bottomless bubbly drinks might cost the restaurant $3 each, and it’s almost never actual Champagne. Instead, it’s a budget bubbly made in the US, or prosecco. (Upscale places, like your Zumas of the world, use expensive shit, but we’ll get to them in a minute.) Unless they’re leaving you the whole bottle to mix on your own, your Mimosa might get an ounce of this bubbly, of which there are 25 in a standard bottle of bubbly. That breaks down to 12 cents per Mimosa, plus the cost of orange juice.


You’d have to be an entire family of Andre the Giants with a taste for cheap André to even make a dent in that kind of profit margin.


To add insult to injury — or maybe just protect themselves from liability — some restaurants go so far as to limit how long you can sit there and enjoy your “unlimited” Mimosas. Which means it’s actually not unlimited but rather limited to how many you can down in 120 minutes.


That limit is further hampered by waiters who are about as eager to refill your Mimosas as they are to tell you which menu items have gluten. Not that you can blame the waiters. If you had to spend your Sunday dealing with drunk people who believe they’re entitled to as much bubbly as their livers allow, you’d wish unthinkable things on them too.


Like a New Year’s Eve open bar where they only staff two bartenders, the system is rigged.


Some restaurants offer bottomless Mimosas for free when you buy a brunch entrée. Which seems like a much better deal until you realize that brunch itself is a scam.


Photo: Iris_Images/Shutterstock


Brunch, for the unaware, is a massive cash cow for restaurants. The food is generally made with cheaper ingredients than dinners, and there’s a high margin on each dish. So even by giving away 12 cents worth of sparkling wine, they’re cashing in the gourmet garbage disposal that is a brunch menu. Even if someone does manage to consume enough Mimosas to make the bottomless price worth it, the Mimosas acted as a loss leader to get the person into the restaurant and purchase the higher margin food. Plus the unlimited Mimosas help you not realize the food you’re getting isn’t the restaurant’s best.


Fine-dining restaurants, like Zuma, offer Ruinart Champagne or, if you pay a little extra, Taittinger or something similar. This seems like a slightly better deal since you’re getting a sparkling wine that’s not available at CVS. But these brunches generally run about $100 if you upgrade the bubbly.


It’s not quite the scam that the cheap stuff is. But if you think you’re getting anywhere near a bargain by dropping the price of a round-trip on Spirit on a hybrid meal, you’re simply a sucker.


I understand small restaurants and mom-and-pops sometimes depend on brunch to break even in the brutal world of restaurants. And you can’t blame them for trying to make the most of booze-fueled logic. But like so many legal scams, it’s on us, the consumers, to figure it out and say no, thank you, I’ll just have a cocktail today (there are so many better aperitivi anyway that include actual liquor). Come Monday, you and your bank account will both realize it was the better decision.



The post Your bottomless Mimosas are a scam, regardless of where you eat appeared first on Matador Network.


http://travel.atspace.co.uk/bottomless-mimosas-are-a-scam/

Dr Seuss Experience in US and Canada

Dr Seuss Experience in US and Canada

If you’ve ever fantasized about what life would be like in a Dr. Seuss book, then you only need to dream on a little bit longer. The Dr. Seuss Experience is taking to the road with a multi-city tour, starting on October 26 in Toronto.


The exhibit is designed to be an immersive experience through nine different worlds in the Seuss universe. Visitors will feel like they’re one of the characters as they head through a balloon-filled maze from Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, listen for Whos in a field of clovers from Horton Hears a Who!, and walk under Truffula Trees from The Lorax.


Photo: The Dr. Seuss Experience/Facebook


In addition to living your favorite childhood stories, there’ll be plenty of Instagram opportunities and character meet and greets within the 15,000-square-foot space.


The experience has apparently been a few years in the making, only now coming to fruition. “I wanted to explore the books and bring the characters to life in a new and engaging way,” said Susan Brandt, president of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the company founded by Audrey Geisel, and the late widow of Theodor Seuss Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss himself.


Photo: The Dr. Seuss Experience/Facebook


Other than Toronto, the exhibit will stop in several North American cities, such as Boston, Seattle, and Houston. Just like its location, the experiences within the exhibit will change in each city. Some of the rooms will be switched out for other Seuss novels, and there’ll even be changes for the time of the year. Whatever city gets a How the Grinch Stole Christmas-themed experience for the holidays should expect to be the object of much envy.


Tickets are expected to go on sale sometime next month, and prices have yet to be released, but can you really put a price on nostalgia?


Be sure to sign up on the official website to receive updates.



The post An immersive Dr. Seuss exhibit is touring around the US and Canada appeared first on Matador Network.


http://travel.atspace.co.uk/dr-seuss-experience-in-us-and-canada/

Scalability is Key to Driving Adoption of New Distribution Capability Standards

Scalability is Key to Driving Adoption of New Distribution Capability Standards



Skift Take: When it comes to implementing and adopting the New Distribution Capability standards for airline retailing, there needs to be a strong focus on enabling scalability, across the entire retailing, distribution, and fulfillment process.

Read the Complete Story On Skift

https://travel.atspace.co.uk/scalability-is-key-to-driving-adoption-of-new-distribution-capability-standards/

Grab to Pump $500 Million Into Vietnam as More Rivals Enter After Uber’s Exit

Grab to Pump $500 Million Into Vietnam as More Rivals Enter After Uber’s Exit

You've got parcel. Grab Vietnam. Grab Singapore



Skift Take: After Indonesia, Grab’s next biggest battleground is Vietnam. No surprise there, it's a rapidly growing economy with all the ingredients for a ridehailing explosion. Naturally Grab is not alone — rivals are aplenty.

— Raini Hamdi

Read the Complete Story On Skift

https://travel.atspace.co.uk/grab-to-pump-500-million-into-vietnam-as-more-rivals-enter-after-ubers-exit/

Scalability is Key to Driving Adoption of New Distribution Capability Standards

Scalability is Key to Driving Adoption of New Distribution Capability Standards



Skift Take: When it comes to implementing and adopting the New Distribution Capability standards for airline retailing, there needs to be a strong focus on enabling scalability, across the entire retailing, distribution, and fulfillment process.

Read the Complete Story On Skift

http://travel.atspace.co.uk/scalability-is-key-to-driving-adoption-of-new-distribution-capability-standards/

Grab to Pump $500 Million Into Vietnam as More Rivals Enter After Uber’s Exit

Grab to Pump $500 Million Into Vietnam as More Rivals Enter After Uber’s Exit

You've got parcel. Grab Vietnam. Grab Singapore



Skift Take: After Indonesia, Grab’s next biggest battleground is Vietnam. No surprise there, it's a rapidly growing economy with all the ingredients for a ridehailing explosion. Naturally Grab is not alone — rivals are aplenty.

— Raini Hamdi

Read the Complete Story On Skift

http://travel.atspace.co.uk/grab-to-pump-500-million-into-vietnam-as-more-rivals-enter-after-ubers-exit/

Cities to visit for fall outdoors

Cities to visit for fall outdoors

Fall is about a lot more than foliage and football. The weather isn’t quite drop-dead freezing in the more seasonal parts of the country, and since kids are in school and tourism has slowed, it’s prime time to enjoy the outdoors. To figure out which places, exactly, are best for enjoying the brisk fall weather, the bus-and-train travel mavens at Wanderu took a look at stuff like bike rentals, urban hikes, fall temperatures, and an aggregate parks score. And though the results aren’t necessarily shocking, they will give you some inspiration for stuff to do both home and away this fall.


25. Columbus, Ohio


Photo: f11photo/Shutterstock


The biggest city in Ohio is often overlooked for any of its outdoor attractions, mostly because the majority of Americans think the only outdoor event here involves the Buckeyes. But beyond OSU football, Columbus has a wonderful collection of city parks, where stuff like the outdoor play area at Blendon Woods and an obstacle course at Glacier Ridge rated it a Wanderu parks score of 47.5. Though its fall temps dip into the 50s, Columbus still has ideal weather for fishing at Delaware State Park or the Hoover Reservoir. Or you can head to Battelle Darby Creek and check out bison in the fields before learning all about them in the indoor nature center.


24. Omaha, Nebraska


Photo: Paul Brady Photography/Shutterstock


Never sleep on Omaha, the largest city in Nebraska and the perfect jumping off point for fall fun in the Cornhusker State. The secret is out amongst hunters, who come here en masse every October for the best pheasant hunting in the Midwest. It’s also peak season for those who like to see birds and not shoot them, as the fall offers ample birding opportunities along the Missouri River. The city’s Paths of Discovery trail system is a must-hit too, running 85 miles and allows you to discover every corner of the city by bicycle.


23. Los Angeles, California


Photo: dualpics/Shutterstock


Nobody’s going to dispute that Southern California has an ideal climate and topography for outdoor adventure. You just sometimes forget when you’re sitting in 18 lanes of unmoving traffic on the 405. But LA is a place where people catch up with friends over hikes through Topanga Canyon or have dates running between piers in Venice Beach and Santa Monica. But the city is also full of natural hidden gems, like the Point Dume State Beach Preserve in Malibu or the woody Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area. With less than an inch of precipitation and temps in the mid-60s, fall in LA is, if nothing else, guaranteed not to rain you out.


22. Tampa, Florida


Photo: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock


Tampa often gets lost behind the talking puppets in Orlando and the bright lights of South Beach. But for outdoors, Tampa might be the Sunshine State’s best city, with three solid urban hikes, as well as the Downtown Tampa Riverwalk, a three-mile path by the Hillsborough River lined with bars and museums. Though Clearwater and St. Pete are the big beach destinations in Tampa Bay, you can find some nice secluded spots here too — like Cypress Point Park, which affords unfettered views across the bay and airplanes overhead. If you’re up for a drive, Fort De Soto Park isn’t far away, a stretch of white sand that’ll make you feel like you landed on a deserted Caribbean island.


21. Las Vegas, Nevada


Photo: welcomia/Shutterstock


Interesting that a city literally engineered to keep you from ever going outside offers two urban hikes and has a parks score of 57. It seems the influx of long-term residents have discovered life outside the casinos, and if you’re willing to drive a little bit, you can join them in some of the coolest outdoors in the country. An hour out of town sits the Valley of Fire, quintessential desert hiking at its finest. You can also take a kayak out on the Colorado River, or bike around a little closer to town on the mountain trails at Red Rock Canyon. You can even ski in Vegas if the time is right, with the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort at Mount Charleston offering a fun and easy afternoon on the slopes.


20. New York, New York


Photo: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock


The city that never sleeps proves you can pave over nearly every square inch of a city, fill it with more humanity than God ever intended, and still have pretty great outdoor activities. Central Park is the marquee name here, but those outside this city might not know about Governor’s Island, which now boasts an adventure zone with a zip-line. We wouldn’t advise channeling your inner Kramer and swimming in the Hudson River, but there are plenty of places that’ll rent you kayaks to paddle through it. For something a little more peaceful, check out the botanical gardens in Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn, all of which provide a peaceful respite when the summer crowds subside.


19. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania


Photo: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock


Another densely populated urban metropolis you wouldn’t expect to rank this highly is Philadelphia, which checks in with a surprising parks score of 66.67. But you may recall that Pennsylvania translates to “Penn’s Woods,” and you can get out into said woods along the Schuylkill River trail, a 30-mile paved path from the city to Parkerford. You can also escape into the trees at Fairmount and Wissahickon Valley Parks, or learn something while you’re outside at Valley Forge Historic Park. For something completely different, take a walk through Ringing Rocks County Park, where 10-foot rock mounds ring out loud when stuck with a hammer.


18. Atlanta, Georgia


Photo: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock


North Georgia is one of the most underrated scenic wonderlands in America, and nearly all of it is accessible just a short drive from Atlanta. Trek the Appalachian Trail — or at least a little slice of it — as the trail’s final (or first) 78.6 miles are in this region. In town, you can explore the city by bike or foot along the Atlanta Beltline, an old rail corridor around the city connecting it all through the great outdoors. If weather permits, you can also take part in the time-honored tradition of “shooting the hooch,” where you float down the Chattahoochee River, beers in hand, enjoying the shade of the trees along the banks.


17. Chicago, Illinois


Lake Michigan Summer Day

Photo: Chris Freda/Shutterstock


Though stuff like “elevation” and “deep forest” might not be easy to find in Chicago, you can still run through this city better than most in America. The Lakefront Trail gets all the pub here, a famous 18-mile jaunt along the shores of Lake Michigan. Go a little south of the city and you’ll find yourself in Palos Forest Preserve, with demanding rolling hills in the heart of preserved wetlands and remote ravines. Or challenge yourself a little more along the 10 miles of crushed asphalt at Waterfall Glen, which takes you up and down hills past majestic waterfalls that’ll make you forget you’re within spitting distance of Willis Tower.


16. Milwaukee, Wisconsin


Photo: f11photo/Shutterstock


People who breeze through town sometimes like to say semi-condescending things about Milwaukee like, “Oh it’s great, like a smaller Chicago.” But it’s actually nothing at all like the Windy City aside from its lakeside locale, and spending a weekend taking in the city from the waters of Lake Michigan will have you realizing how much nicer the nature is in a smaller city. If you’re not up for sailing the lake, grab a kayak and paddle the Milwaukee River, stopping at the breweries that dot the shore. For something on land, take a stroll through the Schlitz Audubon Center, a 185-acre preserve with six miles of trails and a watch tower boasting perfect views of the lake.


15. Baltimore, Maryland


Photo: Jon Bilous/Shutterstock


Theoretically, a city with average temps in the low 60s, over three inches of rain, and a park score of 43 wouldn’t figure to land this highly on the list. But B-more scores big with its absolute abundance of bike rentals, 32 citywide. You can use them to do a loop around BWI airport, the odd airport with a bike trail around its perimeter. Or roll through 30 neighborhoods in 15 miles along the Gwynns Falls Trail. You can even dip your toes into mountain biking in Charm City by hitting the relatively easy trails at Gunpowder Falls State Park and enjoying the waterfalls without a terrifying ride.


14. Colorado Springs, Colorado


Photo: John Hoffman/Shutterstock


The entire state of Colorado can be one big wilderness park if you plan correctly, but no small city in the nation exemplifies all that’s great about the Rockies as Colorado Springs. The fall colors in Mueller State Park are among the best in the West, where you can take them all in on the park’s 55 miles of trails. Red Rock Canyon is also a must-visit, a relatively new park that was once designated to become a luxury resort and is now open to the public. Really, the outdoor options are endless here, and sub-50 degree fall temps are probably the only reason it doesn’t rate higher.


13. Boston, Massachusetts


Photo: Lorna Wu 2/Shutterstock


Boston’s outdoors might not be readily apparent, but its most famous attractions include the sprawling Boston Common and the nation’s most historic walk along the Freedom Trail. Those obvious tourist draws aside, you can also take boats out on Boston Harbor to enjoy a different vantage point, or paddle along the Charles River. You can also enjoy the views from the hilltops in the DCR Blue Hills Reservation. Or go ice skating on Frog Pond if you hit the city late enough in the fall.


12. Albuquerque, New Mexico


Photo: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock


Perhaps the biggest surprise on this list — to those who only know the city from television — is oft-overlooked Albuquerque, a gem in the high desert that can go toe to toe with any mountain city for outdoor recreation. The largest cottonwood forest in the world weaves through town along the Paseo del Bosque trail, a 16-mile bike path along the Rio Grande. Fall temps in the high desert are cool — about 57 degrees — which means you can hike the trails through the Sandia Foothills all day and never break a sweat. If you’d rather not be that active, enjoy the scenic tram ride up to the top of Sandia Peak and let the cables do the work for you.


11. San Jose, California


Photo: yhelfman/Shutterstock


Another forgotten outdoors mecca is San Jose, known mostly as the urban center for Silicon Valley but also a gateway to much of California’s central coast. Towering over the city are the Santa Cruz Mountains, where you can trek through the vineyards at Ridge Vineyards and taste with a bird’s-eye view of Apple world headquarters. You can also stop and enjoy the flowers at the city’s municipal rose garden. Or venture into the oldest municipal park in the state at Alum Rock Park.


10. Sacramento, California


Photo: Adonis Villanueva/Shutterstock


The old joke about Sacramento is the best thing about it is how close it is to everything else. “Hour and a half to the city (San Francisco), hour and a half to the mountains,” longtime locals love to crow. But even without leaving Sacramento you can find some fantastic nature, especially along the American River Bike Trail, one of the most scenic bike paths in America. Take the trail long enough you’ll end up at Folsom Lake, a deep-water recreation area perfect for an afternoon of boating or beaching. Head a little out of town and you’re smack in some of the nation’s best whitewater too, with trips down the American River a weekend tradition for locals.


9. Minneapolis, Minnesota


Photo: Roger Siljander/Shutterstock


People from freezing cold places like Minneapolis like to say stuff like, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.” And this fall will be your chance to test that, as one of the nation’s best outdoors cities has average temps in the 40s. Stock up at REI and head to the Twin Cities, where the survey’s second-highest parks score stems from places like Lyndale Park with its iconic views. Or Mills Ruin Park on the west side of St. Anthony Falls, where the city’s flour milling history has been preserved for visitors.


8. San Diego, California


Photo: Brandon Means/Shutterstock


Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, La Jolla — you name the San Diego enclave, and it’s going to be ideal during fall. For the more adventurous, try your hand and hang-gliding over the Pacific at Torrey Pines Gliderport. Potato Chip Rock is also a marvelous, if challenging, hike that’ll bring you to one of the most underrated photo spots in California. You can also stop and see the famous sea lions at La Jolla, or scope out the beaches and go tidepooling in search of sea anemones, starfish, and sea cucumbers.


7. Washington, DC


Photo: Orhan Cam/Shutterstock


You probably wouldn’t have guessed the nation’s capital had the highest parks score on the list, as most people don’t think of DC parks much past the national mall. But Washingtonians know their city is home to some of the best urban nature in the world. Start at Rock Creek Park, where you can explore its 32 miles of trials, or head up the Capital Crescent Trail from Georgetown to Silver Spring, Maryland. There is, of course, the Potomac River and all its boating and kayaking opportunities. Plus the National Arboretum and its 446 acres of relaxation.


6. Seattle, Washington


landscape of seattle center near space needle

Photo: zhu difeng/Shutterstock


Seattle in the summer might be the most beautiful city in the world, but even as the temps cool off and rain seeps in, the Emerald City offers outdoor recreation like no other. The urban parks are spectacular, whether it’s the bluffs at Discovery Park or the picture-perfect running trails at Green Lake. Head across Lake Washington to Bellevue and you can kayak from the Meydenbauer Marina past the homes of tech billionaires. And a little further east you’ll find majestic mountain hikes like Rattlesnake Ridge in North Bend, and Poo Poo Point near Issaquah.


5. Portland, Oregon


Photo: Nadia Yong/Shutterstock


Head east of town on I-84 and you’re smack in the middle of the Columbia River Gorge, one of the most scenic places in America and the heart of wine country. But Portland scores well in town too, with a parks score near 80 and 21 places to rent bicycles. Portland’s parks are like little urban forests, with Forest Park and its 70 miles of wooded trails chief among them. There’s also the International Rose Test Garden, the behemoth rose garden in Washington Park. Plus Chinese and Japanese gardens giving tribute to the city’s Asian influence.


4. San Francisco, California


Photo: shutterupeire/Shutterstock


For a city that famously measures only 46 square miles, San Francisco packs in a remarkable amount of outdoor opportunities. Anyone who’s ever biked through Golden Gate Park can attest to the abundance of wilderness here, as can anyone who’s spent an afternoon hiking through Glen Canyon. The city rated a 78 for parks, bolstered by weekend sunning staples at Dolores Park and Patricia’s Green. If you’re up for a life-changing bike ride, cross the Golden Gate Bridge and ride up to the Marin Headlands, where Point Bonita Lighthouse juts out into the Bay.


3. Denver, Colorado


Photo: Teri Virbickis/Shutterstock


Denver’s Rocky Mountain proximity would be enough to land it this high on the list. But the recreational opportunities that don’t involve 14,000-foot peaks might still surprise some people. Urban kayaking, for example, is huge here thanks to the man-made chutes at Confluence Park. The city also boasts 85 miles of trails and 29 bike shops. City Park — Denver’s urban green space crown jewel — also offers one of the most unique walking trails in America, a five kilometer jaunt along the city’s 5,280-foot contour that keeps you walking at exactly a mile high.


2. Long Beach, California


Photo: lunamarina/Shutterstock


For some reason, Long Beach has surfed under the radar as a Southern California outdoors destination. But the city Snoop Dogg made famous has all the perfect weather of its neighbors in LA and San Diego, with relatively fewer people. Get out on the waters of Alamitos Bay, where if you’re feeling strong you can try your hand at kitesurfing in one of the West Coast’s top destinations. You can also take a gondola ride through the city, like it’s a better smelling Venice. Or hit one of the city’s 32 bike rental shops and explore the beach on two wheels.


1. Oakland, California


Photo: yhelfman/Shutterstock


Score one for San Francisco’s rugged little brother, which tops the list with a parks score of 55 and a whopping 11 urban hikes. Tilden Regional Park, in addition to offering a charming little choo choo ride among Redwoods and Eucalyptus trees, also has some of the best hikes in the bay. There’s also the venerable Lake Merritt, which was doing the urban running trail thing long before it was cool. For biking, Joaquin Miller Park offers the best trails in the region. And kayaking through the Oakland Estuary is a calming way to decompress after spending an afternoon in Bay Area traffic.



The post The 25 best US cities for outdoor adventure this fall appeared first on Matador Network.


https://travel.atspace.co.uk/cities-to-visit-for-fall-outdoors/