Travel Tech Essentialist #156: Scarcity

This article was written by Mauricio Prieto. Click here to read the original article

Some of the stories in this newsletter explore scarcity in various forms: how it drives customer behavior, the scarcity of time and missed opportunities, the scarcity of unique experiences that travelers crave, and how startups pivot in search of what’s truly scarce: product-market fit. I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks to the Travel Tech Association for sponsoring this newsletter

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The most clicked link in Travel Tech Essentialist #155 was the AI-generated deep-dive podcast discussion between two hosts about Travel Tech Essentialist.

1. What are travel brands really whispering?

In the last newsletter, I shared what I thought some travel brands might be subtly “whispering” to us. Timothy O’Neil-Dunne sent me a note with alternative whispers. Much funnier and more irreverent than mine. Here are some of the tamer ones:

CitizenM: “We’re cool and if you’re not here – then you aren’t“
Faye Insurance: “Accidents do happen.”
Lufthansa: “We are German and we don’t make mistakes”
Ryanair: “Do it our way or else you will pay”

Check out Timothy’s full list of 22 travel brand whispers (including startups and larger companies) and add your own whispers if you feel inspired 🙂

2. All about experiences

The travel experience market is worth over $1 trillion globally and is growing rapidly. According to McKinsey’s recent report, The Evolving Role of Experiences in Travel, structured activities like guided tours and live events account for about $250-310 billion. As more travelers plan their trips around unique experiences rather than just destinations, there’s a big opportunity to innovate and improve how we discover and book them. With nearly half of all bookings still happening offline, there’s also plenty of room for digital growth.

3. From experiences to courtside access

With sports tourism valued at more than $500 billion and growing rapidly, there’s a clear opportunity to engage travelers interested in more than just sightseeing. GetYourGuide is jumping on this trend by partnering with the Brooklyn Nets, with their logo now featured on the team’s jerseys. This collaboration will offer exclusive experiences, such as shootaround access and lounge visits, through their platform.

The Nets have a strong international appeal, with players from Australia, Bosnia, China, Denmark, and Japan, and a head coach from Spain, Jordi Fernández. Given that 37% of international tourists coming to the US want to attend a sporting event, this partnership is a strategic move to attract travelers looking for unique ways to connect with the city they are visiting. Surveys and reports consistently show that many travelers want to experience destinations like locals do, so this partnership offers just that. Read more.

Of course, a major reason for GetYourGuide’s sponsorship of the Brooklyn Nets is to boost its brand visibility among US consumers. GYG has been expanding its presence in the US in recent years but it’s still far behind other competitors with stronger brand recognition and larger market shares in the US.

Financial terms and the length of the agreement were not announced. Previous Nets patch sponsor Webull was reported to pay $30 million per year.

4. Unfortunate pivots: what not to do

Andrew Chen, Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, recently wrote about some common startup pivots that usually don’t work. Here are a few:

Going from B2B to consumer. Switching from enterprise to consumer is tough. Going the other way, from consumer to B2B, tends to work better.
Adding social features, AI or Web3. If the core product isn’t working, adding on social features or trendy tech won’t magically fix retention.
Premature platforms. Don’t try to zoom out too soon. If your app for yoga enthusiasts isn’t working, turning it into a wellness platform won’t help.
Going from paid to free: Making a product free doesn’t solve low demand.

He also gives some insights on the type of pivots that have higher odds of working:

Zoom in. Focus on a specific user segment that loves your product and build for them.
Category conformity. Shift towards established product categories, then innovate in key areas.
Radical simplification. Strip away everything except your most valuable feature to find product-market fit.

Check out Andrew’s full post for more details and insights.

5. Another airline deal for Starlink

Air France is the latest carrier to sign on, announcing plans last Thursday to introduce Starlink’s high-speed Wi-Fi across its fleet starting in summer 2025. This follows similar deals with other airlines, bringing Starlink’s service to over 2,500 aircraft. In late September, Hawaiian Airlines announced it would offer free Wi-Fi on flights between Hawaii, the mainland, Asia, and Oceania, shortly after United said it would bring Starlink to over 1,000 planes next year, also for free. For a service that only launched five years ago, it’s impressive how quickly Starlink is bringing in-flight high-speed connectivity across the globe. Read more.

6. Using scarcity to your advantage

Some forms of scarcity make us rush to act. Other forms make us cringe and walk away. In this (fun and visual) case study, learn the 3 pillars that make the difference. Knowing how to use and communicate it effectively is a critical topic for an industry where scarcity reigns.

7. Job Board metrics

Eleven months after the launch of the Travel Tech Essentialist Job Board, it’s great to see the strong traction it’s gaining and how it’s becoming the go-to platform for travel tech careers. Most importantly, it’s leading to successful hires, with happy candidates and satisfied companies…the ultimate goal.

In the last 6 months, Remote roles are drawing the most interest, with searches and applications for these positions outpacing those in any specific location. The top cities for job searches are Barcelona, London, and Amsterdam, while the most applications are coming in for roles in Barcelona, New York, and London.

Sales & Business Development roles are receiving the highest number of applications, accounting for 24% of the total, followed by Marketing & Communications at 15% and Product roles at 13%. Operations and Engineering each make up 12%. For job searches, Marketing & Comms leads with 20%, followed by Sales & BD at 19%, and Product at 13%. Operations and Engineering come in at 11% and 10%, respectively.

If you are hiring and want your company’s openings featured on the job board, please fill out this quick 1-minute form.

8. Flying humor

A fully boarded plane is ready for takeoff when the two pilots arrive…one with a white cane and the other with a guide dog. Passengers laugh, thinking it’s a joke, until the plane lines up on the runway and starts accelerating. As the end of the runway gets closer, everyone starts panicking and screaming. At the last moment, the plane lifts off safely.

In the cockpit, one pilot says to the other, “One day, they won’t scream, and we won’t know when to take off.”

(BTW, my wife didn’t understand the joke, but I’m betting that you will)

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9. John’s story

John, a 46-year-old banker, shared on Reddit how he started playing it safe at 20 and spent decades letting others dictate his choices—leading to a life filled with missed opportunities and unfulfilled dreams. It’s a powerful reminder of how low agency can quietly take over our lives.

10. Funding

Less than seven months after raising $110 million (at a $1.2 billion valuation), Amsterdam-based Mews secured another $100 million, led by Vista Credit Partners.
Distribusion raised an $80 million Series C round. The Berlin-based company connects global travel brands with hundreds of bus, train, and ferry providers. Its API offers travel retailers the largest content and carriers a full end-to-end booking solution.

Travel Tech Essentialist Job Board

Travel Collection | Country General Manager | Greece · Turkey · France · Thailand · Australia · Saudi Arabia · Colombia · Argentina · Peru · South Africa
Fora | Business & International Operations Lead
Touramigo | Client Solutions Manager
Airalo | Principal Brand Manager | London
The Hotels Network | Senior Market Manager France | Barcelona

The Travel Tech Essentialist Job Board has great companies hiring for 1139 jobs. And if you’d like to feature your job openings on the board and in this newsletter, fill out this quick 1-minute form.

Are you fundraising?

If you are a startup looking to raise a round (from pre-seed to Series D), I can help (for free). Travel Investor Network is a private platform where I recommend innovative travel startups to investors and innovators. If you’re interested, please start by completing this form.

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