[Previously published by Alpha Gamma based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.]
by Jennifer Xue
Today, the size of the global travel and tourism industry is $7.6 trillion. The stock price of Priceline (NASDAQ: PCLN) as of June 8, 2017, was $1,890 and Expedia (NASDAQ: EXPE) was $146, which is incredible. The legendary Kayak was acquired by Priceline for $1.8 billion in 2012. Moreover, AirBnB’s latest valuation in March 2017 was $31 billion.
The sheer size of this industry and those companies’ successes have inspired startups to follow their footsteps. The thing is, whose footsteps would be more suitable and, thus, profitable? It’s not an easy question to answer, since every founder’s skills, talents, and passions differ.