The Best Part of Travel | Inside the Business of Destination Experiences
The Best Part of Travel podcast takes you inside the business of destination experiences, covering tours, activities, and attractions. Hosts Janelle Visser and Stephen Joyce explore topics relevant to operators in this growing sector of the travel industry. Each episode features discussions on challenges and opportunities for experience providers.
Episodes
Summer, Sports & Scaling Smart: Adapting to the Changing Market with Walks MD Roisin O’Sullivan
In this episode of The Best Part of Travel, Roisin O'Sullivan, managing director of Walks and Devour, offers a bird's-eye view of what's shaping the travel experiences market this summer and beyond. With over 14 years at Walks, Roisin brings sharp insight on everything from the impact of large-scale sporting events like the Olympics and the World Cup to the challenges of OTA relationsh
Bedouins, Bridges & The Business of Adventure: What's Driving the Adventure Travel Boom with ATTA's Shannon Stowell
In this episode of The Best Part of Travel podcast, Arival Managing Editor Janelle Visser sits down with Shannon Stowell, CEO of the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), to explore what adventure travel really means, why it's booming, and what tour, activity and attraction operators can learn from one of travel's most dynamic and community-driven sectors.Shannon brings over 20 years
Camels, Channels & Connectivity: Booking Tech & Beyond with Meredith Rangel
In this episode of The Best Part of Travel, Janelle Visser and Stephen Joyce head Down Under (virtually) for a conversation with Meredith Rangel, founder of Bookable Tourism, who is on a mission to get Australia's tourism industry connected to the right booking technology. With a background spanning hotels, attractions, and booking tech startups, Meredith brings a rare, vendor-neutral perspect
Curation, Customer Obsession & Competing Differently: Inside Civitatis with CEO Andres Spitzer
In this season premiere of The Best Part of Travel, Arival CEO and co-founder Douglas Quinby sits down with Andres Spitzer, the newly appointed CEO of Civitatis — the leading OTA for Spanish and Portuguese-speaking travelers. With a background spanning entrepreneurship and Amazon, Andres brings a fresh, tech-forward perspective to one of the experiences sector's most distinctive platforms. Fro
Hope, Highlights & Happy Moments: Reviewing the Best Parts of Season Two
In the season two finale of The Best Part of Travel, co-hosts Janelle Visser and Stephen Joyce reflect on the standout themes and conversations from the past year. Sharing highlight clips from their favorite episodes, they explore what’s shaping the future of experiences, from trust, differentiation, and quality-driven travel to AI adoption, collaboration between attractions, and human connection.
Themes, Trends & Trust: Experiences in 2026 and Beyond with Erik Blachford
In this episode of The Best Part of Travel, we sit down with Erik Blachford, former Expedia CEO and longtime travel industry leader, to explore what’s really changing in travel experiences — and what’s not. From AI and consolidation to leadership and human connection, this conversation cuts through the hype to focus on what matters most for operators and experience creators in 2026 and beyond.🧭 Wh
Popups, Pinkmas and Planning Ahead: One New York Attraction’s Approach to Special Events
In this episode of The Best Part of Travel, your hosts Janelle Visser and Stephen Joyce sit down with Haley Ward, VP of Sales at Hudson Yards Experiences, to unpack how one of New York City’s most iconic attractions—Edge NYC—drives demand, delivers exceptional moments, and keeps guests coming back.Haley shares how her team uses seasonal activations—including wildly popular concepts like Pinkmas—to
Safaris, Climate Strategy & Small Group Tours: Intrepid Travel’s Journey from Small Groups to Global Brand
In this episode of The Best Part of Travel, we sit down with James Thornton, CEO of Intrepid Travel, to explore why multi-day tours are taking off, and how authentic small group experiences, people-first leadership and a thoughtfully integrated climate strategy have been essential to Intrepid’s success.🗺️ Topics we cover:The rise of multi-day tours & meaningful travel: Travelers are increasing
Moments, Moola & Multi-Day Tours: Booking Tech & Distribution for Multi-Day Operators
The world of multi-day tours is changing fast — and the technology powering it is evolving just as quickly.In this episode, your podcast co-hosts Janelle Visser and Stephen Joyce dive into the tech side of the increasingly popular world of multi-day travel, exploring how distribution and booking tech are evolving to move multi-day forward.First up, Travis Pittman, CEO and Co-Founder of TourRadar,
Strategies, Secrets & Sea Urchin: One Food Tour Company’s Recipe to Rapid Growth
What’s the secret behind Secret Food Tours — one of the fastest-growing culinary experience brands in the world? Co-founders Oliver Mernick-Levene and Nico Jacquart join The Best Part of Travel co-hosts Janelle Visser and Stephen Joyce to share how they scaled from one city to over 100, all while keeping each experience personal, local, and delicious.They open up about building their own tech, sta
Private, Personalized & Global: Behind Context Travel's OTA-free Expansion
Can tour operators grow without relying on OTAs? In this episode of The Best Part of Travel podcast, we explore how private tours and personalized experiences are reshaping the future of travel. Context Travel’s CEO June Chin shares why private, personalized experiences are the key to long-term growth and loyal customers.Discover: ✅ Why personalization is becoming the competitive edge in travel ✅
Experiences, Economy, Evolution: The Rise of The Transformation Economy |
People are choosing experiences over things — but what happens when even experiences risk becoming commodities? In this episode of the Best Part of Travel podcast, Joe Pine, co-author of The Experience Economy and author of the forthcoming book on The Transformation Economy, joins hosts Janelle Visser and Stephen Joyce to talk about experience design, commoditization, and how tour and activity ope
AI, Androids & Destination Experiences: Janette Roush, Chief AI Officer at Brand USA
In this episode of the Best Part of Travel podcast, hosts Janelle Visser and Stephen Joyce discuss the current state of AI in the travel experiences sector (and their favourite androids). Joined by special guest Janette Roush, Chief AI Officer at Brand USA, they delve into the opportunities and applications of AI in travel, both practical and creative. Key topics include: the impact of AI on websi
What's Next in Booking Tech with FareHarbor CEO Andrea Carini
In this episode of the Best Part of Travel podcast, hosted by Janelle Visser and Stephen Joyce, we discuss the evolution of online booking systems, or "restech platforms" in the tours, activities and attractions sector of travel, and listen in on a conversation between Andrea Carini, CEO of FareHarbor, the largest restech in the travel experiences space, and Arival CEO Douglas Quinby, which took p
Koalas, Collaboration & Cultural Attractions: How Australian Attractions Work Together to Deliver Elevated Experiences
In this episode of the Best Part of Travel podcast, hosted by Janelle Visser and Stephen Joyce, we travel Down Under to delve into Australia's unique approach to cultural attractions tourism and visitor experiences. Featuring guest interviews with: Annabel Sullivan, Executive Officer of Cultural Attractions of Australia; Catherine Hughes, Business Development Manager at the Sydney Opera House; Mir
Top 5 Travel Trends in 2025
We’re kicking off the new season of our (re-named and re-launched) Best Part of Travel podcast with an exploration of travel trends in 2025. In this first episode of season two, your podcast hosts Janelle Visser, Managing Editor of Arival, and industry veteran Stephen Joyce are joined by special guest Dan Christian from the Travel Trends podcast to discuss the top travel trends for 2025 — and what
The VoE Grand Finale: Highlights & Top Five from Season One
In this episode, Stephen Joyce and Janelle Visser recap the first season of the Arival Voice of Experiences podcast. They discuss their favourite episodes, the variety of content they covered, as well as the top five episodes from Season One by listener ranking.
The top five episodes mentioned feature the following guests: 5) Peter Brown from Big Bus Tours, 4) Christian Watts from Magpie Travel,
Exploring Multi-Attraction Passes with Jon Owen, CEO of Go City
In this conversation, Jon Owen, CEO of Go City, and Douglas Quinby, CEO of Arival, discuss the multi-attraction pass. They explore the size and scope of the pass market, the structure of the pass model, and the range of attractions and experiences offered. They also discuss the evolving trends in the market, such as the shift towards more experiential and off-the-beaten-track offerings. The conver
Get Your Distribution Ducks in a Row with Martin Harlow
In this episode, Martin Harlow discusses the importance of having a distribution strategy and online travel agencies (OTAs) for tour and activity operators and attractions. He emphasizes the need for a basic strategy to get products to market and highlights that OTAs are often the first point of contact for consumers during the research phase. Martin explains that the choice of OTAs should be base
The LGBTQ+ Experiences Traveler: Who They Are, What They Do, and Why. With Guests Glenn Tkach & Rebecca Fisher
Summary
In this conversation, Janelle and Stephen discuss the importance of LGBTQ+ travelers. They explore the meaning of LGBTQ+ and its variations, as well as the significant economic value of LGBTQ+ travel. The guests, Glenn Tkach and Rebecca Fisher, share their experiences in designing and leading LGBTQ+ history tours in Vancouver and Philadelphia, respectively. They discuss the challenges of u
Nerding out on AI and Experiences with Christian Watts, CEO of Magpie Travel
Summary
In this conversation, Christian Watts from Magpie Travel discusses the impact of AI on tours, activities, and attractions. The discussion covers the use of AI in rewriting content, customer service, and personalized trip planning. The conversation also delves into the challenges and opportunities of using AI, as well as the tools and technologies being used in this sector. The conversation
Selling Corporate Tours with Kelsey Tonner, CEO Guest Focus
Summary
Janelle and Stephen speak with Kelsey Tonner from Guest Focus about corporate sales and how tour businesses can tap into the corporate market. He shares his background in the industry and how he transitioned to focusing on tour business coaching. Kelsey emphasizes the advantages of corporate sales, such as regular and repeat business, premium pricing opportunities, streamlined planning pro
Building a Collaborative Corporate Culture & AI with Tom McGarry from Holiday Extras
Summary
Tom McGarry, Head of New Business at Holiday Extras, discusses his journey in the travel industry and the company's focus on business development and ticketing. He explains how the company is leveraging customer data to offer personalized recommendations for things to do while traveling. The conversation also delves into the company's culture and the efforts made to create a collab
Overtourism, Ticket Access, and More Hot Topics from Berlin
Summary
In this episode, Stephen and Janelle discuss the hot topics panel from the Arival 360 Berlin event. They focus on the issue of access to attraction tickets for tour operators and the challenges they face in getting enough tickets to fulfill demand. They also explore the concept of concentrated tourism and the need to shift demand away from popular attractions to lesser-known, off-the-beate
The GetYourGuide Story with CEO Johannes Reck
Summary
In this episode of The Voice of Experiences, Stephen Joyce and Janelle Visser discuss the Lunch and Learn interview with Johannes Reck, CEO of Get Your Guide. They highlight the unique format of the interview and the relaxed and conversational vibe it created. Johannes shares the founding story of Get Your Guide, which started as a student trip to Beijing and the frustration of not findin
The Future of AI in Experiences with Google's Emmanuel Marot
In this episode of The Voice of Experiences podcast, Stephen Joyce and Janelle Visser discuss the topic of AI in the travel industry. They review an interview with Emmanuel Marot, the Director of Product Management at Google, and explore the role of AI in trip planning and personalized recommendations. They also discuss the challenges of ranking and organizing information in the fragmented world o
An Immersive Conversation with Ana Araque from Imagine Experiences
Anna Araque shares her journey from a background in hospitality and tour operations to creating immersive experiences. She discusses her time working at The Shard and her transition to consulting. Anna also talks about the impact of COVID-19 on the travel industry and the future of travel experiences. Imagine Experiences creates immersive and interactive tours and activities that allow people to s
A Cup of Tea with Catherine Warrilow at Paddington Station
In this conversation, Catherine Warrilow discusses her journey into tourism, travel, and brand strategy. She emphasizes the importance of targeting a specific demographic and differentiating small operators in a competitive landscape. Catherine also highlights the significance of consistency in brand messaging and building brand recognition for small operators. She shares insights on measuring suc
Love, London, and the Rise of Video in Travel with Jessica Dante
In this episode, Janelle talks with Jessica Dante, Founder of Love and London, a social media content creation company that is focused on providing content for travellers coming to London. Jessica talks about the inspiration for the company as well as their strategy behind using video and how their content has changed over time. Jessica also provides some useful tips on how tour operators can use
The Magical Journey of Peter Brown, Big Bus Tours
In this episode, Stephen, Janelle, and Jeff speak with Peter Brown, Director of Business Development at Big Bus Tours. Peter is a long time member of the “Best of Part of Travel” club. He’s got over 20 years of experience in tours, activities, and attractions working for companies like Big Bus, Walks / City Experiences, Peak Adventure Travel, and Trek America where he learned to play guitar! He
Leadership Lessons with Scott O'Neil, CEO Merlin Entertainments
CEO and Co-founder of Arival, Douglas Quinby, sits down with Scott O'Neil, CEO of Merlin Entertainments. Merlin is one of the largest attractions companies in the world with brands including Madame Tussauds, Legoland, the London Eye, and many others. In this conversation, Scott shares his insights on ai, leadership, entrepreneurship, family, and more. The conversation was originally recorded
What is old is new again - Marketing with Nate Andrew, Brennen Bliss, and Renee Ventrice
In this episode, your hosts Janelle and Stephen discuss online and offline marketing with interviews from Nate Andrews of Blend Marketing, Brennen Bliss of Propellic, and Renee Ventrice of Cork & Keg Tours. Included in the episode are some references to resources that you might find useful including:
Arival Guide to Marketing with Google
The 2024 Experiences Traveler Outlook
The 2024 Tour
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