The latest Arival event in Valencia kicked off with a bang – literally! When a three-countries-wide power outage hit and cell service went down just as the first attendees were coming through the doors, there was a moment where we wondered whether the event would even be able to take place at all.
But everything came together, and the welcome party went ahead as scheduled, with attendees swapping stories of sharing taxis with strangers, “paying” with IOUs and rappelling out of trains, amid a gorgeous heritage orange grove, satiated by an abundance of Spanish tapas, paella and Agua de Valencia.
The event was already being called the most memorable Arival yet before anyone even stepped foot into the theatre. But Tuesday morning with power restored the electric energy continued, with two solid days of insights and takeaways, and the now-infamous “Eiffel Tower” incident — read below for more details if you don’t know what that means!
Here are some of the top takeaways and highlights from Arival 360 | Valencia. Visit the Valencia Recap page for the photo gallery, event stats, and recorded sessions (exclusively for Arival Insider Pro Access members)!
1. Shorter trips, More Meaningful Experiences
Setting the tone for the conference in the opening theater session, Arival CEO and Co-Founder Douglas Quinby launched straight into the outlook for travel experiences in 2025. From changing political leaders and economic uncertainty to tackling overtourism and adapting to new ways travelers are searching for and booking experiences — the landscape is shifting for travel experience providers in 2025. One particular takeaway is that while trip spend is increasing, trip length is seeing a decline: as costs rise, travelers are adapting by taking shorter trips.
Luis Millan from ForwardKeys confirmed this in his session on the Summer Outlook for Travel as well: U.S. travelers to Europe are taking shorter trips in 2025 than in previous years.
The types of experiences travelers are interested in is also changing. Younger travelers in particular are looking for smaller groups and more “authentic” experiences. This theme was explored in multiple sessions, including presentations from Angelo Carotenuto from LivTours and Erika De Santi from WeRoad that emphasized the importance, for travelers, of traveling with purpose (and how serving this need has led to growth for both their companies). A panel session on meaningful travel experiences hosted in partnership with wmnsWORK also delved deeper into this topic.
30 September – 3 October 2025
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2. The Biggest Challenge Facing Our Industry (It’s Not What You Might Think)
Sara King from Intrepid Travel delivered a powerful session, asking us to stop and really consider: What will tours look like in 10 years, and what will it take to still be running them?
Spoiler alert: the biggest challenge facing our industry isn’t tech or distribution—it’s climate.
King didn’t pull any punches. In just the last year, Intrepid logged 151 climate-related incidents, double the number from the previous year. 667 guests had their trips disrupted due to extreme weather such as heat waves, wildfires and flooding through excess rainfall. This is not at hypothetical future risk, it’s happening right now.
But this was not a doom and gloom presentation. King kept the mood upbeat and laid out a clear, grounded framework for the future of travel:
- Measurement – If we’re not tracking it, we can’t improve it.
- Adaptation – We need to rethink where, when, and how we deliver experiences.
- Decarbonisation – The long game, but one we need to commit to today.
The key message? It’s time to act.
For the ‘things to do’ industry, this means realigning product design, investing in resilience, and getting serious about our environmental footprint, because the joy of travel should never come at the cost of its future.
3. Shifting Perspectives on The Future of Humans + AI in Travel
Alex Bainbridge from Autoura took us on a fast-forward journey into the future of tours, one where AI doesn’t just support the experience but helps lead it. His session offered a fascinating look at AI-driven travel experiences, not just in the form of AI-generated itineraries, but through the emergence of actual AI tour guides.
We must stress before anyone panics about being replaced by robots, Alex made an important point and one that deserves emphasis. He isn’t here to replace humans with robots — he wants to use this tech to enhance the human connection, not erase it.
In the “things to do” space, this means using AI to deliver more contextual, responsive, and personalized experiences, whether that’s via intelligent robot guides, real-time content recommendations, or streamlined operations that give staff more time to engage meaningfully with guests.
As Bainbridge rightly highlighted, the narrative around AI needs to shift. It’s not about man vs. machine. It’s about man and machine working together to create smarter, more scalable, and more emotionally resonant moments for travelers.
For an industry rooted in storytelling, connection, and discovery, the opportunity isn’t to replace the guide, it’s to supercharge the experience.
4. How to Get the Most Five-Star Reviews
One clear way to stand out is in reviews. So for the second annual European Arival TourReview Spotlight Awards, we took a slightly different approach, by digging into the numbers behind the reviews — and asking the winners, those who got the most five-star reviews in their respective categories, to share what gets them consistently earning the most top reviews.
Some of the common themes repeated by the award-winning operators were:
- The importance of focusing on delivering an exceptional guest experience.
- Hiring and training guides to enthusiastically deliver excellent experiences, demonstrating passion, fun and love for what they do.
- Consistently valuing and making personal connections with guests.
- The importance of both asking directly for reviews and responding promptly to reviews both positive and negative.
Kelsey Tonner from Guest Focus also gave a raved-about session on proven tactics for five star reviews.
5. As Europe and U.S. soften, Asia is surging
While revenge travel is largely in the past and travel spend among European and U.S. travelers has softened, Asia is still on the way up. In a double-header session featuring presenters from two of Asia’s largest experiences OTAs, Trip.com’s Grace Qi and Klook’s Wilfred Fan highlighted trends among Asian outbound travelers — where they’re going, how they’re booking, and what they’re doing when they get there, as well as how to make your OTA listings stand out so they book with you.
6. Attraction Tickets Take Center Stage (Almost) By Force
By far what ended up being the most talked about session at Valencia was what quickly came to be known as “The Eiffel Tower Session.” A panel of operators and OTAs, shortly after launching into a discussion about the challenges of working with popular tourist attractions in Europe, was interrupted by a voice from the audience – “We’re here!”
Stéphanie Renault from the Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel came up to the stage for a direct conversation about the challenges of ticket access and fair play, from the attractions’ perspective.
It was not the panel we planned, but it was the panel we needed, and a conversation we need to continue to have as an industry on how to better work together moving forward.
7. Data Bites – Unlocking the Power of Your Data
Krzysztof Balon, founder of Automate.Travel, led an energized session which took us into the depths of the transformative power of data and AI for businesses who are ready to embrace their data in new ways and are ready to work smarter and earn more. The message is clear “AI isn’t coming, it’s here, moving faster than any tech shift before it”. With ChatGPT hitting 100 million users in two months, the adoption curve is already steep.
Balon’s AI-generated presentation drew parallels between past industrial revolutions and today’s data-driven age. Just as oil powered the second industrial revolution, data is now the fuel for competitive advantage. But it’s not just about having data, it’s about having quality data, structured and ready to power AI-driven insights.
We have seen how AI can make you better and support you in everything you do from home life to being more productive but in this session Balon emphasises that AI agents will soon operate like expert team members, interacting with one another and unlocking insights through natural language, incredible, and in this fast moving evolution, completely believable! A few hours invested today in building better data tools can save hundreds in time and cost down the line.
Key takeaway? Your business knowledge is premium AI fuel. Companies that understand and leverage their data effectively won’t just keep up, they will dominate. With the right mindset and tools, data becomes your smartest employee, strategic advisor, and secret weapon.
8. Pricing: The Topic That Won’t Go Away…….And Shouldn’t.
It’s one of those conversations, the kind that spills out of conference rooms and carries on into hallways, hotel bars, and dinners late into the evening. And it’s not just at Arival 360 | Valencia. From ITB to WTM and countless regional events, pricing, particularly dynamic pricing, continues to spark passionate debate.
Everyone has an opinion:
“Who’s doing it? Who’s not?”
“Do we need it?”
“Is it as important as people say it is, or is it just hype?”
While AI might be stealing the headlines, pricing remains one of the most consistently hot, occasionally controversial, and absolutely vital topics in the ‘things to do’ industry.
Luis Busquets from BlackDog Advertising’s Advanced Pricing Strategies was one of the most grounded and insightful explorations of where we are, and where we need to go. If you are still relying on static pricing, you are not just playing catch-up, you are potentially leaving revenue on the table.
Busquets broke it down into three clear stages:
- Static – the old-school, one-price-fits-all model.
- Variable – time-based tweaks, but still predictable.
- Dynamic – real-time, responsive pricing powered by data, demand, and technology.
In a world where ride-shares and airlines are pricing dynamically by default, our sector can no longer afford to treat advanced pricing as an afterthought. The tools are here. The data is here. The guest expectations? Also here.
With AI and forecasting tools enabling operators to simulate recession impacts, shoulder season drops, or peak-time spikes, the argument for smarter pricing isn’t just economic, it’s operational and experiential too.
And the good news? You don’t have to flip the switch overnight. Small, intentional steps toward dynamic pricing can unlock outsized gains, not just in revenue, but in guest satisfaction and operational efficiency.
It’s not just a trend. It’s a shift and the shift is happening….
9. And So Much More…
There really are too many highlights to list — and everyone’s highlights list will look a little different. Here are a few more:
- Competition — and how to stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace — was another important theme explored on the main stage by Claudio Bellinzona in a session on competition and innovation.
- In the Lunch & Learn session, the audience enjoyed essentially eavesdropping on an in-depth conversation between Douglas Quinby and Fareharbor CEO Andrea Carini.
- The Distribution Forum closed out the theater sessions with three pitch-style presentations by Homefans, Baja Bikes and Hotel Treats.
27-29 April 2026
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Join Us at the Next Arival Event!
One of the best parts, of course, was the food — but for that you simply had to be there. Want to get in on the magic next time? Join us at the next Arival event in Valencia, Spain in April 2026 or Washington DC in October 2025, and stay tuned for future event location announcements!
Also, if you missed the event or want to re-watch a session, all the theater sessions from the event were recorded and will be available to Arival Insider Pro Access members on the event page here.
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