Arizona Tribune - Vanderbilt Report: How Gaming Veterans are Fixing Travel's $8 Billion Conversion Problem

Most of it evaporates without ever converting inspiration into bookings.

The problem isn't that video alone doesn't work. Video drives two-thirds of travel booking decisions. People watch a documentary about Vesuvius, get inspired, then open a new browser tab and start comparison shopping, consulting half a dozen different sources.

The guest journey looks less like a funnel and more like a web. The connection breaks between the dream and the transaction.

NextTrip, Inc (Nasdaq:NTRP) is closing that gap with an approach borrowed from an unexpected place: the gaming industry.

Watch. Scan. Book. Go.

Ian Sharpe, NextTrip's Chief Operating Officer of Media, spent 25 years building ecosystems at Atari and EA Sports before joining the company. He brought something the travel industry desperately needed.

A data-driven framework for lifecycle management.

"In video games, you're not just selling a $60 box," Sharpe explains. "You're ensuring the player keeps engaging, then offering them loot crates and downloadable content throughout the lifecycle of the game."

Travel needs the same thinking. The booking isn't the endpoint. It's the beginning of a relationship that should extend through the entire journey.

NextTrip's "Watch.Scan.Book.Go" approach makes the connection seamless. You're watching a documentary on the JOURNY channel about a road trip through Morocco. A QR code appears on screen.

Pull out your phone. Scan. Land directly on a booking page with time-sensitive offers tied to that specific destination.

The conversion happens in the moment of inspiration, not three browser tabs and two price comparison sites later.

Sharpe's team benchmarks their click-through rates against standard travel industry newsletters and comparable features. The interactive overlays and QR codes drive 4-10x more engagement when the messaging aligns with content.

The data validates what museums and hotels already discovered. QR codes increased visitor engagement by 45% and guest satisfaction by 35% when used to deliver contextual information and offers.

The Event-Anchored Advantage

Generic travel offers drown in options. NextTrip anchors promotions to specific moments.

World Cup matches. Concerts. Destination weddings. Even grandpa's birthday.

"When you time-box offers and anchor them to events, it compels people," Sharpe notes. "They're already planning to go. You're just facilitating the logistics around that anchor point."

The company produces formats like "I Do," which follows families gathering for destination weddings. The content creates emotional resonance while interactive technology captures booking intent in real time.

This isn't about tricking people into impulse purchases. It's about removing friction when the intent already exists.

Travel sits at the top of discretionary spending lists, above kitchen renovations and new iPhones. People want to go. They just need the path from inspiration to booking to feel effortless.

Global Footprint, Local Stories

NextTrip recently returned from the World Travel Market, where the entire globe lines up in rows to showcase destinations. The Maldives next to Morocco next to Mexico.

Sharpe had an epiphany about scale.

"If tourism were a country measured by GDP, it would be the third largest on the planet." The actual number:$10.9 trillion in 2024, representing 10% of the global economy.

NextTrip has recently signed an LOI for the acquisition of the GoUSA channels from BrandUSA, a deal which aims to be more than just about expanding their content library. It was the missing piece for true global representation.

The deal potentially reaches 100 countries and expands NextTrip's distribution capabilities into 20 plus platforms. Combined with the December launch in Southeast Asia through KC Global Media, NextTrip should be available in over 300 million homes worldwide.

"Eyes lit up when we said we were on the verge of being truly global," Sharpe explains. "Anyone can now connect with anyone. Morocco to the Maldives. London to Vancouver."

The platform strategy spans Roku, Apple TV, iOS, Android, FAST channels, and social media through partners like Jungle Media. It's omnichannel by necessity, not buzzword.

People consume media everywhere now. TikTok bites. Instagram reels. Long-form documentaries on the living room screen.

Technology is ubiquitous. The question is whether you meet audiences where they already are.

Long-Form Wins, Short-Form Hooks

The obvious question about NextTrip's multi-platform approach: Does a 30-second TikTok clip convert as well as a 30-minute documentary?

Sharpe doesn't think so, and the reasoning matters for investors evaluating content strategies.

"Short-form acts as a gateway to getting people to watch more, to investigate more," he explains. "When you book the holiday of a lifetime, you want to research it properly."

The best research comes from in-depth video exploration. Not tour guides reciting facts, but authentic human stories from people who actually live in these places.

The fisherman who brings in the catch that sits on your restaurant table. The local who knows which trails offer the best sunrise views.

These stories require time to unfold. You can't compress authentic human experience into algorithmic bite-sized chunks.

NextTrip balances both. Short-form content drives awareness and initial interest. Long-form content on JOURNY builds the depth needed for high-value bookings.

The company transformed JOURNY from a FAST channel on Samsung TV with a reach of 17 million viewers into a comprehensive video-on-demand platform and apps. They're bringing in top-tier production talent to create original content across wellness travel, sports travel, and destination exploration.

Each category serves different motivations. Some travelers want the White Lotus five-star experience. Others want yoga retreats. Some want to stand where historian Dan Snow stood, in the shadow of Vesuvius.

The content strategy accommodates all of it without losing coherence.

Gaming Lessons for Travel Commerce

Sharpe's gaming background shapes more than just user experience. It influences how NextTrip thinks about loyalty, offers, and what he calls "that dopamine hit that comes with the call to action."

Gaming taught him to think forensically about what audiences do and where they want to go, then facilitate it as seamlessly as possible.

The travel industry remains deeply human. It has to involve people and authentic experiences. But it can borrow the metric-driven approach that makes gaming so effective at sustained engagement.

"We're not trying to gamify the experience," Sharpe clarifies. "We've learned how to apply loyalty, how to entice people with offers, how to make them seize the day."

The proprietary overlay technology enhances interactive capabilities on clickable screens and touch-screen devices without interrupting the viewing experience. It's the technical infrastructure that makes Watch.Scan.Book.Go actually work at scale.

The Market Opportunity

Travel remains the number one discretionary spending priority. Above kitchen replacements. Above new iPhones. Above almost everything else.

Yet $10 billion in advertising flows through the U.S. travel industry with questionable efficiency. The gap between inspiration and booking remains wide for most companies.

NextTrip's content-to-commerce approach targets that inefficiency directly. By combining compelling long-form content with frictionless booking technology, they're creating what Sharpe calls "a social compact."

Advertising dollars fund great content that genuinely helps people discover and book transformative experiences.

"I think it's money well spent," he concludes.

NextTrip's expansion across platforms and international markets positions them to capture a meaningful share of the $10.9 trillion global tourism economy. The potential GoUSA acquisition, expected to close in December, nearly triples viewing hours and establishes the global content footprint needed to compete at scale. The December launch in Southeast Asia through KC Global Media can reach another estimated 97M million viewers alongside their established channels.

The company isn't just another streaming platform or booking engine. They're building the infrastructure that connects $8 billion in annual travel advertising spend with actual booking conversions.

For investors watching emerging public companies in travel and media, NextTrip's approach warrants attention. With Sharpe's 25-year track record building engagement ecosystems at Atari and EA Sports, the company has the leadership to execute at scale. The proprietary overlay technology has already been deployed commercially. The global content partnerships are signed. The multi-platform distribution infrastructure is in place.

NextTrip is positioned to capture meaningful share of the $16 billion in annual travel advertising spend that currently evaporates between inspiration and booking. They've identified the inefficiency, built the technology, and assembled the team to solve it.

Read more at the Vanderbilt Report

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SOURCE: Vanderbilt Report

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