Beyond the core: Travel’s blueprint for diversified growth

Travel and hospitality companies are staring down another cycle of uncertainty. Economic volatility, shifting demand and industry consolidation have exposed the limits of traditional revenue models built on flights, rooms and rentals. To stay competitive, leaders need to grow beyond their core and transform underutilized assets into new sources of value.

This ZS and Skift report finds that 89% of executives agree their companies must diversify revenue streams, yet most admit they are struggling to innovate. To bridge that gap, we introduce the 5As Framework—a mental model to help executives identify noncore assets and provide a structured approach to activating those assets for long-term growth.

The 5As provide a roadmap for action:

• Ancillaries: Selling products or services as additions to the core travel or hospitality experience
• Attention: Leveraging owned physical and digital platforms for advertising and retail opportunities
• Access: Using the core product as a platform to sell new products and services
• Affinity: Turning brand loyalty into business growth through merchandise and other intellectual property extensions
• Ability: Commercializing internal capabilities and expertise

We share examples from leading companies that follow this type of framework. They’re activating noncore assets to achieve measurable results—including greater profitability, stronger customer experiences and more resilient growth.

This report goes beyond diagnosing the challenge. It offers practical go-to-market considerations to help leaders connect to impact with end-to-end perspectives and solutions, ensuring new revenue models are both innovative and executable.