Sunrise Airways adds full refund option through Protect Group partnership
Sunrise Airways has introduced a fully refundable ticket option for all passengers through a new partnership with Protect Group. The new feature aims to boost confidence at the time of booking and simplify the customer experience.
The service is already live on Sunrise Airways’ website and will soon be available on the mobile app, integrated seamlessly via Hepstar’s connectivity technology. Sunrise Airways CEO Gary Stone said the airline wants to give passengers a meaningful safety net as travel plans can shift unexpectedly, adding that Refund Protect provides peace of mind at a low cost.
Indonesia told to fast-track digital investment as 5G, AI and scam threats intensify
The GSMA is calling for a major acceleration of Indonesia’s digital investment strategy, warning that delays in 5G spectrum allocation, patchy rural coverage and limited AI-ready infrastructure could stall the nation’s progress. Speaking at the Digital Nation Summit in Jakarta, the GSMA highlighted that Indonesian enterprises already show one of ASEAN’s strongest appetites for digital transformation, with companies planning to invest an average of 10% of revenues into digital initiatives through 2030. GSMA Intelligence estimates that the next wave of 5G development could unlock US$41 billion in GDP by 2030, provided Indonesia sharpens its investment climate and mobilises private capital across spectrum, fibre and data-centre capacity.
Scam pressures are also rising, adding urgency to infrastructure and security upgrades. The ASEAN Consumer Scam Report 2025 shows that 45% of Indonesian adults have been targeted in their lifetimes, with losses driven mainly through OTT messaging (50%) and voice calls (44%). Encouragingly, 81% of Indonesians support telcos sharing minimal, purpose-bound network signals to prevent fraud, paving the way for broader adoption of GSMA Open Gateway anti-scam APIs. With strong digital skills but gaps in innovation and investment, the GSMA says Indonesia must set measurable coverage and data-centre targets, deploy blended finance, confirm multiband spectrum timelines and expand anti-fraud API use if it wants to break into APAC’s leading digital tier.
Booking Holdings eyes a unified ‘agentic’ travel journey as AI expands market
Booking Holdings is leaning into AI as an offensive growth strategy, with CFO Ewout Steenbergen saying the technology will expand the total addressable travel market and accelerate the shift from offline to online, where 30% of bookings still sit. Speaking at the Nasdaq Investor Conference, he said the company sees major upside in creating a unified “agentic experience environment” that allows travellers to research, plan and book inside one connected ecosystem, increasing share of wallet and strengthening customer loyalty. Steenbergen added that future marketing performance will benefit from a more diversified landscape of large language model platforms, where Booking’s expertise in large-scale optimisation and machine-learning-driven performance marketing will give it an advantage.
He emphasised that Booking’s brands will be able to deliver a fully vertical agent experience, one that inspires destinations, builds itineraries and continues to support travellers pre-trip, in-trip and post-trip. Unlike horizontal AI models that stop at lead generation, Steenbergen said Booking can carry the experience through to fulfilment because it operates as a merchant and OTA. The company’s $170 million investment fund will be channeled into expanding attractions, advertising, OpenTable and Asia-focused product and tech development, along with continued experimentation in generative AI to determine which trip-planning tools gain long-term traction.
AirAsia MOVE wins Asia’s Best Travel Booking App for third straight year
AirAsia MOVE has become the first ASEAN-born OTA to be named Asia’s Best Travel Booking App at the World Travel Tech Awards 2025 for the third consecutive year. The win comes on the back of strong 2025 performance, with 15 million monthly active users, nearly 40% growth in hotel bookings, a 30% rise in SNAP (flight + hotel) bundles and an expanded network of over 70 direct airline partners. CEO Nadia Omer said the recognition reflects MOVE’s transformation into a global, multi-product platform built “for Asean and beyond,” boosted by regional tourism partnerships and upgrades such as an enhanced AskBo AI assistant, MOVETIX live-events ticketing and new flexible booking options.
DreamFolks buys 60% of Easy to Travel to accelerate airport services expansion
DreamFolks has acquired a 60% stake in Dubai-based Easy to Travel (ETT) for about $4 million, a move aimed at strengthening its international footprint and advancing its ambition to build a global travel experience ecosystem. ETT brings a network spanning 120 countries and 500 airports, offering lounge access and other airport services supported by a robust tech stack and global partnerships. DreamFolks says the acquisition will expand its lounge business beyond India, enhance its competitiveness by combining platforms and diversify its client base and services—unlocking new growth opportunities even as it phases out lounge operations domestically.
