Wego and Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah launch digital Umrah platform
Wego, the largest online travel marketplace in MENA, has partnered with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to launch an integrated digital platform combining flight bookings, verified hotels, licensed ground services, and facilitated Umrah visa request submissions in one place. Under the operating model, the Ministry oversees regulation and quality compliance, licensed providers handle ground operations, and Wego manages marketing, sales, and transactions (all conducted in Saudi riyals). The platform offers three service tiers—Essential (airport reception and on-ground support), Standard (adds intercity transport between Makkah and Madinah), and Premium (private transfers, curated sightseeing, 24/7 support)—alongside consumer protections such as flexible modifications, refund eligibility, and multilingual customer support. Wego is also inviting additional licensed Umrah providers to join the platform, which is accessible at www.wego.com/umrah, as part of the Kingdom’s broader push to digitize and streamline the pilgrim experience.
Vibe brings AI assistants to corporate travel booking without cutting out the TMC
Vibe has launched an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that lets corporate travellers search, book, and manage flights, rail, hotels, and itineraries through AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, and Microsoft Copilot, while keeping the Travel Management Company (TMC) fully in control of approved content, supplier relationships, payments, policies, and reporting—an industry first, according to the company.
The integration allows TMCs to offer AI-powered booking and servicing within their existing managed travel programmes without building their own AI infrastructure, addressing the risk of travellers booking outside corporate systems via consumer AI tools. ITG Business Travel is the first client live with the integration, currently testing it with corporate clients to gather insights for future development. Vibe Co-Founder and CTO Matthew Chapman said the tool is designed to keep TMCs “central, relevant and competitive” as AI becomes a primary interface for commerce, rather than replacing them, and the company is now inviting other TMCs and travel businesses to request demonstrations or discuss pilot opportunities.
Airlines eye elite status as the next big ancillary revenue play
Loyalty experts say airlines are shifting focus from monetising points and miles to commercialising elite status itself, which they call one of the least-tapped ancillary revenue opportunities in travel. Speaking on the Travel Trends podcast, Mark Ross-Smith, CEO of Loyalty Status Co., argued that while points and miles are transactional, status is emotional—travellers identify more with their elite tier and its perks (priority boarding, lounge access, fast-track security) than with points balances, creating harder-to-replicate loyalty. The economics support the shift. According to Stuart Melim, CFO of Loyalty Status Co., elite members make up just 3-7% of an airline’s customer base but generate 20-30% of total revenue, and they tend to prioritize recognition and convenience over price. Airlines are now introducing products that let travellers earn, retain, or enhance status—such as status accelerators, paid tier-retention offers, and personalized elite benefits—with early examples including Star Alliance Gold members receiving complimentary Heathrow Express upgrades and Flying Blue’s “Choice Benefits” letting Platinum and Ultimate members select personalized rewards.
Experts believe AI could accelerate this trend by making fare comparisons easier and reducing price as a competitive differentiator, pushing airlines to compete instead on recognition and premium experience—areas where elite status carries more weight. This marks a broader evolution in airline loyalty strategy, transforming elite status from a reward for frequent flyers into a standalone commercial product designed to drive ancillary revenue, strengthen retention, and differentiate brands in an increasingly transparent, price-comparable market.
Dida launches MCP gateway to turn AI travel recommendations into bookable hotel stays
Dida Holdings has launched Dida MCP, an AI-native booking gateway that gives approved B2B partners direct access to search and book from its portfolio of more than 2 million hotel properties in over 100 countries, embedding live inventory, rates, and booking capability directly into partners’ own AI apps, agents, and platforms. Using OAuth-based permissioned access, the tool lets partners—including travel agencies, OTAs, TMCs, banks, loyalty programmes, telcos, and superapps—let their users search, compare, and book hotels within their own branded environment, with Dida operating behind the scenes to handle rates, availability, payments, confirmation, and servicing while partners retain the brand, customer relationship, and data. Group CEO Daryl Lee said the launch responds to a gap where AI tools can recommend but not confirm live bookings, framing it as an extension of Dida’s 14-year B2B distribution model rather than a move into direct consumer travel or competition with partners. Dida MCP launches first with hotel supply, with plans to extend to flights, ground transportation, and experiences over time, and the company is now inviting select partners across travel, hospitality, financial services, and technology sectors into early access.
APAC travellers cut costs, not trips, in 2026
New research from Klook finds that despite sharp increases in APAC travel costs driven by fuel prices and cost-of-living pressures, 95% of surveyed travelers did not cancel or postpone a trip in early 2026; instead, 63% cite finances as shaping their outlook, prompting many to trim spending on flights and accommodation (25%) or choose nearer destinations (19%) rather than cut experience budgets (only 18% reduced these).
Travellers are adopting smarter planning habits—47% seek deals and bundled offers (highest in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia) and 42% book earlier for better pricing (led by Vietnam and Indonesia)—with 72% entering the second half of the year as confident or more confident than at its start. Experience-first planning is reshaping trip decisions: over half of travellers no longer start with a destination, and 23% choose an activity first; AI is increasingly used in planning (94% have used or are open to it, 57% for discovery and 36% for booking), though verified reviews remain the most trusted source (58%) ahead of friends/family, content creators, and AI suggestions.
Lesser-known destinations are gaining traction, with 73% willing to visit a secondary city for a unique local event (highest in Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia), 77% having taken a side trip on their last vacation (a defining memory for 34% of them), and 63% citing overcrowding as a factor pushing interest toward less-visited spots.
