Fighters Sports & Entertainment partners with Iceland-based TripToJapan.com to boost inbound tourism
Fighters Sports & Entertainment (FSE), operator of Hokkaido Ballpark F Village and ES CON FIELD HOKKAIDO, entered a capital and business alliance with Takanawa Travel, the Iceland-based operator of AI-powered booking platform TripToJapan.com. The deal aims to bring more international visitors to F Village, whose overseas visitors exceeded 36,000 in 2025, nearly double 2024, by building the destination into travelers’ itineraries from the earliest planning stages, including bookings for lodging, transport, activities, and experiences. FSE President Ken Maezawa cited TripToJapan.com’s strong North American presence and the global perspective of Takanawa CEO Bolli Thoroddsen as key reasons for the investment, and said FSE will keep pursuing strategic investments and alliances. Thoroddsen said F Village is largely unknown to North American travelers, and the first priority is to close that awareness gap by working with U.S. baseball influencers to visit and promote the ballpark. Takanawa Travel is also part of the inaugural Hokkaido F Village X acceleration program, where it was one of 11 companies selected from 310 applicants.
Tigerair Taiwan launches Dohop-powered “tigerhop” platform, Scoot as first partner
Tigerair Taiwan has partnered with Reykjavík-based travel technology company Dohop to launch tigerhop, a Connected Travel platform now live on the airline’s retail channels, announced October 5, 2026. Built on Dohop’s RetailConnect technology, tigerhop lets Tigerair Taiwan sell multi-carrier journeys combining its own flights with partner airlines’ services in a single transaction, without complex interline or codeshare agreements. Scoot, Singapore Airlines’ low-cost subsidiary, is the first partner, enabling connections from Taipei and Da Nang to Singapore, while travelers departing Singapore can transfer at Taoyuan International Airport to destinations including Akita, Hanamaki, and Tottori. Dohop COO Hugh Aitken said the platform helps the airline expand its network and capture bookings that might otherwise go to online travel agents, with more carriers set to join in the coming months. Tigerair Taiwan Chairperson Joyce Huang said the partnership will grow the airline’s international reach while preserving its brand promise, and passengers will also gain access to Dohop’s ConnectSure disruption support and travel protection. The launch extends Dohop’s Asian presence, where its platforms are already live for Scoot, Thai Vietjet, Citilink, and Air India Express.
Agoda reports 14% rise in Bangkok travel interest ahead of Eurovision Asia finals
Digital travel platform Agoda reported that travel interest to Bangkok is up 14% year on year for stays during the 9–22 November period around the inaugural Eurovision Asia Grand Final, held in the Thai capital on 14 November. The event is the first pan-Asian expansion of the 70-year-old Eurovision franchise and will feature finalists from 11 countries. Based on Agoda accommodation searches, Vietnam saw the biggest jump in interest in Bangkok at 105%, followed by India at 43%, Thailand (domestic) at 30%, and Malaysia at 4%, with other leading markets including Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and India. Interest in destinations hosting national finals also rose, with travel interest to South Korea up 18% after its September 4 selection show and Vietnam up 5% around its October 3 show. Andrew Smith, Agoda’s Senior Vice President of Supply and the Official Travel Partner of Eurovision Song Contest Asia, said Asia “travels for” moments like these. Agoda also highlighted four Bangkok neighborhoods for visitors: Siam for shopping, Thonglor and Ekkamai for nightlife, Sathorn for upscale riverside dining and views, and the Old Town for historic sites like the Grand Palace and Wat Pho.
Volaris launches “Disruption Assistance,” powered by HTS
Volaris announced the launch of Disruption Assistance, an optional premium service powered by HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions) and available at the time-of-flight purchase on Volaris.com. If a customer’s flight is delayed by more than two hours or canceled on the day of travel, they will be notified proactively and can use a self-serve tool to either rebook for free on Volaris or another airline paid by HTS, or, if no rebooking option works, receive a 100% refund of their trip cost while keeping the disrupted flight. The service adds to, and does not replace, the obligations and guarantees Volaris already owes its customers. Pricing is dynamic and varies by route and other factors. Verónica Nieto Calvo, Volaris’s Director of Ancillary Revenue and Dynamic Pricing, said the product gives travelers real flexibility when they need it most, while Ella Alkalay Schreiber, SVP & GM of Fintech at HTS, said it delivers immediate, flexible options when plans are disrupted. The launch reflects a broader trend among airlines toward giving passengers more control during disruptions, and the service is available now, subject to its terms and conditions.
Aviation coalition urges EU to ease GDPR restrictions on biometrics
Five organizations (ACI Europe, IATA, SITA, Amadeus, and Idemia Public Security, which Amadeus is acquiring) have formed the Responsible Biometrics Travel Industry Coalition, calling on European policymakers to address biometric use in the EU’s Digital Omnibus. Its manifesto argues that passenger consent should be a valid legal basis for voluntary biometric use under GDPR, and that recent interpretations of necessity, data minimization, and proportionality are too restrictive. The coalition also backs a technology-neutral approach, supervised pilots and regulatory sandboxes, and participation that is voluntary and reversible with non-biometric alternatives. Heather Dahl of Indicio, which is not a member, agreed that inconsistent country-by-country rules deter investment, while Amadeus’s Fernando Cuesta urged an evidence-based approach and SITA’s Pedro Alves warned that EU airports risk falling behind non-EU competitors and losing connecting passengers. Alves noted that digital travel credentials stored on travelers’ own devices could give passengers more control, though some short-term biometric data storage is still needed.
The manifesto cites an IATA survey in which 74% of respondents preferred biometrics over passports and boarding passes given adequate data security, but Phocuswright research shows trust in biometric airport access remains low in the U.K. (36%), Germany (32%), and France (25%). The Digital Omnibus is still moving through the legislative process.
(via Phocuswire)
