Strong passenger demand masks ongoing capacity constraints, says IATA
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released 2025 full-year and December 2025 passenger market performance showing record high demand.
Total full-year demand in 2025 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) rose 5.3% compared to 2024. Total capacity, measured in availa [...]
PerkSpot’s travel portal. Lunar New Year trends. Protect Group targets $10B. YouTrip expands Global eSIM. OTA bookings surge.
Protect Group aims for $10B after record 2025
Protect Group says it exceeded its 2025 target by offering protection on more than US$8 billion in bookings, up from its original US$7 billion goal, and is now aiming to surpass US$10 billion in protected booking offers in 2026, representing projected g [...]
HeyMax secures US$11M Series A to accelerate product development and regional expansion, led by Peak XV Partners
HeyMax, a loyalty and travel rewards platform headquartered in Singapore, announced it has raised US$11 million in a Series A round led by Peak XV Partners. The round also attracted strategic investor Betatron Venture Group, with continued support from existing backers January Capital and Tenity.
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Global Hotel Alliance loyalty revenue reaches an all-time high of $3.2 billion
UAE-headquartered Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands, has announced its full-year 2025 financial results, reflecting the continued expansion of its brand network, member engagement, and demand across key markets, especially for international leisu [...]
WiT Queenstown expands to two days as demand surges
WiT Queenstown will now run over two days from July 20-21, following strong local and international demand for the inaugural New Zealand edition of Asia Pacific’s leading travel tech media and events platform, presented in partnership with Technology Queenstown.
The event will also move to a ne [...]
Filip Filipov and his 10 big bets on the future of travel
At WiT Singapore last October, Filip Filipov, COO (now CEO) of OAG, opened his presentation with a provocation and a timer: 80 slides in 900 seconds. The pace mattered. Travel has entered its vertical-line decade, he argued – a period where technology cycles compress, incumbents retool faster than [...]
Kristian Schmidt: From creating meaningful art to bringing them to life through experiences
At WiT Singapore, celebrity photographer Kristian Schmidt spoke about the art of creating meaningful images, how AI will never take away that meaning and now he’s bringing his images to life with a new venture, The Livingstone Club, taking small groups behind-the-scenes of his shoots. Art comes fu [...]
Travellers resonate more with the unknown, study finds
Klook's study of 374,000 reviews finds that lesser-known cities create deeper emotional connection with travellers.
Klook, a leading pan-regional experiences platform in Asia Pacific, finds from traveller reviews that people choose different destinations to fulfil different jobs-to-be-done.
When [...]
Skyscanner’s Packages. Sabre overhauls Lao Airlines. Agoda and WWF renew deal. Mews secures $300M.
Skyscanner launches package holiday comparison
Skyscanner has launched Packages, a new package holiday comparison product that brings flight-plus-hotel deals into its metasearch platform. Initially rolling out in the UK, the product compares offers from ATOL-protected providers including TUI, Jet2, [...]
Me, my avatar and I: Can travel keep it real in an AI-built world?
What happens to travel when so much of what we see online – destinations, experiences, even people – may have been created by AI? That was the question at the heart of the “Me, My Avatar and I” session at TOURISE 2025, which I moderated.
How do we keep it real online and manage traveller [...]
