Japan’s travellers have already embraced AI. Its travel brands are still catching up
In Japan, artificial intelligence has quietly become part of how people approach travel. Consumers have absorbed the technology into their planning with little fanfare, even as many of the businesses they ultimately book with have been slower to respond.
That divergence between travellers who hav [...]
Inside the storm: Wego’s Veitch caught between anxiety and excitement
As a leader heading an OTA inside the storm of the Middle East conflict, Ross Veitch, co-founder and CEO of Wego, finds himself caught between two emotional states.
“One gives me anxiety,” he said, when asked what was keeping him awake – the geopolitical instability reshaping the Middle Eas [...]
Travel is reorganising along “paths of least resistance”
Expedia’s Michael Dykes says an Asia-to-Asia boom is underway
The ideal the travel industry dreamt about – the global traveller – the passport-holding, visa-free, frictionlessly mobile citizen of the world – is less real today than it’s ever been, said Michael Dykes, Vice President, Mark [...]
Asia Pacific travellers seek familiarity and practicality amid shifting global dynamics
Visa’s 2026 Global Travel Intentions study shows how Asia Pacific travellers seek trusted destinations, plan with greater intent, and seek flexibility to navigate global uncertainties
Visa has unveiled key findings from the 2026 Global Travel Intentions (GTI) study, the latest edition of its f [...]
Low-cost, high stakes: How Air India Express and Transavia are navigating change
Air India Express and Transavia offer contrasting but complementary lessons on growth, digital transformation and the enduring power of brand in a price-driven world.
What does a budget airline in the Netherlands have in common with a low-cost carrier reshaping mobility across India? More than you [...]
Middle East disruptions and high fuel prices halve airline industry profitability
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its latest financial outlook for the global airline industry showing a halving of profitability as a result of war-related Middle East disruptions and high fuel prices. The regional landscape, however, is highly differentiated. At the geogr [...]
Mastercard and CrescentRating: 245 million Muslim travellers by 2030, with women driving nearly half of arrivals today
Two new reports highlight how responsible, immersive, digital and assured travel experiences are shaping the next phase of Muslim-friendly tourism
Mastercard, in collaboration with CrescentRating, has released two new reports: Halal Travel Trends 2026 and Muslim Women in Travel 2026, examining how [...]
Middle East war leads to 3.4% fall in air passenger demand
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for April 2026 global passenger demand:
Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), was down -3.4% compared to April 2025. Excluding the Middle East, demand increased by 1.2%. Total capacity, measured in availab [...]
The rise of the ‘perpetual traveller’ creates new opportunities for hotels
The hospitality industry can capitalize on rising frequency, secondary city growth, and deep localization in 2026
Digital travel platform Agoda highlights that the combination of a rising middle class and changing travel habits across Asia is creating new revenue opportunities for the travel and ho [...]
Inside the Philippines’ most overlooked $36b digital market
94% of Filipino consumers will share data with AI, so why is an online travel that's set to double by 2030 still owned by foreign OTAs?
The archipelago nation of 7,600+ islands has a travel landscape that's complex by nature - fragmented routes, unbanked communities, and a population that was born [...]
