Saudi Arabia travel market projected to stay resilient amid GCC disruption
VIDEC Consultants, a boutique travel research and M&A consultancy firm, shared insights from its latest study on the GCC and Egypt markets. Titled ‘VIDEC’s GCC & Egypt Travel Market Sizing & OTA Benchmarking Study, 2019-2030’, it provides in-depth insights into the fastest-growing [...]
APAC travel agents embrace AI while demanding rate parity and richer content
Research among more than 750 travel sellers reveals growing engagement with distribution platforms, and evolving priorities, sustainability and pricing
The latest biennial study of travel sellers around the world reveals a significant increase in the use of the major global distribution systems, [...]
Kazakhstan’s super app has cornered a $538 billion KZT travel market
Central Asia's online travel scene is booming, but the winners aren't who you'd expect
Central Asia's digital economy is moving fast. E-commerce volume hit $14.7 billion USD in 2024 (up 32% year over year), and AI adoption is climbing, with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan all ranking in the [...]
India travel market navigates disruptions, sustains growth momentum
Highlights:
Total market outlook: Indian travel market was valued at ₹5,972 billion ($67.6 billion) in FY26, up 7.6% y-o-y, after three consecutive years of double-digit
Engines of growth: Alternative accommodation emerged as the fastest-growing category in FY26, expanding by 30%, followed [...]
New Zealand in the search bar: What Asian traveller intent reveals about the next generation of discovery
New Zealand is a familiar postcard for the APAC traveller: Hobbiton's green door, Milford Sound's cliffs, a self-drive loop through the South Island. How though, should a travel brand capture the demand from all this? The social signal suggests interest is the first step- then it’s about whether b [...]
Online travel: Today, tomorrow and what’s the day after
As VIDEC wraps its 2026 OTA benchmarking across India, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, CEO Virendra Jain sizes up how Trip.com, Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda, Wego, Skyscanner, Airbnb and Google are jockeying for position in travel's most volatile growth markets and what could upend the pecking order next.
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Resilient travel demand for GCC destinations signals recovery potential through the end of 2026
Travel intelligence analysis by The Data Appeal Company finds that, while the February escalation triggered an immediate shock to travel sentiment and hotel demand across the GCC, travellers have progressively become less reactive to renewed tensions—pointing to strong recovery potential if disrup [...]
APAC air passenger demand drops slightly, global demand grows
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for July 2026 global passenger demand:
Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), was up 0.2% compared to July 2025. Excluding the Middle East, demand grew by 1.2%. Total capacity, measured in available seat [...]
Global business travel spending to hit record $1.71 trillion in 2026
GBTA’s latest Business Travel Index report shows spending gains driven by higher prices as geopolitical uncertainty and transportation pressures weigh on the outlook
Global business travel spending is forecast to reach a record $1.71 trillion USD in 2026, with the number of business trips world [...]
Travel just won’t quit: What Booking, Expedia and Airbnb’s Q2 results tell us
We asked Claude to summarise second quarter results of Booking, Expedia and Airbnb
Three earnings calls, three beat-and-raise quarters, one unmistakable signal: whatever headwinds are supposedly buffeting global travel this year, the industry’s three largest platforms just posted some of their st [...]
