K-culture is driving higher-value travel to South Korea
A new Airbnb report shows that South Korea’s global cultural influence is driving travel demand to Korea and shaping a higher-value segment of travellers who spend more, stay longer, and seek deeper cultural experiences.
Key takeaways:
K-culture influenced 94% of visitors and [...]
Global business travel continues but confidence drops sharply
Conflict, costs and complexity reshape the 2026 outlook
The latest GBTA industry poll finds optimism waning ─ especially in Europe ─ as geopolitical concerns emerge as the top factor influencing business travel spending, trip volume and meetings decisions, while AI gains momentum as a strategic [...]
Global Hotel Alliance reports total hotel revenues up 24%
Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands, has reported a robust start to 2026, delivering strong double-digit growth across all key performance indicators in the first quarter, driven by the continued momentum of its award-winning loyalty programme, GH [...]
Africa’s skies are busier than ever, but the continent still risks falling behind the world
Record seat capacity and a runaway success story in Ethiopia can't mask deep structural fault lines across West, Central and Southern Africa. OAG's CEO lays out the numbers
Reported in conjunction with WiT Africa 2026 · Based on a presentation by Filip Filipov, CEO, OAG
African avia [...]
Aviation’s record technology investment hinges on one thing: data coordination
SITA research finds a consistent pattern across AI, cybersecurity, digital identities and sustainability: sharing and coordinating operational data across systems and partners is a key focus for the industry
SITA’s 2025 Air Transport IT Insights report finds that, while the air transport indust [...]
Cruise tourism in Southeast Asia generates US$10 billion in total economic output
Southeast Asia's cruise industry demonstrated strong economic value in 2024, generating US$10 billion (S$12.9 billion) in total output representing 5% of global cruise industry output. The region delivered US$2,564 (S$3,308) per passenger visit - 2.4 times the global average per passenger, despite o [...]
Agentic AI, loyalty leakage and human-centric tech are in corporate travel’s new equation
"The one thing that remains exclusively human is contextual empathy."
In 2026, we’ve moved past the initial AI hype and into the era of "agentic" systems, tools that don’t just suggest a flight but proactively fix your itinerary before you even realize there’s a delay. Yet, surprisingly, the [...]
Chinese OTAs deploy AI for global push
Over the past decade, Chinese tech innovations for the home market have been woven into the global travel tapestry.
Conceived as an e-commerce payment solution that connects online shoppers and retailers, AliPay and WeChat Pay now enable Chinese travelers to make mobile purchases worldwide. [...]
Decoding the ‘Africa Entry Genome’: Why the penguin is mightier than the lion
Africa is seen as the "last frontier" for the APAC traveller. We see the cinematic drone shots of the Serengeti and the luxury lodges that look like they belong in a film. But here’s the reality check: For the APAC traveller, interest isn't the problem- it's 'enterability'.
In partnership with [...]
Asia-Pacific air passenger demand grows 8.6%
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for February 2026 global passenger demand with the following highlights:
Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), was up 6.1% compared to February 2025. Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers ( [...]
