Rome2Rio’s ChatGPT app. Travelgate buys AO UK. Japanese hotels vs localization. Spring Airlines joins DerbySoft.
Travelgate acquires UK content management firm AO UK
Travelgate, part of Travelsoft Group, has acquired AO UK Ltd, a content orchestration software company founded in 2006 and headquartered in the UK with operations in Australia and North America. AO UK's core product, AO Campaign, combines Product [...]
Smartvel’s AI accessibility tool. Almosafer’s ChatGPT app. Staynex acquires Sleap.io. Airbnb’s $10M community fund. More.
Fliggy and Alibaba's Qwen app expand AI travel integration to 80+ brand partners
Alibaba's travel platform Fliggy and its Qwen AI app have grown their joint travel integration initiative to over 80 brand partners after adding 30+ new names, including Cathay Pacific, Etihad Airways, Hyatt Hotels, an [...]
Airbnb’s private car transfers. Digitising Macao tourism. HTS rebuilds Avion Rewards. Lumo’s flight disruption tools.
Macao, Alibaba, and Sands China to drive tourist spending through AI and digital mapping tools
Macao's Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Alibaba's navigation app Amap, and Sands China have signed a tripartite cooperation agreement to digitise the city's tourism ecosystem. The centerpiece is a "flyi [...]
BTS brings bookings. F1 travel trends. No-phone tiger reserves. MakeMyTrip’s AI concierge.
Lobby raises $2.2m to automate group bookings with AI
Swiss startup Lobby has secured USD 2.2 million from venture capital firm Founderful, whose co-founder Pascal Mathis, also a GetYourGuide co-founder, will join the board, to scale its AI platform for processing group travel bookings. The platfor [...]
Co-sourcing cuts agent turnover. MakeMyTrip eyes India IPO. Japan’s new pre-screening. Sakura trends.
Specialized co-sourcing cuts travel agent turnover by 95%, says 24/7 TPD
Colombia-based 24/7 Travel Partner Desk (247 TPD), a co-sourcing firm operating exclusively in the travel sector, reports that its specialized model reduces agent turnover by 95.3% compared to the industry average, a finding d [...]
HTS’ new APAC partner. AI shakes up SaaS. Outdated airports aplenty. Uber and Zoox making Robotaxis.
Hundreds of airports may need new safety management systems in 2026, OneReg warns
OneReg CEO Clinton Cardozo says a significant wave of Safety Management System (SMS) replacements is quietly building across European airports and beyond, with dozens, potentially hundreds, of operators signaling thro [...]
COMO installs SleepHub. Sabre’s overhaul. Stay22 gets $122M. More.
Como Metropolitan Singapore installs science-backed sleep tech in all rooms
Como Metropolitan Singapore has integrated SleepHub, a sleep system developed by UK-based Cambridge Sleep Sciences, across all 156 of its rooms and suites, timed to coincide with World Sleep Day on 13 March. The technology [...]
Zodiac tourism. Airbnb’s Reserve Now, Pay Later. Amadeus buys SkyLink. Klook and Osaka partner.
Year of the Horse ignites global travel surge
During the 2026 Lunar New Year holiday (Feb. 15-23), Weixin Mini Programs saw a total transaction value increase of over 65% year-on-year (YoY). Outbound Chinese tourists drove significant growth across several sectors, including a 35%+ YoY rise in dini [...]
Data silos impact revenue. Multi-component trips rise. MakeMyTrip, Ixigo collab with OpenAI. Agoda’s flagship stores.
Multi-component trip bookings rise as connected trip push gains traction
Booking Holdings reported a 20% increase in travellers booking multiple trip components, as its “connected trip” strategy continues to gain traction. In 2025, multi-vertical transactions grew in the high-20% range and repr [...]
Dida x HBX Group. Sabre, PayPal, Mindtrip launch agentic AI. US ESTA backlash. Expedia grows.
Dida and HBX Group sign 7-year deal
Dida Holdings has signed a seven-year preferred strategic partnership with HBX Group, formalising long-term infrastructure alignment as both companies prepare for what they describe as an AI-led shift in global travel distribution. Under the agreement, HBX become [...]
