GlobalTix partners with Myrealtrip
GlobalTix, an Asia-based reservation and distribution platform, announced a partnership with South Korean travel platform Myrealtrip to make GlobalTix’s network of over 180,000 experiences available to Myrealtrip’s 10 million users, giving GlobalTix’s global operators direct access to Korean outbound travel demand without needing a local sales presence. GlobalTix CCO Chanel Leong said the partnership offers merchant partners a more direct route into the Korean market through a platform Korean travellers already use, while Myrealtrip’s Head of Tours & Activities Business, Jinhong Kim, said the integration allows the company to offer Korean travellers a broader range of experiences across destinations while keeping availability and bookings connected as the partnership scales.
AirAsia MOVE and Korea Tourism Organization partner to promote travel beyond Seoul
AirAsia MOVE and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) announced a partnership on 10 August 2026 in Kuala Lumpur to encourage international travellers, particularly from Malaysia and ASEAN, to explore South Korean destinations beyond Seoul, such as Jeju, Busan, Gyeongju, Jeonju and Gangneung, through joint marketing campaigns, curated travel experiences and offers; the initiative combines AirAsia’s regional air network and digital travel platform with KTO’s destination expertise, with the stated aim of spreading tourism benefits to local businesses and communities, and was announced with comments from AirAsia MOVE CEO Nadia Omer and KTO Managing Director Shin Jung Hun, both expressing confidence in driving greater interest in Korea’s regional destinations.
Travel planners are the least-thanked people
Klook’s survey of 2,725 travellers across 10 markets found that trip planning ranked as the least-thanked task among ten common everyday favors, with over 7 in 10 planners reporting they spend more than 10 hours organizing a single trip (45.9% up to 20 hours, 28.0% up to or over 40 hours); their top stressors are managing budgets (57.0%), coordinating schedules (53.8%), and comparing flights/accommodations (47.4%), while 61.3% cite minimizing group conflict as a key skill, and over half check their phones six or more times daily during the trip itself. Despite this workload, planners face common complaints such as “why didn’t we do this instead?” (59.2%), “I could’ve planned this better” (58.1%), and “that’s out of my budget” (51.3%); more than 7 in 10 believe they deserve at least US50/hour for their effort (potentiallyUS1,000+ in unpaid labor per trip), 63.3% say trips wouldn’t happen without them, and over 8 in 10 feel they deserve more recognition for their role.
Following the survey, Klook is also running a promotion that will send five “travel planners” on a fully hosted 7-day trip to Switzerland in December 2026, where they won’t have to plan anything themselves.
Fliggy launches next-gen agentic AI travel assistant
Fliggy, Alibaba Group’s online travel platform, announced on 11 August 2026 an upgraded agentic AI travel assistant built on Alibaba’s Qwen model and trained using Fliggy’s real-time transaction systems and proprietary travel data; unlike earlier versions focused on recommendations, it can directly execute multistep tasks such as making bookings, arranging check-ins and seat selections, handling cancellations, and managing complex requests like hotel room upgrades by communicating with hotels and coordinating options. Organized around three functions—Go Think (trip inspiration, routing, budgeting), Go Book (comparing and booking flights, hotels, and tours), and Go Sort (in-trip and post-booking support like check-ins and itinerary changes)—the assistant is embedded throughout the Fliggy app, accepts natural-language voice or text input, and works alongside existing booking interfaces rather than replacing them. Fliggy CTO Dr. Alex Chen described the upgrade as enabling more direct, actionable AI-driven support across the full travel journey, and the company reported that the assistant’s usability score improved by over 70% compared to its previous version, with task completion time reduced by nearly 10%.
TourRadar launches loyalty program across thousands of operators
TourRadar launched TourRadar+, a free loyalty program that automatically applies savings of up to 7% at checkout across more than 50,000 adventures from over 2,500 tour operators in 160+ countries, allowing travelers to earn savings with one operator and redeem them with a different operator on a future trip. The program has three levels based on booking count rather than points or codes: Level 1 (up to 3% savings, from account creation), Level 2 (up to 5%, after 1-3 bookings), and Level 3 (up to 7%, after 4+ bookings); members can also progress via referrals when a referred friend completes their first booking, and past travelers have been retroactively placed at levels matching their existing booking history. CEO and Co-Founder Travis Pittman said the program was designed around the fact that multi-day adventure travel is typically an annual, destination-varying decision rather than a repeat booking pattern, unlike traditional airline or hotel loyalty schemes built around frequent, similar bookings—TourRadar noted that roughly four in five repeat bookings on its platform are with operators the traveler hasn’t used before. TourRadar+ is available now at TourRadar.com, with full terms, including cancellation policies affecting level status, at tourradar.com/plus.
Digital reforms and premium residency bolster Saudi Arabia’s investment appeal
A study by W7Worldwide Strategic Communications Agency, titled “Why Investors Choose Saudi Arabia,” found that economic reforms, digital transformation, and regulatory changes have strengthened Saudi Arabia’s position as a foreign direct investment (FDI) destination, with FDI stock reaching SAR 1.099 trillion by the end of 2025 (up 13% from 2024) and new inflows totaling SAR 133.3 billion for the year; total foreign investment stock across all forms reached SAR 3.323 trillion. Non-oil activities grew 4.9% in real terms in 2025, alongside 4.5% real GDP growth, while investment licenses issued rose to 24,240 in 2025 from 14,320 in 2024, a 68.5% increase. More than 676 multinational companies had been licensed to establish Regional Headquarters (RHQs) in Riyadh by the end of 2025, which the study links to relocated decision-making functions, R&D activity, supply chain strengthening, job creation, and knowledge transfer.
By sector, industrial investment led non-oil FDI with USD 18.4 billion (31% of the total), while mining attracted SAR 44 billion in newly announced investments against mineral reserves the study values at over SAR 9.4 trillion; technology and AI projects announced at LEAP 2025 exceeded USD 14.9 billion, tourism drew 123 million visitors generating SAR 304 billion in spending, and transport/logistics saw over SAR 280 billion in private-sector investment supported by 24 logistics hubs. The study also cited the Premium Residency Program—offering long-term residency pathways for investors, entrepreneurs, skilled professionals, and property owners—as a key enabler supporting real estate investment, entrepreneurship, and demand for professional services. W7Worldwide concluded that Saudi Arabia’s investment attractiveness stems from an integrated ecosystem of regulatory efficiency, digital transformation, and diversified sectors rather than any single factor, framing the RHQ and Premium Residency programs alongside co
