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Interview
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Online
CEO Spotlight: Andrés Spitzer of Civitatis
By Linda Fox
|
July 10, 2026
Six months into the role, Andrés Spitzer, CEO of Civitatis, discussed growth for the tours and activities company, the impact of AI and what he brings as a leader.
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News
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Technology
PhocusWire's travel tech news briefs: Marriott, Lake.com, RateGain and more...
By PhocusWire
|
June 26, 2026
Keep up with all the latest people, partner and product news from around the global travel industry.
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Interview
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Online
CEO Spotlight: Gonzalo Estebarena of Despegar
By Linda Fox
|
May 6, 2026
Despegar's CEO Gonzalo Estebarena discusses the Prosus acquisition, internal and external AI developments and growth plans.
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News
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Technology
PhocusWire's weekly travel tech news briefs: Accor, Skyscanner, Mews and more...
By PhocusWire
|
August 29, 2025
Keep up with all the latest people, partner and product news from around the global travel industry.
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News
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Online
Prosus completes acquisition of Despegar
By Linda Fox
|
May 16, 2025
Terms of the deal include a subsidiary of Prosus merging with Despegar with the Latin America-based OTA become a private company and delisting from the New York Stock Exchange.
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News
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Technology
Technology and politics reshape the travel deals landscape
By Matthew Parsons
|
February 27, 2025
When it comes to the merger and acquisition (M&A) landscape, technology and political issues appear to be playing more of a role in the decisions being made by authorities.
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News
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Technology
The move from legacy models to delightful experiences
By Marisa Garcia
|
December 24, 2024
Executives from Despegar, Meili and Wego discuss the complexity in travel and the hope for AI to solve some of the challenges at The Phocuswright Conference 2024.
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News
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Online
Poland-based WP Holding to purchase Invia Group for nearly €240M
By Morgan Hines
|
December 23, 2024
The technology holding company has signed a framework agreement to buy all the shares of the travel company. Invia Group operates in Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovakia, Hungary...
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News
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Online
Despegar acquired by Naspers-owned Prosus for $1.7B
By Linda Fox
|
December 23, 2024
The Dutch company invests in technology companies across multiple verticals and said, with this transaction, it will serve more than 100-million customers in Latin America across travel, e-commerce and...
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News
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Online
Despegar sells destination management company, boosts AI agent
By Linda Fox
|
August 16, 2024
Despegar has made a number of updates to its AI agent Sofia and has further plans to integrate the technology into its B2B platforms.
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News
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Technology
Exoticca lands €60M investment to grow multi-day tours platform
By Linda Fox
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July 24, 2024
Exoticca said the investment will go towards bringing in AI capabilities to its technology platform as well as brand building, particularly in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
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News
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Technology
Despegar reports Q1 gains, AI enhancements
By Linda Fox
|
May 17, 2024
The company said its Sofia AI assistant now includes hotel recommendations and enables users to search by city and dates as well as budget and key amenities.
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News
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Technology
Despegar shares AI trip planner details, reports record quarter
By Linda Fox
|
March 15, 2024
During its Q4 and full-year 2023 results, the company said it had achieved its highest gross bookings since its IPO in 2017 and shared further details of its AI trip assistant Sofia.
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News
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Technology
Despegar debuts GenAI travel assistant for trip inspiration and booking
By Mitra Sorrells
|
March 4, 2024
Customers can use the "Sofia" tool through text or voice or by clicking on visual options and can return to chats even days later with the interaction saved in the system.
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News
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Online
CEO Spotlight - Damian Scokin of Despegar
By Linda Fox
|
February 20, 2024
In a discussion with PhocusWire, Despegar CEO Damian Scokin talks about carrying momentum from 2023 into the year ahead, the role of artificial intelligence and growth opportunities for the Latin...
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