Editors Pick

Top Travel Tech Weekly News

Uber gets $1B investment boost for autonomous vehicle unit
News / Online
Uber gets $1B investment boost for autonomous vehicle unit
By Kevin May | April 22, 2019
Three organizations are behind the move to back Uber's Advanced Technologies Group: car manufacturing giant Toyota, SoftBank Vision Fund and the Denso Corporation. Read More
Middle East series part 3 distribution
News / Distribution
Middle East, part 3: How homegrown travel brands are diversifying distribution
By Mitra Sorrells | April 22, 2019
For the third part in our series on the Middle East, we analyze the distribution landscape and the role of homegrown online travel agencies. Read More
Sounding Off: The Middle Eastern travel startup scene can learn from errors of others
Interview / Startups
Sounding Off: The Middle Eastern travel startup scene can learn from errors of others
By PhocusWire | April 19, 2019
The fledgling community in the Middle East must acknowledge how other startup "scenes" have evolved and learn from the errors that have hindered new businesses. Read More
sabre-NDC-beyond
News / Distribution
Going beyond NDC: Answers to your questions
By PhocusWire | April 19, 2019
We caught up with the three panelists from a recent webinar to answer some of the top audience questions that we didn’t have time to address live at the event. Read More
lyric investment
News / Online
Airbnb leads $160M investment in hospitality platform Lyric
By Jill Menze | April 17, 2019
The Series B round will allow the San Francisco-based company to expand its relationships with local real estate developers. Read More
Ryanair to get new website, promises more personalization
News / Online
Ryanair to get new website, promises more personalization
By Linda Fox | April 17, 2019
The move is part of the airline’s customer strategy for 2019, which aims to deliver a more personalized service on its digital channels. Read More
Middle Eastern travel marketers see Amazon as biggest disruption threat
News / Online
Middle Eastern travel marketers see Amazon as biggest disruption threat
By Mitra Sorrells | April 17, 2019
Travel marketers in the Middle East say Amazon has the greatest potential to disrupt travel marketing in the next five years. Read More
Women's Leadership Initiative comes to Phocuswright Europe
News / Online
Women's Leadership Initiative comes to Phocuswright Europe
By Jill Menze | April 16, 2019
Following a successful debut at The Phocuswright Conference in November, the Women’s Leadership Initiative is coming to Amsterdam to kick off Phocuswright Europe on May 14. Read More
OYO strikes first bedbank deal, Hotelbeds gives it 60,000 buying outlets
News / Distribution
OYO strikes first bedbank deal, Hotelbeds gives it 60,000 buying outlets
By Kevin May | April 15, 2019
Hotelbeds has become the first third-party bedbank to sign a distribution deal with India-based OYO Rooms. Read More
From WiT Middle East 2019: Travel brands jostle to find their groove in a booming market
News / Online
From WiT Middle East 2019: Travel brands jostle to find their groove in a booming market
By Siew Hoon Yeoh - WiT | April 15, 2019
A look at the five key takeaways from WiT Middle East conference. Read More
Middle East, part 2: The travel startup scene
News / Startups
Middle East, part 2: The travel startup scene
By Mitra Sorrells | April 15, 2019
For part two in our series on the Middle East we explore the startup ecosystem with input from founders, investors and support programs. Read More
Expedia-AI-ML
News / Technology
How Expedia is using deep learning to improve the hotel booking process
By Linda Fox | April 12, 2019
Expedia Partner Solutions is using deep learning models to improve the hotel booking process for partners and - ultimately - the end consumer. Read More
AI-driven-travel-guide
News / Technology
University stakes claim on first AI-powered travel guide
By Linda Fox | April 12, 2019
The University of Surrey and Open University have created an AI-driven app to enhance a travel guidebook with digital content. Read More
sounding off 11 loyalty
Interview / Online
Sounding Off: Loyalty does not belong in the past
By PhocusWire | April 12, 2019
Quote from David Armstrong, CEO of HolidayPirates, in an article on PhocusWire this week on what makes him tick. Read More
STARTUP STAGE: Gomingo wants to bring down commission rates for accommodation providers
Interview / Distribution
STARTUP STAGE: Gomingo wants to bring down commission rates for accommodation providers
By Linda Fox | April 11, 2019
Gomingo aims to bring down commission rates for hotels and other accommodation providers by offering 0% commission to hotels that sign up initially with a promise that they will only reach a maximum of... Read More