Latest News

Latest News

Stay up to date with the latest travel technology news, startup updates, and industry developments from across the global travel ecosystem.

Companies aren't getting the hotel rates they negotiated, study finds
News / Distribution
Companies aren't getting the hotel rates they negotiated, study finds
By Michele McDonald | March 17, 2017
Every fall, corporate travel managers and travel management companies expend a lot of time and energy on the annual ritual of negotiating rates for their preferred hotel programs. More than a few d... Read More
Virtual reality seat maps? NDC goes leftfield
News / Technology
Virtual reality seat maps? NDC goes leftfield
By Martin Cowen | March 17, 2017
Airlines Technology has worked up a proof of concept which could allow airlines to sell assigned seats via a virtual reality (VR) seatmap, all made possible thanks to IATA's NDC. The business has I... Read More
AdventureLink claims multi-day activities milestone, STA Travel signs up early
News / Distribution
AdventureLink claims multi-day activities milestone, STA Travel signs up early
By Kevin May | March 17, 2017
Multi-day activities will be made available to sell via third parties through a new platform created by AdventureLink. The xTour product, CEO and founder Kelly Tompkins claims, is a breakthrough in... Read More
Travel Appeal gets data and intelligence boost from €700,000 round
News / Online
Travel Appeal gets data and intelligence boost from €700,000 round
By Kevin May | March 16, 2017
Three unnamed entrepreneurs from within the industry have pumped €700,000 into analytics startup Travel Appeal. The Italy-based company was created in 2014 and provides travel brands with tools to... Read More
Make your travel website mobile-friendly or it won't rank in search - simples
News / Technology
Make your travel website mobile-friendly or it won't rank in search - simples
By Viewpoints | March 16, 2017
For two years now, Google has been using the mobile-friendliness of a website as a method for deciding how web pages should rank in their search engine. Pages that were easy to use and looked great... Read More
TripAdvisor enters Facebook messaging, activity and restaurant bookings just a bot away
News / Technology
TripAdvisor enters Facebook messaging, activity and restaurant bookings just a bot away
By Kevin May | March 16, 2017
TripAdvisor is dipping its toes in the chatbot and Facebook Messenger waters this week, launching a destination tool for travellers. The tool follows the same model as many of the others that have... Read More
Lufthansa commits to €500 million digitisation plan as GDS charge settles
News / Distribution
Lufthansa commits to €500 million digitisation plan as GDS charge settles
By Kevin May | March 16, 2017
Lufthansa will ringfence €500 million in funds to push what it calls a major investment in "digitalisation and innovation". The Germany-based carrier, which also includes Swiss Airlines and Brussel... Read More
Hailo disappears into the Waterloo sunset as Mytaxi takes over
News / Technology
Hailo disappears into the Waterloo sunset as Mytaxi takes over
By Martin Cowen | March 16, 2017
Mytaxi, the European taxi app majority owned by Daimler Group, has completed the rebrand of Hailo in the UK following last year's acquisition. As part of the transition, Hailo users will be redirec... Read More
ABTA website security breach hits 43,000 people
News
ABTA website security breach hits 43,000 people
By Martin Cowen | March 16, 2017
ABTA, the UK travel trade association, has admitted its abta.com website suffered a data security incident affecting 43,000 individuals. In a statement, the organisation says that the breach came v... Read More
Priming travel apps for peak download periods around the world
News / Technology
Priming travel apps for peak download periods around the world
By Kevin May | March 15, 2017
Some might presume that download rates for travel apps hit a high in the lead up to the main leisure trip periods in any given year. For example, around June and July for Europe and North America,... Read More
As social media evolves, travellers demand joined-up customer service
News / Technology
As social media evolves, travellers demand joined-up customer service
By Nick Vivion | March 15, 2017
Customer service has always been one of the most challenging areas of any service-based business. This is especially acute in travel, where there is far more emotion and expectation attached than i... Read More
Airport access options on schedule to lift airlines' ancillary revenue
From Our Partners / Distribution
Airport access options on schedule to lift airlines' ancillary revenue
By Sponsored Content | March 15, 2017
Airlines seeking to stay ahead of the competition in their home markets and grow their ancillary revenue could benefit from diversifying the ground transport options they offer to travellers. NB Th... Read More
Travel and the fourth industrial revolution
News / Technology
Travel and the fourth industrial revolution
By Kevin May | March 15, 2017
Interesting positioning by Sabre in recent weeks as it looks to face what it calls the "fourth industrial revolution" and how the travel industry will tackle it. This move to an entirely new econom... Read More
Rental brand Hertz enlists Blacklane to power transfer service
News / Distribution
Rental brand Hertz enlists Blacklane to power transfer service
By Kevin May | March 14, 2017
Those who thought that traditional car rental brands were competitors to the emerging ride service sector need to think again. In a deal announced at the ITB exhibition in Berlin last week, rental... Read More
Travel startups wake up and smell the currywurst - B2B is where it's at now
News / Distribution
Travel startups wake up and smell the currywurst - B2B is where it's at now
By Kevin May | March 14, 2017
Investors and startups could finally be realising what those on the periphery have noted for years - B2B is where the sensible money and effort works. New businesses are emerging that try to conque... Read More
The Phocuswright Conference 2026