Latest News

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

News

Airbnb snaps up, and shuts down, Vamo

By PhocusWire | September 11, 2015

The six-employee travel-planning startup Vamo has been acquired by Airbnb, the short-term rental giant. Vamo will be shut down as of 1 October, and team members will be joining Airbnb. Deal term... Read More

News / Distribution

Airline group IATA touts study suggesting that NDC has value to corporate travel buyers

By Sean O'Neil | September 11, 2015

The leading global airline lobbying group is promoting a study that says corporate travel buyers will like its effort to change the technical standards for distributing airfare content if they are bet... Read More

News

Startup pitch: WeTravel wants to carry some of the load for trip organisers

By Linda Fox | September 11, 2015

After time spent working with the Red Cross and organising the occasional tour, WeTravel co-founder Johannes Koeppel realised independent group trip organisers struggle with the same pain points. T... Read More

News / Technology

A warning to mid-sized OTAs: Don't stand still

By Viewpoints | September 11, 2015

There’s a real challenge in the travel industry: some OTAs are being held back by a lack of agility while their peers race ahead. NB: This is a viewpoint by Jackie Groves, sales and marketing direc... Read More

News / Distribution

Qunar gets closer to Baidu (or is Baidu getting closer to Qunar?)

By Martin Cowen | September 10, 2015

Qunar has announced a "strengthening of its strategic alliance" with majority shareholder Baidu, which sees three Baidu execs join the Qunar board of directors and some new co-operation agreements bet... Read More

News

Startup pitch: Tig’See launches a marketplace for boutique tour operators [UPDATED]

By PhocusWire | September 10, 2015

With so much attention around experiential travel, living like a local, and avoiding the tourist hotspots, it is no wonder that lots of startups are looking at this space and trying to find a niche.... Read More

News / Online

Make It Social, a group bookings tech startup, debuts API for large enterprises

By Sean O'Neil | September 10, 2015

Edinburgh is famed both for its tourist attractions and for being a blossoming tech hub. Now a homegrown startup has married the Scottish capital's strengths in travel and tech to expand Make It So... Read More

News / Distribution

HookLogic raises $15.5 million to hook brands to online travel agencies

By Kevin May | September 10, 2015

One of lesser known middle men in the industry - HookLogic - has captured $15.5 million to expand its advertising network and technology. The Series C injection comes via new investors Fung Capital... Read More

News / Technology

What could possibly go wrong - control tourist robots from thousands of miles away

By Kevin May | September 10, 2015

So here is a new idea that is likely to polarise opinion into two distinct camps of "wow, that's awesome" or "oh my goodness, how daft". Teletrip is an early-stage, Kickstarter fund-seeking project... Read More

News

There is no single way to build a great culture for a startup

By PhocusWire | September 10, 2015

What defines a great startup culture? And is it one that follows the footsteps of Silicon Valley startups?... Read More

News / Distribution

The psychology of gifts - a practical guide for hotels

By Viewpoints | September 10, 2015

Hotels looking to increase their gift voucher and upsell revenues should take a look at some of the research around the psychology of giving and receiving gifts. NB This is a guest article by Sam W... Read More

News / Distribution

Amadeus' three pillars for China

By Viewpoints | September 10, 2015

Amadeus is one of the many international firms building up its presence in China in response to the gradual liberalization of travel technology and distribution. NB This is a guest article by Rites... Read More

News / Technology

Checkmate: Why text messaging is the new model for hotel guest communication

By Sean O'Neil | September 10, 2015

Checkmate is a startup that began a couple of years ago by building mobile tools for hotels to digitize and monetize the process of guests checking in. It has since expanded its aperture to include... Read More

News

If homes can be used by travellers to rest their weary legs, boats can join in as well

By Kevin May | September 10, 2015

After sharing homes, apartments or vehicles to travellers, it was only a question of time before boats became one of the next areas in play. GetMyBoat has recently tried to muscle in on the trend w... Read More