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.

Turkey leads the pack for growth in mobile travel bookings
News / Technology
Turkey leads the pack for growth in mobile travel bookings
By Martin Cowen | October 17, 2016
The latest Travel Flash Report from Criteo reveals Turkey as the market experiencing the strongest growth in mobile bookings. The findings are based on Criteo's  analysis of aggregate data collecte... Read More
Google adds airfare forecasts and hotel loyalty marketing to metasearch
News / Online
Google adds airfare forecasts and hotel loyalty marketing to metasearch
By Sean O'Neil | October 17, 2016
Even when Google enhances its search in unoriginal ways, the travel industry needs to take notice because the search giant might someday become a major booking tool for consumers. Here are Google's... Read More
flight-centre
News / Online
Flight Centre creates investment fund for travel startups
By Kevin May | October 17, 2016
Yet another example of the establishment in the industry getting in on the startup scene - this time it's global agency group, Flight Centre. The company has launched Little Argas, an investment ve... Read More
Ctrip gets closer to massive offline agency chain
News / Distribution
Ctrip gets closer to massive offline agency chain
By Martin Cowen | October 17, 2016
Ctrip has confirmed a strategic co-operation agreement with Travelling Bestone, a Chinese travel agency chain with more than 5,000 outlets. The exact scale and nature of Ctrip's investment has not... Read More
Expedia lets hotels offer freebies as an alternative to rate cutting
News / Online
Expedia lets hotels offer freebies as an alternative to rate cutting
By Sean O'Neil | October 17, 2016
It's simplistic but true: The only way hotels have been able to quickly stand out from their rivals in online marketplaces like Expedia is by adjusting their rates up and down. Sure, other things m... Read More
Dubai and Norway to drive visitors beyond star attractions with a blockchain-based loyalty program
News / Online
Dubai and Norway to drive visitors beyond star attractions with a blockchain-based loyalty program
By Marisa Garcia | October 17, 2016
Blockchain technology is running at a gallop and creating unique opportunities for travel companies to track their customer's preferences, build more personalized and meaningful interactions, and extr... Read More
Google brings tourist attraction to life with virtual reality dinosaurs
News / Technology
Google brings tourist attraction to life with virtual reality dinosaurs
By Kevin May | October 17, 2016
It would be fair to say that many examples of virtual reality in the travel sector have yet to convince travellers and the industry of its overall usefulness. Many are yet to be persuaded that 360-... Read More
Book on Google - answers to hoteliers' questions
News / Distribution
Book on Google - answers to hoteliers' questions
By Viewpoints | October 14, 2016
Google has burst onto the hotel transaction scene via Book on Google, awakening plenty of curiosity and questions about the real interest Google has with this move. NB This is a viewpoint by Pablo... Read More
In-room technology - what guests and managers think is important
News / Technology
In-room technology - what guests and managers think is important
By Kevin May | October 14, 2016
Hotels now understand that it appears guests see getting a decent (hopefully free) wifi connection as important as having clean towels and bedding. Yet despite so much of a guest's entertainment an... Read More
A tale of two surveys
News / Technology
A tale of two surveys
By Martin Cowen | October 14, 2016
It was the best of finds, it was the worst of finds... Surveys into travellers booking habits are commonplace. At one end of the scale there are VC-backed bespoke research firms; at the other,  sma... Read More
Don't expect hotel guests to hang on for long [INFOGRAPHIC]
News / Technology
Don't expect hotel guests to hang on for long [INFOGRAPHIC]
By Linda Fox | October 13, 2016
Alice, the hotel services app, has done a little research into how long consumers should have to wait for a response from hotel staff to guest communications via various channels. The company, (sta... Read More
Skyscanner claims social media first for airport flight search
News / Distribution
Skyscanner claims social media first for airport flight search
By Kevin May | October 13, 2016
World "first" alert! Heathrow in London has what is claimed to be the first Facebook-based flight search tool for tickets from the airport. Travel search provider Skyscanner is behind the initiativ... Read More
Marriott unveils hotel-based innovation lab
News / Technology
Marriott unveils hotel-based innovation lab
By Linda Fox | October 13, 2016
Marriott Hotels has established its Charlotte city-centre property as a live testing ground for new products and services. M Beta is described as an innovation lab which enables "rapid prototyping"... Read More
HolidayMe brings in $7 million to boost Middle East online travel agency ambitions
News / Distribution
HolidayMe brings in $7 million to boost Middle East online travel agency ambitions
By Kevin May | October 13, 2016
A $10 billion tourism bounty in the Middle East is the target of HolidayMe after raising $7 million in a Series A funding round. Investing in the company is Accel Partners, the global private equit... Read More
Hyatt adds 3D printing to travel's digital marketing toolkit
News / Online
Hyatt adds 3D printing to travel's digital marketing toolkit
By Sean O'Neil | October 12, 2016
The Hyatt Place hotels and Hyatt House extended-stay brands in the US have found a way to make their latest digital marketing campaign stand out. The campaign uses three-dimensional (3D) printers... Read More
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