Online Travel Agency

PhocusWire's in-depth coverage of online travel agencies, featuring news, analysis, interviews, research and more on the brands and their strategies, executives and positions in the market.

Koala secures €2M for insurtech expansion in Europe
News / Startups
Koala secures €2M for insurtech expansion in Europe
By Linda Fox | March 29, 2023
Existing investor Insurtech Gateway led the round with new investors Uneti Ventures, Slimmer AI and Sterling Oak also participating. Read More
American Airlines
News / Distribution
American Airlines launching NDC plan over objections
By Robert Silk - Travel Weekly | March 29, 2023
American Airlines will move forward with its controversial plan to make some of its content available only to travel agencies booking through a new distribution capability connection.   Read More
sabre-ndc-interview2
From Our Partners / Technology
How to move forward with NDC as the foundation of modern retailing
By PhocusWire | March 29, 2023
With more than 30 years at Sabre, Kathy Morgan, vice president of product management, has been on the frontlines of airline distribution and NDC development. Read More
Yatra says corporate travel driving its growth
News / Online
Yatra says corporate travel driving its growth
By Linda Fox | March 28, 2023
   The company announced revenue of $10.9 million, up 44% year over year while adjusted revenue was $18 million, up 43% year over year.  Read More
ota-marketing-spend-22
News / Online
Online travel giants spent more than $14B on marketing in '22
By Mitra Sorrells | March 27, 2023
Combined marketing spending by Booking Holdings, Expedia Group, Airbnb and Trip.com Group exceeded 2019 levels in 2022. Read More
kayak Expedia group chatgpt
News / Technology
Expedia, Kayak first in travel with plugins for ChatGPT
By Mitra Sorrells | March 23, 2023
ChatGPT is inviting its Plus subscribers to join a wait list to get access to plugins, with plans to roll them out more widely in the future.   Read More
Mystifly lands $8M to boost airline distribution tech
News / Distribution
Mystifly lands $8M to boost airline distribution tech
By Linda Fox | March 23, 2023
Mystifly, which was founded in 2009, enables travel intermediaries to access airfares via its API-driven technology as well as offering airlines a distribution, payment reconciliation and settlement... Read More
citi-booking-platform-launch
News / Online
Citi’s new travel portal powered by Booking Holdings goes live
By Mitra Sorrells | March 21, 2023
The site includes supply from Booking.com – such as 1.4 million hotels around the world - and is powered by technology from Rocket Travel by Agoda, another of Booking Holdings’ brands. Read More
mastercard-sponsored-payment-trends
From Our Partners / Online
Cross-sector collaboration key to success for travel industry
By PhocusWire | March 20, 2023
 Hear from Mastercard about shifts in payment strategies and why cross-sector partnerships are so critical for the future. Read More
pcw-social-influencers
News / Online
Influencers and social commerce in travel
By Robert Cole - Phocuswright | March 17, 2023
An in-depth Phocuswright report looks at how social marketing has evolved, how consumers interact with brands and nuanced differences for travel. Read More
despegar-q4-2022
News / Online
Despegar sees Latin America market recovery by year end
By Linda Fox | March 16, 2023
Despegar has launched packages functionality and redesigned its mobile app, which currently accounts for about half of bookings. Read More
TUI loyalty
News / Online
TUI to launch loyalty program built on guest “convenience”
By Linda Fox | March 8, 2023
Sebastian Ebel, speaking at ITB in Berlin, says he has been impressed with what hotel groups such as Hilton have done, describing its program as a "convenience product." Read More
trip-com-q4-2022
News / Online
Trip.com Group sees outbound travel demand surge
By Mitra Sorrells | March 7, 2023
The company says demand for outbound travel is continuing to accelerate in the first months of this year, with bookings up more than 300% compared with the same period last year.   Read More
Campsited employee perk
News / Online
Campsited launches company-perk program for work in nature
By Kathryn Walson | March 7, 2023
Founded in 2014 in Dublin, Campsited says it vets properties for Wi-Fi availability and suitable working and living amenities. Read More
weski-roch-ventures
News / Startups
Roch Ventures joins TravelPerk and Flixbus founders in WeSki funding
By Linda Fox | March 6, 2023
The size of the investment has not been disclosed, but at launch Roch Ventures said it was targeting roughly 15 companies with its €100 million fund. Read More