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.

Booking.com opts for partner route to expand tours and activities
News / Distribution
Booking.com opts for partner route to expand tours and activities
By Kevin May | May 6, 2019
A year after buying FareHarbor to spearhead its move into tours and activities, Booking.com is adopting an additional approach and working directly with rival software vendors. Read More
Letters from WiT Seoul: Travel fuels happiness, growth in aviation
News / Online
Letters from WiT Seoul: Travel fuels happiness, growth in aviation
By Siew Hoon Yeoh - WebInTravel | May 6, 2019
Here are the key takeaways from the fourth WiT Seoul 2019. Read More
Latin America part 1 overview
News / Online
Latin America, part 1: Mobile, social drive travel forward despite lingering challenges
By Mitra Sorrells | May 6, 2019
For the first piece in our series on Latin America, we explore some of the region's characteristics impacting the travel industry. Read More
amadeus-fcm-ndc
News / Distribution
Flight Centre leisure and business arms test Amadeus user interface for NDC content
By Linda Fox | May 3, 2019
FCM Travel Solutions and its sister leisure brand Flight Centre are testing a user interface for NDC content from Amadeus. Read More
Expedia Q1 earnings 2019
News / Online
Q1 growth slows for vacation rentals as Expedia Group realigns business for long-term
By Mitra Sorrells | May 2, 2019
Expedia Group bookings were up 8% in the first quarter of 2019, but only 5% in its vacation rental businesses, now consolidated under the Vrbo brand. Read More
booking-holdings-acquires-venga
News / Technology
Booking Holdings boosts restaurant arm with acquisition of Venga
By Linda Fox | May 2, 2019
Venga, a guest management platform for restaurants and other businesses, will be aligned with the Booking Holdings-owned OpenTable brand. Read More
Datalex CEO Aidan Brogan quits as financial probe continues
News / Technology
Datalex CEO Aidan Brogan quits as financial probe continues
By Kevin May | May 2, 2019
Troubled airline retail technology specialist Datalex installs temporary boss after the sudden resignation of the CEO. Read More
Digital natives reveal what and who gets their attention with online travel reviews
News / Online
Digital natives reveal what and who gets their attention with online travel reviews
By Kevin May | May 2, 2019
TripAdvisor does not compare to Google for getting online reviews of travel products in the minds of travelers aged between 18 and 28. Read More
OYO Rooms acquires European rental brand @Leisure Group for €360M
News / Online
OYO Rooms acquires European rental brand @Leisure Group for €360M
By Kevin May | May 1, 2019
The acquisition marks the first big international investment by India-based OYO and puts it feet first in the Europe marketplace for private accommodation. Read More
MakeMyTrip acquires Quest2Travel
News / Online
MakeMyTrip enters corporate travel space with majority stake in Quest2Travel
By Mitra Sorrells | May 1, 2019
This investment will help MakeMyTrip extend its service offerings to large corporates. Read More
new Muslim OTA Rihaala launches
News / Distribution
New OTA targets Muslim travelers looking for halal-friendly destinations
By Mitra Sorrells | April 30, 2019
Rihaala is a new online travel agency focused on halal-friendly destinations and accommodations and user-generated content. Read More
Sabre sees quarterly revenue rise to $1.49B but other metrics hit by tech investments
News / Distribution
Sabre sees quarterly revenue rise to $1.49B but other metrics hit by tech investments
By Kevin May | April 30, 2019
Sabre has filed a revenue increase of 6% in the first quarter of 2019, giving it $1.49 billion, but against a backdrop of declines on other key metrics. Read More
hotel-loyalty-programs
News / Distribution
Hotel loyalty should be more than just rewards and favored partners
By Linda Fox | April 30, 2019
A discussion on loyalty in hotels sparked interesting comment around how program members should be treated. Read More
Pana brings in $10M to build out tools for travel managers
News / Technology
Pana brings in $10M to build out tools for travel managers
By Kevin May | April 30, 2019
Bessemer Ventures leads the Series A round into the U.S.-based corporate travel platform specialist, alongside three other funds. Read More
Ctrip controls half of MakeMyTrip shares after swap deal with Naspers
News / Online
Ctrip controls half of MakeMyTrip shares after swap deal with Naspers
By Kevin May | April 29, 2019
Ctrip gives up 6% of its shares in order to gain a 49% stake in MakeMyTrip, the Indian online travel agency where it's had an interest for over three years. Read More
The Phocuswright Conference 2026