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.

freed-acquires-connexus
News / Online
Freed Group expands footprint in travel with acquisition of Connexus
By Yeoh Siew Hoon - WiT | February 3, 2023
Freed co-founder and CEO Abel Zhao says the acquisition will bring opportunities "spanning travel services, e-commerce, marketing services and brand loyalty programs..." Read More
untours-foundation-reset-tourism
News / Startups
UnTours Foundation plans $10M investment for better tourism future
By Linda Fox | February 2, 2023
The foundation's partners include Expedia Group, TUI Care Foundation, Adventure Travel Trade Association, Flywire and B Tourism. Read More
mondee-acquires-orinter
News / Online
Mondee gains foothold in Brazil with Orinter acquisition
By Linda Fox | February 1, 2023
Mondee, which went public via special purpose acquisition company in July 2022, sees Brazil as a "natural expansion opportunity." Read More
expedia-accelerator-2023
News / Startups
Expedia Group kicks off startup accelerator focused on underserved travelers
By Linda Fox | January 31, 2023
Startups selected for the accelerator, announced in September 2022, will spend the next five months joining virtual workshops led by Expedia Group employees as well as some external partners. Read More
STR sustainability certification
News / Online
New efforts spotlight sustainability in rentals
By Kathryn Walson | January 31, 2023
While the hotel industry is awash in sustainability certifications, there is a dearth of them in the short-term rental sector. Read More
pcw-se-asia-article-header
News / Online
5 things to expect in the Southeast Asia travel market by 2025
By Phocuswright Research | January 30, 2023
With promotion of domestic travel and digitization trends, the future of Southeast Asian travel appears to offer many new opportunities.     Read More
EaseMyTrip acquires majority stake in hotel booking business cheQin
News / Online
EaseMyTrip acquires majority stake in hotel booking business cheQin
By Linda Fox | January 27, 2023
The deal strengthens EaseMyTrip’s hotel channels and puts it in a “great position to give its customers a wide range of innovative hotel booking options.”  Read More
WeTravel report
News / Online
Travelers seek more adventure, ways to pay, report shows
By Derek Catron | January 27, 2023
WeTravel's look at travel trends sees push for more customization and payment flexibility after COVID.   Read More
eDreams sets up tech hub in Milan
News / Online
eDreams sets up tech hub in Milan
By Linda Fox | January 26, 2023
The Barcelona-based business already has development centers across Europe in cities including Madrid, Alicante and Budapest. Read More
SquadTrip platform for travel pros
Interview / Startups
STARTUP STAGE: SquadTrip’s all-in-one platform streamlines trip planning
By Kathryn Walson | January 25, 2023
SquadTrip provides an SaaS trip booking and marketing platform for group travel organizers and trip-bookers alike. Read More
Similarweb December report
News / Online
Tripadvisor, Airbnb, Expedia, Booking.com web traffic bodes well for 2023
By Derek Catron | January 24, 2023
New report from Similarweb suggests visits to the biggest online travel agencies in December increased enough on both a monthly and yearly basis to keep "revenge travel" going into the new year. Read More
davos-world-economic-forum-23
Opinion / Online
Davos and the travel industry: 5 takeaways
By Jeffrey Katz - Journera | January 24, 2023
Journera CEO Jeffrey Katz shares the travel-related topics and trends from the World Economic Forum's Davos event. Read More
How travel brands can activate first-party data
Opinion / Online
How travel brands can activate first-party data
By Dave Goulden - Sojern | January 23, 2023
Travel companies need to prepare for cookies going away and learn to use first-party data in sophisticated ways to create a personalized customer experience. Read More
Save now buy later travel
News / Online
Could “save now buy later” take off in travel?
By Kathryn Walson | January 19, 2023
With SNBL, a traveler creates an account to save toward a goal - such as a trip - and their savings are boosted by financial incentives and discounts from supplier partners.  Read More
cruisebound-launch-10m
News / Startups
New online cruise booking site launches with $10M from prominent investors
By Mitra Sorrells | January 18, 2023
After a year of beta testing, Cruisebound is launching with backing from former Priceline CEO Jeff Boyd, Tripadvisor founder Steve Kaufer, Madrona Ventures managing director Steve Singh and others. Read More