The Week in Travel Tech - Secret Masterplans, Inspiration and Diller speaks

What you missed on Tnooz this week, Sunday 23 May to Saturday 29 May 2010:

Story of the week:

• Is this the Google masterplan for travel?

Top three most commented articles:

• Google buys online travel guide Ruba
• The most visited travel websites on the web – April 2010
• Barry Diller on search, mobile and why foreigners fail in China

Controversial topic of the week:

• With Twitter blocked in China, Ctrip ramps up social media efforts for inbound travelers

Series of the week:

• Part 1: Five challenges on the journey to mastering travel inspiration
• Part 2: Five challenges on the journey to mastering travel inspiration
• Part 3: Five challenges on the journey to mastering travel inspiration
• Part 4: Five challenges on the journey to mastering travel inspiration
• Part 5: Five challenges on the journey to mastering travel inspiration

TLabs:

• TLabs Showcase – SiteValet

Stats:

• UK Travel Site Crunch: Data Week End May 22 2010
• US Travel Site Crunch: Data Week End May 22 2010
• Hong Kong Travel Site Crunch: Data Week End May 22 2010
• Australia Travel Site Crunch: Data Week End May 22 2010

And the rest (most recent first):

• Apple, strikes and Bangkok – guest appearance on This Week in Travel podcast
• Amazing global view of user generated photos on the web
• Google-ITA Software: a waiting game with plenty behind the scenes
• Travel technology trends at Global Tourism & Travel Summit
• Point Inside brings detailed airport maps to iPhone and iPad
• Fly.com unclutters logo with redesign
• A letter from Tnooz-TripAdvisor to hoteliers affected by the Gulf oil spill
• Times Square becomes Wi-Fi hotzone for iPhone users
• Priceline extends Name Your Own Price hotel guarantee
• Facebook becomes the place for quirky travel promotions
• Miami hotel offers oil spill special for online booking and hotel commission
• Tourist board tweets — Jamaica still open for business
• Microsoft Surface helps out at a travel agency [VIDEO]
• Travelocity Roaming Gnome joins FourSquare, heads to London
• Continental goes kiosk crazy with Houston terminal renovation
• TripAdvisor offers free listings to hotels threatened by Gulf oil spill
• HRG sees online travel adoption rising in North America
• MyCityWay gets $300K as NYC establishes Entrepreneurial Fund
• UEFA, Carlson, HRG adopt new FlightPortal online travel carbon scheme
• Global air travel technology now controlled from Montreal and Singapore
• GDS Bitesize – service news, agreements, products from Amadeus, Travelport and Sabre
• Hotel guests can submit reviews with new TripAdvisor iPhone app
• Kayak explores map-based search for air, hotels, activities
• Fly.com hopes to mirror Travelzoo global expansion programme, package holidays next
• OffandAway is off and away with launch of hotel-room auction website
• Car rental becoming hotbed of activity, Argus Car Hire relaunches
• Gekko glides down the bookmarking route for hotel search
• Stash Hotel Rewards: another travel project from Expedia alums
• Most influential on Twitter: Barack Obama, JetBlue and some other folk
• InterContinental hits it big with Gowalla mobile marketing

Last Week in Travel Tech:

• Google buys, Bangkok burns, Hostelworld waves

Notices:

• Explore the Tnooz TSoftware store
• Node biographies and articles