Travel Planning

News / Startups

The Middle East travel startup atmosphere is buzzing

By Morgan Hines | October 22, 2025

As the Middle East sees rapid travel growth, its startup environment is characterized by ambition and innovation with government support, according to travel stakeholders. Read More

News / Technology

Airbnb adds social tools for experiences and updates host capabilities

By Abby Crotty | October 21, 2025

Guests can now interact with other travelers they meet on experiences, while hosts can set new cancellation policies and access price tips. Read More

Opinion / Technology

AI’s new gatekeepers: How Booking.com and Expedia are hijacking the future of travel

By Brad Brewer - Agentic Hospitality | October 21, 2025

The EU’s Digital Markets Act forces the biggest online “gatekeepers” to play fair, but it doesn’t yet cover standalone AI assistants—like ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity. Read More

News / Technology

Google launches Google Maps in Gemini API

By Morgan Hines | October 20, 2025

Google said the mechanism will be similar to grounding with Google Search, which provides increased accuracy, real-time information and citations. Read More

News / Online

Phocuswright names winners of the 2025 Philip C. Wolf Memorial Scholarship

By PhocusWire | October 20, 2025

Sebastián Muñoz, co-founder of Rutopía, and Jen Wong, founder and CEO of Laasie, received this year's award. Read More

News / Online

European Commission's tourism strategy will focus on 3 priorities

By Morgan Hines | October 20, 2025

Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European commissioner for sustainable transport and tourism, shared Europe’s upcoming strategic goals for travel. Read More

News / Startups

Where are they now? Catching up with the Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2023

By Mileva Sapic | October 20, 2025

Many of our Hot 25 Startups for 2023 have undergone major transformations, including significant funding rounds and strategic acquisitions. Read More

News / Technology

PhocusWire's weekly travel tech news briefs: Amex GBT, PriceLabs, Expedia, Trust My Group and more

By PhocusWire | October 17, 2025

Keep up with all the latest people, partner and product news from around the global travel industry. Read More

News / Technology

Mindtrip launches AI-powered tools for travel inspiration, organization

By Morgan Hines | October 16, 2025

With the new features, travelers can share articles, Instagram posts, TikTok videos, YouTube clips and Google Pins directly to Mindtrip’s app. Read More

News / Technology

Kayak rolls out AI Mode for travel search

By Abby Crotty | October 15, 2025

The tool allows for natural-language search and combines Kayak’s data with ChatGPT. Read More

News / Technology

American Airlines launches gen AI tool

By Abby Crotty | October 14, 2025

Customers can type in their trip idea, with the tool then providing “curated destination suggestions” from American’s network. Read More

News / Startups

Revolut acquires Swifty to build AI concierge for customers

By Linda Fox | October 14, 2025

Swifty, which launched in 2023, uses LLMs and a conversational interface to help plan and book corporate travel, including payment and invoicing. Read More

Interview / Online

CEO Spotlight: Muzzammil Ahussain of Almosafer

By Abby Crotty | October 14, 2025

Almosafer CEO Muzzammil Ahussain sat down for an interview to discuss ongoing goals for the OTA and changing customer behaviors. Read More

News / Startups

Where are they now? Catching up with the Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2022

By Mileva Sapic | October 13, 2025

As we build up to unveiling the PhocusWire Hot Travel Startups for 2026, we are checking in with some of the class of 2022, including Road.Travel, Onfly and Wheel the World. Read More