Travel Planning

Priceline updates Penny AI assistant with Claude
News / Technology
Priceline updates Penny AI assistant with Claude
By Linda Fox | June 3, 2026
Priceline said Claude models will support conversational reasoning and planning for its Penny AI assistant. Read More
Japan inbound boom becomes policy priority
News / Online
Japan inbound boom becomes policy priority
By Phocuswright Research | June 2, 2026
What comes next is less about volume and more about value, regional distribution and managing the strains of success.   Read More
Travel marketers prepare for the rise of AI agents
News / Technology
Travel marketers prepare for the rise of AI agents
By Morgan Hines | May 28, 2026
Executives from Expedia Group, OpenAI and The Trade Desk say travel marketers must adapt as AI agents become a bigger part of trip discovery and booking. Read More
Travel operators ramp up AI spending as search and discovery behaviors shift
News / Online
Travel operators ramp up AI spending as search and discovery behaviors shift
By Cathy Walsh | May 27, 2026
TravelTech Show research points to rising investment in AI and travel technology as operators adapt to changing customer search, discovery and booking patterns. Read More
Airbnb recruits VP of hotels amid category expansion
News / Online
Airbnb recruits VP of hotels amid category expansion
By Linda Fox | May 26, 2026
D’Amico previously spent 18 years at Booking.com rising to VP and managing director for EMEA. Read More
U.K. travel distribution has reached equilibrium. Will it stay that way?
News / Distribution
U.K. travel distribution has reached equilibrium. Will it stay that way?
By Phocuswright Research | May 26, 2026
Demand is strong, digital adoption leads Europe, every major segment is growing: So why does the distribution picture look like a stalemate?  Read More
Startup Stage: TravelOne targets luxury travel with behavior profiling platform
Interview / Startups
Startup Stage: TravelOne targets luxury travel with behavior profiling platform
By Cathy Walsh | May 26, 2026
The platform matches travelers with destinations and itineraries based on psychological and personality markers. Read More
3 key takeaways from Google I/O 2026
News / Technology
3 key takeaways from Google I/O 2026
By Matthew Parsons | May 21, 2026
New agentic AI features unveiled at Google I/O 2026 could reshape how travelers search, shop and book trips, increasing pressure on travel brands to become machine-readable and agent-accessible. Read More
Airbnb's updates build towards wider personalization and community ambitions
News / Online
Airbnb's updates build towards wider personalization and community ambitions
By Linda Fox | May 20, 2026
Airbnb's AI-driven app updates and additions to Services and Experiences point to its wider strategy. Read More
Expedia Group to acquire CarTrawler in bid to become B2B ‘one-stop shop’
News / Online
Expedia Group to acquire CarTrawler in bid to become B2B ‘one-stop shop’
By Morgan Hines | May 20, 2026
Expedia Group announced the acquisition and a number of AI products at its Explore event in Las Vegas. Read More
Expedia Group expands Meta partnership amid push to connect social, booking
News / Technology
Expedia Group expands Meta partnership amid push to connect social, booking
By Morgan Hines | May 19, 2026
 The expanded collaboration follows the recent news that Expedia is a partner with TikTok for its new in-app booking, a sign of the OTA's focus on growing its B2B distribution strategy. Read More
Startup Stage: Globe Thrivers turns creator travel content into bookable trips
Interview / Startups
Startup Stage: Globe Thrivers turns creator travel content into bookable trips
By Cathy Walsh | May 18, 2026
The startup is building AI-powered infrastructure that turns creator content into structured itineraries, collaborative planning and attributed bookings. Read More
PhocusWire's travel tech news briefs: Emburse, Agoda, NextTrip and more...
News / Technology
PhocusWire's travel tech news briefs: Emburse, Agoda, NextTrip and more...
By PhocusWire | May 15, 2026
Keep up with all the latest people, partner and product news from around the global travel industry. Read More
Ixigo launches travel app with conversational booking and agentic AI
News / Technology
Ixigo launches travel app with conversational booking and agentic AI
By Cathy Walsh | May 14, 2026
The app includes natural language trip planning through Ixigo’s AI assistant TARA and AI-powered tools for flight alerts, boarding passes and post-booking support. Read More
Trip.com plans digital ID pilot using Google and Apple wallets
News / Technology
Trip.com plans digital ID pilot using Google and Apple wallets
By Mark Frary | May 13, 2026
Air Canada, Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways, as well as digital identity infrastructure platform Hopae, are expected to be involved in the pilot.  Read More