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's James Waters on the human psyche, AI and shiny things
News / Online
Booking.com's James Waters on the human psyche, AI and shiny things
By Linda Fox | June 18, 2026
James Waters, chief business officer of Booking.com, spoke about the ways AI is impacting the travel industry and human behavior during an interview at Phocuswright Europe 2026. Read More
PhocusWire's travel tech news briefs: Headlines from HITEC 2026
News / Technology
PhocusWire's travel tech news briefs: Headlines from HITEC 2026
By PhocusWire | June 18, 2026
All the people, partner and product news from HITEC 2026. Read More
Combining travel and tradition: Trip.Biz forging a new path for TMCs
From Our Partners / Online
Combining travel and tradition: Trip.Biz forging a new path for TMCs
By Mark Frary | June 16, 2026
Trip.Biz CEO Dr. Tao Song discusses how technology, AI and high-touch service are reshaping TMCs as business travel demands evolve. Read More
Germany sets a travel spending record—sustaining it won’t be simple
News / Online
Germany sets a travel spending record—sustaining it won’t be simple
By Phocuswright Research | June 16, 2026
Phocuswright's Germany Travel Market Essentials 2026 examines the market's growth, structural vulnerabilities, future outlook and more. Read More
The hotel industry's real TikTok GO problem has nothing to do with TikTok
Opinion / Distribution
The hotel industry's real TikTok GO problem has nothing to do with TikTok
By Boštjan Koželj | June 16, 2026
Boštjan Koželj argues that hotels risk missing the next wave of AI-driven distribution because many still lack the machine-readable infrastructure needed to compete in emerging channels. Read More
Mayumi Nakamura Birt on reinvention, resilience and the art of the imperfect
News / Technology
Mayumi Nakamura Birt on reinvention, resilience and the art of the imperfect
By Yeoh Siew Hoon - WiT | June 15, 2026
Veltra’s chief transformation officer explains how AI is challenging Japan’s culture of perfection—and why women may be uniquely suited to thrive in the AI era. Read More
Early AI lessons, experiments at Expedia Group
News / Technology
Early AI lessons, experiments at Expedia Group
By Morgan Hines | June 11, 2026
Chief product officer Shilpa Ranganathan discussed Expedia Group’s AI innovation pace, early chatbot missteps and the organizational hurdles of scaling the technology. Read More
Tern launches agentic AI to boost travel advisor efficiency
News / Technology
Tern launches agentic AI to boost travel advisor efficiency
By Cathy Walsh | June 10, 2026
The technology can generate cruise proposals and draft communications for advisor approval. Read More
Hotel distribution pushes beyond traditional channels
News / Distribution
Hotel distribution pushes beyond traditional channels
By Cathy Walsh | June 10, 2026
Industry analysis from Shiji tracks the evolving distribution ecosystem, mapping new categories including AI-driven visibility and direct-booking platforms, map-based commerce and social messaging. Read More
Hotels face speed problem as video platforms reshape the booking journey
News / Technology
Hotels face speed problem as video platforms reshape the booking journey
By Matthew Parsons | June 10, 2026
Hospitality leaders say legacy operating models are ill-equipped for an era of AI-powered discovery and social commerce. Read More
US car rental growth remains muted amid new pressures
News / Online
US car rental growth remains muted amid new pressures
By Phocuswright Research | June 9, 2026
Weaker inbound travel, vehicle recalls and evolving booking channels are shaping the industry's outlook. Read More
OTA moats against AI disruption may be shallower than they appear
Opinion / Technology
OTA moats against AI disruption may be shallower than they appear
By Christian Watts - Magpie | June 8, 2026
Christian Watts, founder and CEO of Magpie, argues that loyalty programs, unique inventory and bundling will offer less protection as travel discovery moves to AI platforms. Read More
PhocusWire's travel tech news briefs: Airbnb, Yotel, IHG and more...
News / Technology
PhocusWire's travel tech news briefs: Airbnb, Yotel, IHG and more...
By PhocusWire | June 5, 2026
Keep up with all the latest people, partner and product news from around the global travel industry. Read More
Inside the Philippines’ most overlooked $36B digital market
News / Online
Inside the Philippines’ most overlooked $36B digital market
By WiT | June 5, 2026
Explore data from WiT's "Online Travel Tracker Volume 5: Philippines In Focus."   Read More
Expedia Group chairman Barry Diller says AI won't replace humans
News / Technology
Expedia Group chairman Barry Diller says AI won't replace humans
By Morgan Hines | June 5, 2026
Expedia Group is intent on pursuing AI opportunities, but the company’s chairman has expressed apprehension over the technology. Read More
The Phocuswright Conference 2026