Here's our roundup of the people, product and partner news from the global travel industry this week.
This roundup was created with the assistance of Claude.
Traxo, Everbridge
Traxo and Everbridge have partnered to feed real-time travel booking data into Everbridge's critical event management platform. Traxo captures bookings across 1,000+ points of sale, including those made outside managed channels, and streams them into Everbridge automatically.
This gives security teams visibility into all traveler locations before an incident, not just bookings made through travel management companies. Setup requires no custom development; mutual clients authorize the connection.
Uganda Airlines, Amadeus
Uganda Airlines has adopted Amadeus SkyWORKS, a flight schedule development tool offering an integrated workbench, real-time feasibility checks and centralized schedule data. The deal extends an existing relationship covering Altéa, revenue and loyalty management. Uganda Airlines expects the tool to support growth across East Africa. Launched in 2019, the carrier connects East African destinations to South Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and recently added an interline partnership with Air India.
Cendyn, Google
Cendyn is participating in Google's closed beta for search campaigns for travel, a new ad format combining booking links and search ads into one campaign, using Smart Bidding. Cendyn feeds it live availability, rates and inventory data and first-party guest/booking data from its digital marketing platform, aiming to give Google's artificial intelligence (AI) more complete signals than the fragmented data hotels have typically provided. During the beta, Cendyn will work with select customers to test integration and features ahead of wider release.
Blastness appoints COO
Blastness has appointed Francis Louis Passerini as COO, reporting to CEO Andrea Delfini. Passerini will oversee revenue management, helpdesk, customer care, digital marketing and web development, with a focus on scaling operations following the company's recent acquisitions.
Passerini spent 24 years at D-Edge Hospitality Solutions (formerly FastBooking) as managing director for Italy and Middle East and Africa, previously holding roles including deputy director of the digital agency and VP of sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa across Venice, Paris, Singapore and Tokyo. He brings over 30 years of experience in hospitality, travel tech and digital marketing.
Guesty, AirDNA
Guesty and AirDNA have launched an integration linking Guesty portfolio data with AirDNA Adapt's dynamic pricing platform. Listing details, reservations, calendars and rates flow into Adapt, which layers on market and comp data to generate rate recommendations. Operators can then sync nightly rates and minimum stays back through Guesty at the listing level. Adapt is live now via the Guesty Marketplace.
Vietnam's tourism boom
Vietnam's record-breaking tourism numbers are drawing fresh investment from Klook. The Vietnam Authority of Tourism logged nearly 13.9 million international arrivals through July, up 13.8% year on year, while Klook said its own Vietnam demand jumped 72%. The platform signed memorandum of understanding partnerships with attraction operators Vinpearl and Sun Hospitality and Entertainment covering marketing, product development and data-sharing. Klook also pointed to 30-40% growth in secondary cities like Da Nang and Phu Quoc.
ETG's advertising unit
Emerging Travel Group has launched Marketing Hub, a dedicated advertising unit as demand for promotional opportunities from travel industry partners grows and marketing revenue climbs. The unit combines RateHawk and ZenHotels' owned channels with an external network of media and distribution partners, giving brands one point of access to plan and run campaigns. It targets hotels, airlines, rail operators, tourism boards, destination marketing organizations and destination management companies, covering the full campaign lifecycle from strategy through reporting.
Omio work-travel platform expands
Omio has taken Omio Business, its work-travel platform for small teams, sole traders and freelancers, worldwide following a U.K. launch earlier this year. The platform combines train, bus, flight and accommodation booking in one account, with VAT-compliant invoicing, centralized booking history and cost tracking. There are no contracts, subscriptions or minimum spend.