Gojek and Tokopedia merge to create GoTo Group

the combined gojek tokopedia entity is tagging itself the go to ecosystem for daily life

Short-term rental demand surpasses 2019 levels

in the u s april marks the first month since the start of the coronavirus pandemic to surpass 2019 performance though other regions lag behind

Rental car firms face shortage as travel demand revs back up

experts predict the car rental shortage will get worse as summer travel picks up

Sounding Off: Travel is an emotional experience - now more than ever

travel brands will do well to consider the different types of emotions that people currently have even if there is zero chance of them getting a booking from them this year

How to help DMOs transform travel through data and technology

a modern approach to destination marketing is needed especially in this upcoming recovery phase combining technology and collaboration

Airbnb revenue climbs 5% as travel rebounded in Q1 2021

airbnb revenue grew 5 to 887 million in the first quarter of 2021 though losses mounted to 1 2 billion

Travel tech startup Pluto raises second crowdfund, receives B Corp certification

london based pluto has raised 200 000 on seedrs and has been recognized for its social and environmental standards 160

Hotel booking windows gradually lengthening as traveler confidence returns

occupancy rates vary in different regions according to a report with china hitting rates of 60 and north america 50 but europe is still trailing at around 18 attributed to a slower easing of travel...

Holidu raises $45M in Series D funding

holidu says the new funding will be used to accelerate the growth of its vacation rental search engine and its vacation rental software business bookiply

PhocusWire Pulse: Decoding Travel Security

our fourth phocuswire pulse looks at the current state and future of security in travel examining issues ranging from biometrics system breaches listing fraud and blockchain

Priceline acquires Germany-based startup Flyiin

according to priceline the acquisition will help booking holdings build out its flights business as part of the online travel giant s long touted connected trip strategy

Signs point north for travel startup funding in 2021

travel startups have attracted multiple smaller investments in 2021 as well as one or two sizable ones demonstrating interest has not faded away in supporting new businesses

Kayak partners with Veritas to offer self-collection COVID tests to travelers

kayak users can order the kits through a link on the metasearch site that gives them discounted pricing

VIDEO: Why live video shopping is the future of travel retail

speaking during phocuswire pulse a new age for social media 160 local purse co founder lola akinmade akerstrom 160 discussed the live video shopping experience and why it s the future of retail

Sounding Off: The travel management landscape had to change

two significant deals in business travel this week are an indication of where that sector currently finds itself taking a few chances and capitalizing on the digitalization of the travel industry 160

Amadeus revenues halve in early-2021, vaccine programs offer hope

the spain based it and distribution provider saw its total revenue figure come in at 50 lower in the first quarter of the year compared to the corresponding three months in 2020

Airbnb expands remote work partner program

airbnb is providing gifts cards for remote workers to stay in one of their properties in communities that are trying to entice them to relocate

WEBINAR ALERT! Survey says: The new trends shaping travel

amadeus offers insight from a research report containing exclusive findings from a global hotelier survey and reveals not only what covid 19 strategies are working but also what hoteliers have to...

Fly Now Pay Later adds £10M to Series A

the london based alternative payments company plans to launch in the u s

Booking Holdings sees upward trend in Q1, focuses on buildout of connected trip

booking com s flight product a key part of the connected trip is now available in 18 countries and q1 had the highest number of air tickets ever booked in a single quarter

Uber minimizes losses, hits gross bookings high in Q1 2021

for q1 2021 uber recorded a net loss of 108 million compared to a net loss of 968 million in q4 2020

Aruba tests blockchain-enabled COVID credential app

the aruba health app developed by sita and indicio tech aims to preserve traveler privacy and eliminate fraud

VIDEO: Capturing the social zeitgeist with Clubhouse for travel

the audio only meeting and discussion app has only been in the market since march 2020 but has since ignited speculation ranging from it being a podcast killer to the future of customer engagement...

Infare acquires business intelligence platform Air Cube

infare and air cube headquartered in denmark and france respectively first cemented a strategic partnership in 2015

TripActions buys Reed & Mackay in first-ever acquisition

Lyft sees revenue uptick in Q1 2021, claims profitability by Q3

lyft revenue grew 7 quarter over quarter from 569 9 million to 609 million as the ride share company continues its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic

Expedia sells Egencia to American Express Global Business Travel

expedia group will become a shareholder in amex gbt and part of the agreement will see the pair enter a long term strategic partnership

Hotel professionals eye a 2023 recovery timeline, but too late for some

the pandemic has hit the hotel segment hard with 15 preparing to hand the keys for their properties back to lenders

In The Big Chair - Roberto Martinoli of Silversea Cruises

Sherpa raises $8.5M to meet demand for its travel rules platform

in the past year sherpa says the number of airlines and other travel companies using sherpa s products has tripled

Sonder plans to go public through SPAC on a $2.2B valuation

sonder is merging with special purpose acquisition company gores metropoulos ii to take the company public

Female leadership in travel remains lacking

despite the heightened awareness around women in leadership and diversity in the travel industry over the past year the needle barely moved a report from the castell project reveals

Autonomous shuttle startup EasyMile raises €55M for global scaleup

the france based startup is one of the largest providers of driverless mobility solutions with deployments around the world including a pilot at dallas fort worth international airport

TravelPerk bags $160M round as investors back business travel recovery

travelperk says product innovation and further acquisitions are part of the roadmap

Booking windows, trip duration up as consumers return to travel

skyscanner has identified several trends it says are defining consumer behavior as it relates to travel planning and purchasing

Trivago expands to sell activities, courtesy of Musement deal

tui owned musement will power the channel for trivago giving it 55 000 excursions activities and tickets to attractions in 140 countries around the world

VIDEO: Brian Solis on a new age for customer engagement in travel

he shares his perspective on the evolution of social media and the development of new tactics and more importantly requirements around customer engagement

Lyft offloads self-driving car unit to Toyota

lyft is selling its self driving vehicle division to woven planet holdings a subsidiary of toyota motor corporation for 550 million

PhocusWire Pulse LIVE STREAM: A New Age For Social Media

Under the sheets – optimize your hotel to maximize revenue

hotels are ignoring much of their available space by basing business on revenue per available room alone

Guesty raises $50M as spotlight remains on short-term rental sector

in addition to the funding round guesty has announced it has also acquired software company your porter

TripAbrood adds £654,000 in seed funding for AI-powered assistant

family travel assistant tripabrood plans to use its latest funding to launch its product to the u k market

Dutch electric mobility startup raises €50M for international expansion

go sharing will add new markets as well as e bikes and electric cars

Sounding Off: A big deal for some is not a big deal for all

annoying as it might be for smaller players 160 the likes of expedia group and the mega brands in the market arguably have the resources to embark on major projects in tandem with other developments

Vancouver Airport creates technology testbed for new revenue streams

the canadian airport 160 is looking at ways to leverage its assets differently while much of its operations remain on hold because of the pandemic

How the pandemic is reshaping hotel distribution strategies and onboarding

updated tech tools and new strategies are surfacing as distribution partners prepare for travel to resume

BlaBlaCar raises $115M to expand carpool and bus services

blablacar says it has witnessed double digit growth in its markets outside of europe and is expecting a strong travel rebound in europe this summer

Dott raises $85M to expand scooter service to e-bikes

the series b investment is led by belgian finance house sofina and estari a growth equity partner that invests in european technology companies

Singapore-based GlobalTix raises S$3M to develop new digital solutions for attractions industry

since the start of the covid 19 pandemic globaltix says the company has expanded from being a channel manager to also providing technology solutions across asia pacific for its attractions tours...