WTTC outlines digital solutions for governments to restore international travel

in a new report the wttc urges governments to activate a digital travel portal to recognize travelers digital covid certificates

American Express GBT will go public via SPAC at $5.3B valuation

the transaction expected to close in the first half of 2022 160 is expected to provide up to 1 2 billion of gross proceeds of which 335 million is fully committed from new investors including sabre

Sounding Off: IPOs might hamper the spirit of innovation

the balance between the formalities and culture of becoming a public company alongside fostering an ability to try new things is a difficult one

Selina plots public listing via SPAC

selina which was launched in 2015 is combining with existing spac new york based boa acquisition corp with gross proceeds of 285 million anticipated from the deal

Sabre highlights agency recovery strategies, tech investment priorities

a study by sabre highlights the top five strategies being followed by agencies as they look to recover which include personalized bundles for travelers targeting higher yield customer and investing...

VIDEO: Local Purse - Summit pitch at Phocuswright Conference 2021

Kayak leads $60M Series C for Life House

life house and kayak have been working together since last spring with the 160 opening of kayak miami beach a hotel managed by life house

VIDEO: Accenture on being agile, data-driven and prepared for the future

if we accept personalization digitalization and decentralized processes are going to be movements to adopt over the next five to 10 years positioning and structuring a business now would be a...

YouTrip eyes B2B payments following $30M funding round

singapore based youtrip says its app has been downloaded more than 1 5 million times and that it has processed some 20 million transactions across singapore and thailand

Six ways COVID has changed the airline industry

moving into 2022 airlines will need to focus on convenience and predictability to meet consumer demands

VIDEO: Tripkicks - Summit pitch at Phocuswright Conference 2021

a simple add on to business travel programs that provides the tools to influence traveler behavior

Hot 25 Startups 2022: TrovaTrip

trovatrip is a trip planning and management platform that enables topic experts creators and businesses to host group trips with their audience around the globe

Q&A: Cvent CEO Reggie Aggarwal on hybrid futures and going public again

cvent founder and ceo reggie aggarwal spoke with btn in late november and says the company planned to be listed on the nasdaq exchange the morning of december 9

VIDEO: IDEAS on how hotels can do more with less through automation

klaus kohlmayr of ideas explains how automating revenue management can help hotels faced with labor shortages

GetYourGuide builds B2B unit to grow SaaS offering

getyourguide says 160 there are about 50 partners currently using the saas solution and now it is creating a team to grow the business

VIDEO: Wheel The World - Summit pitch at Phocuswright Conference 2021

wheel the world is an accessibility booking platform for people with disabilities to book hotels and tours confidently

PROS acquires direct travel sales platform EveryMundo for $80M

the cash deal for u s based everymundo will also include the delivery of 10 million stock in the future subject to conditions

VIDEO: How Expedia Group wants to sharpen its focus

appointed at the outset of the pandemic 160 peter kern appears to be a pragmatic and humble ceo something that many companies have been in sore need of during the last two years

VIDEO: YouTip - Summit pitch winner at Phocuswright Conference 2021

enterprise level digital tipping system for an emerging cashless society more money for workers more convenience for guests

Sounding Off: Pace of change in travel is not totally under its control

if the 2000s and 2010s were about creating mega platforms and the centralization of product pricing and experience a new era for travel is likely to see the reverse taking place

VIDEO: RedDoorz on growth, distribution and IPO plans

despite the devastating effects of the covid 19 pandemic on asia singapore based reddoorz is emerging from the crisis with its ambitious vision intact

Webjet brings Trip Ninja back from the brink with strategic acquisition

terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed for 160 multi city flight search tech provider but the management team headed by ceo andres collart will still be involved in the business

VIDEO: Despegar on using the pandemic to its advantage

speaking in the phocuswire studio during the phocuswright conference despegar ceo damian scokin explains how the pandemic hasn t dulled the ota s growth ambitions

Why gambling on women in travel is a good bet

how fostering an uplifting environment for women has spurred growth for one travel company

In The Big Chair - Nicolas Huss of Hotelbeds

nicolas huss became ceo of hotelbeds just over six months ago taking up the reins from chairman joan vila

Booking Holdings acquires ETraveli Group for €1.6 billion

existing owner cvc capital partners has owned the sweden based etraveli group since 2017

Peek secures $80M Series C round led by ex-Airbnb exec

the round which brings the tours and activities platform s total funding to more than 100 million was led by laurence tosi s westcap and goldman sachs

PhocusWire Pulse: Emerging Innovation

for our ninth event this year we focus on emerging innovation as it relates to technology and processes impacting on the travel tourism and hospitality sector in 2022

Tier acquires nextbike to round out micro-mobility service

berlin based tier has purchased 100 of the shares in nextbike in an all cash transaction

Connect&GO adds $3M investment for attractions tech push

canada based connect go says its latest funding will go towards international expansion

Business travel spend back to pre-pandemic levels by 2024

while the recovery of business travel in 2021 has proceeded at a slower pace than predicted last year global business travel spend is expected to surge in 2022

American Airlines enables direct connection through Winding Tree

through the partnership employees of an unnamed large corporate buyer can book their leisure travel directly with american airlines without the use of an intermediary while still receiving the...

VIDEO: An investor on why everything is hot right now

despite the sector being on its knees for the majority of the last two years vcs are considering the industry as a market of opportunity as covid 19 restrictions ease and consumers look to venture...

AirAsia adds biometric facial recognition to super app services

the biometric technology known as fast airport clearance experience system faces will be deployed initially 160 for air travel and in the philippines

Borrow A Boat raises £1.1M through crowdfunding

launched in 2017 borrow a boat s platform includes both peer to peer listings as well as boat rental through traditional charter companies

OTA Insight raises $80M Series B funding for expansion

the company currently serves more than 55 000 properties in 185 countries and says it will use the funding for product innovation and global expansion

Marriott joins IHG on Amadeus reservations platform

amadeus announced ihg as the launch partner for the technology in 2015 160 and hoped to bring on similar enterprise level companies to create a community platform in the ensuing years

Revinate acquires AI messaging solution Go Moment

the combined company will be called revinate and go moment ceo raj singh will become chief strategy officer

VIDEO: SPACs and the future of travel investing

during a session at the 160 phocuswright conference 2021 160 this week a session on spacs put the spotlight on the benefits and pitfalls of using the mechanism to go public

TravelBank acquired by U.S. Bancorp

u s based travelbank a member of the 160 phocuswire hot 25 travel startups for 2020 160 collection is a travel and expenses management platform

Google highlights three trends that will shape travel in 2022

according to the online search giant travel will become more meaningful inclusive and purposeful moving into 2022

Welcome to the Hot 25 Startups for 2022

phocuswire presents the hot 25 travel startups for 2022 our annual list of new companies in travel tourism and hospitality that we think will make a mark next year

STARTUP STAGE: The Host Co. adds hotel-style amenities to rentals

founded in september 2020 the host co enables hosts to create an online store to sell anything in their property from snacks to phone chargers to artwork

Booking Holdings to acquire Getaroom for $1.2B

the b2b hotel room distributor will roll into booking holdings priceline brand to form a new strategic partnerships business unit

Lastminute.com Group credits package trips for revenue boost

ceo andrea bertoli says he expects a return to normality for leisure travel demand during the course of 2022

VIDEO: Trip.com Group on its recovery investment strategy

in an interview during wit experience singapore 2021 trip com group co founder and executive chairman james liang says 160 the company is ready to return to a growth mindset

The Phocuswright Conference 2021 - five questions for accommodation executives

a panel this year focusing on accommodation features noah brodsky travel leisure group vered raviv schwarz guesty sam shank hoteltonight and airbnb and chris silcock hilton

Travel industry urged to be more ambitious on sustainability

a roadmap to net zero report from the wttc and accenture says some elements of travel could full decarbonize before 2030

Hospitality tech startup Amenitiz nabs €6.5M for Europe expansion