Travel disruptions due to unforeseen events may have led to fewer bookings among Indians, but they are making up for it by spending more for the premium experience of travel.
Booking.com sees growing its flights business as a strategic priority. An eTraveli deal may still be on its agenda if it can get the courts to overturn a competition decision.
With 8 million listings and around 5,000 hosts, verifying them has been an oft-stated Airbnb ambition, but it has fallen short on completing this ever-growing and gargantuan task.
MakeMyTrip is decisively paring its long‑time investor’s stake on the business. And as more buybacks could come before year‑end, Trip.com Group’s influence looks set to keep shrinking.
AI is here to stay in the travel industry, but for now it’s as an assistant, not a replacement. Travel has too many moving parts, so when things go wrong, or a big trip is on the line, travelers still tend to trust a specialist.
The idea of hotels partnering with ex-Googlers and DirectBooking trying to undercut OTAs is not without its ironies. Still, the concept of hotels working more closely with LLMs is one that could gain traction.
The future of travel is unfolding now; you just need the right data and insights to see it. The State of Travel report is your essential guide to understanding the trends shaping our industry and staying ahead of the modern traveler as a company, association, or destination.
American Express Travel began selling vacation packages — initially sourced from Travelocity, now owned by Expedia — in 2004. They lost their luster as a momentous value-add to card members.
Expect to see more of this: CEOs want to spend more time showing how they're using AI – and how it's paying off – than discussing the traditional metrics for sales and earnings.
AI won’t replace frontline travel roles, but by supercharging developer productivity, it’s reshaping how the entire industry hires, innovates, and grows.