For years the conventional wisdom has been that people won’t research and buy a complex product like airfare on smartphones. But that assumption may no longer be true. Hopper, the airfare prediction app, says it is now processing $1 million in flights a day. That’s a rapid rise for the…
This is a regular roundup of some of the latest mobile app startup launches in travel covering everything from trip inspiration and planning to virtual assistants. Discover What is it? Discover is described as a Tinder-like iPhone app for travellers to mark destinations with Been There, Add to Bucket List…
Severe weather, terrorism, virus outbreaks – there are plenty of risks travelers face these days, all of which can derail travel plans. And while awareness of travel protection options continues to increase, travelers might still not always readily think insurance is an affordable option for them. NB This is…
Indian OTA Yatra.com has identified an immediate offline-to-online shift in bookings after the government took some older banknotes out of circulation at short notice. The so-called “demonitisation” was announced at the start of November, effectively giving notice that older 500 rupees ($7.40) and 1000 rupees ($14.80) notes were no…
Despite the dominance of Expedia Inc, Priceline Group and Ctrip, there are enough openings and opportunities for travel agents of all shapes and sizes – online, offline and emerging startups – to succeed. NB This is a viewpoint by Madhavan Kasthuri, online technical sales director, EMEA, Sabre Travel Network….
In the business venture world, travel tech startups and established firms alike have to compete for attention with financial tech, property tech, education tech, to say nothing of AI and security, the list goes on. NB This is a viewpoint by Evan Davies, founder of The Booking Factory. Online…
With the help of Institute for Global Futures, Hotels.com has come up a forecast of what the hotel of the future might look like. The company describes the trends as ‘super-tech meet super science’ and projects forward as far as 2065 to see not only what the guest experience might…
The hotel industry’s next big challenge is to offer a service that supports guests throughout their journey – from inspiration, booking and payment, to transfers, check-in, stay and departure. NB: This is a viewpoint by Thomas Heldorff, VP travel and airlines, global eCommerce at Worldpay. A customer-centric service that…
Traxo has landed another sizeble investment round – this time a Series B injection led by TripAdvisor to the tune of $5.2 million. The user review giant joins existing backers Thayer Ventures, Advantage Capital Partners and Silver Creek Ventures, as well as another new participant Aristos Ventures. The Texas, US-based company is a best…
Use of Airbnb is growing faster than industry commentators predicted, with hotels the main losers in the new accommodation war. A large survey and follow-up analysis by global financial services giant Morgan Stanley says that Airbnb penetration of the accommodation sector is hitting somewhere in the region of 18-19%, up from 12%…