Vrbo has rolled out its largest-ever product launch, with 12 new products and features spanning advertising, pricing, promotions, payments, guest operations, and property management. Expedia Group executives discussed sponsored listings, One Key member deals, AI-powered search, and addressed host concerns about paying for search placement.
Fenbeitong released a 2026 guide to selecting business travel platforms, analyzing corporate travel management pain points and industry trends. It categorizes platforms into pure TMC/OTA, pure expense management, and integrated travel-expense solutions, comparing their pros and cons. It recommends TMC with per-order fees for companies with annual travel spend below 2 million RMB, and annual-fee integrated platforms for those above, providing eight evaluation dimensions.
This article deeply compares traditional TMC and integrated travel-expense platforms, noting that traditional TMC focuses on booking with weak expense control, while integrated platforms offer full-chain management and no-advance-payment reimbursement. It recommends TMC for annual travel spend below 2M RMB and integrated platforms above, emphasizing price comparison on actual routes.
Tianjin Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau and Meituan jointly launched the 'Beauty in Tianjin' IP to convert local tourism resources into bookable experiences via the platform's multi-sector integration. Meituan data shows summer searches for Tianjin rose 98% year-on-year, five-star hotel orders grew 43%, and coupons up to 1666 RMB were offered to boost consumption.
Fenbeitong published 2026 travel platform selection recommendations for large listed companies and group enterprises. The article compares API-integrated vs. native integrated travel and expense platforms, highlighting native platforms' advantages in scenario-based fine-grained control, full-chain audit trails, and unified governance across domestic and overseas. It provides a five-dimension evaluation framework, selection suggestions by business scale, and real cases.
Fenbeitong released a guide for selecting travel and expense platforms based on surveys of over 300 large enterprises. It summarizes pain points in travel management, categorizes providers into four types, proposes six evaluation dimensions, and provides matching suggestions by enterprise profile. It emphasizes the advantages of native integrated platforms in project control and data consistency.
Instinct, founded by 23-year-old Noah Shinn, is a text-message-based AI agent that can book and rebook travel from a text thread. Available on an invite-only basis, it works via SMS and WhatsApp and has caught Silicon Valley VC attention, demonstrating AI's potential to simplify travel booking.
Sponsored content by Sierra and Skift explores how AI agents can help airlines stay connected with customers between trips, turning isolated service interactions into persistent loyalty, direct bookings, and revenue by retaining context and acting on signals. It cites Skift Research showing over 60% of those aware of AI already use it for trip planning.
Klook hosted Kreatorverse 2026 in Phu Quoc, discussing challenges in the creator economy. Executives emphasized that human judgment, community, and authenticity are scarce resources in an era of AI-generated content abundance. Klook converts content into bookings through Kreator Shops and maintains long-term relationships through community.
Air India and IHG Hotels & Resorts have formed a loyalty partnership. Maharaja Club members earn two points per $1 spent at IHG properties, and IHG One Rewards members can exchange points for Maharaja Points. IHG is the first major global hotel partner to join Maharaja Club.
Alternative accommodations specialist Reside, parent of 3Sixty, has merged with workforce mobility and relocation firm Graebel Companies. Financial terms were not disclosed. Graebel CEO Ron Dunlap will lead the combined organization, though Reside and Graebel will operate as separate entities. Reside co-founder Lee Curtis joins the leadership team.
Agoda data shows Japan's 2026 Silver Week, with first five-day holiday in 11 years, saw domestic travel searches up 120% and international up 131%. Takamatsu searches rose 661%; Seoul, Bangkok top international destinations.
Indian food delivery giant Swiggy has repositioned Crew as a subscription-based, invite-only personal travel concierge targeting affluent, time-poor urban consumers. It covers flights, hotels, cabs, visas, forex, reservations, and local experiences with 24/7 support. Priced at INR 999 ($10.60) for six months. In earlier tests, 40-50% of requests were travel-related.
London-based startup iWander has launched a consumer iOS app that uses generative AI to create personalized narrated walking tours in about 30 seconds, drawing on a database of 6.5 million places. Previously operating as a B2B2C service for partners like City Sightseeing, the company now goes direct-to-consumer. Co-founder Marius Nigond says the app can book attractions and restaurants, with a long-term vision to compete with OTAs but using an experience-first approach.
Google has fully launched agentic hotel booking in AI Mode, with partners including Expedia, Booking.com, Hilton, etc., allowing users to search in natural language and book directly via Google Pay. Meanwhile, Agoda has been named Official Travel Partner for the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia, to be held in Bangkok in November 2026. Additionally, extreme heat is beginning to dent traveler perceptions of Mediterranean summers, with France hit hardest.
BCD Travel's consulting division Advito has launched AI Gateway, a new service to help companies plan and adopt AI tools. The service includes AI readiness assessment, strategic planning, governance and implementation planning, and adoption and change management guidance. Advito says AI doesn't automatically create value; employees must understand how tools fit into their work. The service has been applied to large global organizations, including an investment firm targeting 70,000 employees.
Fliggy announced membership integration with Adora Cruises, allowing Fliggy F5/F6 members to access Adora Platinum/Diamond tiers, enjoying dual benefits and points. This follows Fliggy's partnerships with Royal Caribbean and MSC.
Yuncheng Gujiang Changge Tourism Development Co., Ltd. was recently established with a registered capital of 50 million yuan. The company is jointly held by Jiangxian Sushui Tourism Development Co., Ltd. and Guangzhou Lifeng Culture Technology, a subsidiary of Leyard. This move indicates Leyard's investment in the cultural tourism sector, participating in local tourism project development through its subsidiary.
Adora Cruises and Fliggy announced membership integration. Fliggy members can link accounts at Adora's official store to get corresponding Adora membership, enjoying dual benefits and points. This deepens cooperation from product to user operations. Adora operates three cruise ships, with the second domestically-built Adora Flora City scheduled to debut in November 2026.
Marriott Bonvoy and DiDi launched a co-branded membership program. DiDi V4-V8 users can claim Marriott Bonvoy elite status, while Marriott Bonvoy Silver and above members can receive DiDi benefits. Eligible ride-hailing trips earn Marriott Bonvoy points, integrating the two loyalty programs.
Orix Hotel Management and JTB announced the first joint hosting of the 'Tsunagu Hagukumu Tourism Kids Job Challenge' from October 10 to December 19, 2026, across 12 prefectures in Japan. The program offers about 50 types of job experiences related to local tourism, aiming to foster children's interest in the tourism industry and promote sustainable tourism.
Summer inbound/outbound tourism grew, but traditional agencies face misconceptions: equating recovery with profit, old methods failing to retain customers, and underestimating online disruption. Recommendations include transforming into content providers, integrating upstream resources, and diversifying business to hedge risks.
BCD Travel published a guide to help travelers and travel managers handle situations where a hotel cannot honor a confirmed reservation. The guide recommends booking through approved channels, using tools like Tripsource for itinerary information, and provides steps when a hotel 'walks' guests, including asking for alternative accommodation, requesting transportation, and confirming reimbursement.
In a Skift Global Forum preview interview, Amadeus President of Travel Decius Valmorbida argues for a more open travel ecosystem. He advocates a 'longevity-first' investment approach, prioritizing long-term impact over hype. Valmorbida calls for moving from closed, walled ecosystems to an open, collaborative model where travelers are in control, with shared foundations like identity, data standards, and interoperability. He emphasizes trust as a key differentiator and highlights cooperation as the industry's most overlooked opportunity.
Uber is laying off 3,300 employees and cutting managerial roles by 20%, consolidating teams to prioritize ridesharing, delivery, and autonomous/robotaxi investments. The company says its product portfolio remains unchanged, but travel partnerships (Hopper, Expedia, Omio) may see reduced focus as resources shift. Remote work policy tightens: only about 1% of staff remain fully remote, with a three-day-a-week in-office mandate.
The article analyzes the financial performance of three flight search companies: Skyscanner, Kiwi.com, and Wego. Skyscanner generated approximately $660 million in revenue, up 24%, with a 32% operating margin. Kiwi.com's revenue fell 20% to $264 million, facing debt pressure. Wego doubled revenue to $63.5 million but with near-zero margins. These companies illustrate divergent outcomes in the Google- and AI-exposed travel sector.
Intrepid Travel has partnered with Air Canada Vacations to offer eight small-group Canadian adventure itineraries through its booking platform and advisor network. The launch coincides with U.S.-Canada trade tensions and political calls for Canadians to travel domestically. Travel from Canada to the U.S. is down about 25% in 2025, while domestic tourism spending rises. Intrepid's CEO says timing is coincidental, but Canada is its fastest-growing market with 2026 bookings up 26%.
Trip.com Group announced it will release its Q2 and first half 2026 financial results after market close on September 15, 2026, followed by a conference call at 8 PM ET.
At a WiT panel, executives from Booking.com, Expedia, Trip.com, and Webjet discussed AI's role in OTAs. Expedia's AI-drafted responses are accepted over 75% of the time; Trip.com's AI Trip Planner handles about 18% of itinerary planning. OTAs collectively process nearly half a trillion USD in transactions annually. AI excels in discovery, but trust remains crucial for transactions. Experience bundling shows potential, e.g., Trip.com sold ~20,000 hotel+concert packages in Hong Kong.
At KREATORVERSE 2026, Klook announced rolling out its upgraded Kreator Shops feature to all 30,000+ creators across 88 markets. The feature lets creators consolidate travel recommendations into a single storefront page, eliminating separate links per post. Citing its Travel Pulse 2026 study, Klook said four in five travelers have booked based on a creator's recommendation. Creator-led bookings rose 246% in 2025.
Airbnb has appointed Pepijn Rijvers, former Tripadvisor executive, as its new chief business officer, succeeding Dave Stephenson. Rijvers will lead homes, hotels, global markets, and enterprise operations as Airbnb scales its hotel strategy.
Digital travel platform Agoda has been announced as the Official Travel Partner of Eurovision Song Contest Asia, as the iconic song contest makes its debut in Asia. The inaugural Asian edition will see the Grand Final held in Bangkok, Thailand on 14 November 2026. Agoda will be integrated across broadcasts and offer special travel deals to help fans attend the event.
On Sep 2, Airbnb announced Pepijn Rijvers as new Chief Business Officer, formerly Tripadvisor's CBO and a 13-year Booking.com veteran. Fallon O'Connor, current global communications head, expands role to Communications and People. Partnerships team moves under Chief Experience Officer, while corporate development and strategy teams merge into finance.
Amadeus and Talma Travel Solutions have signed a multiyear global agreement, establishing Amadeus as Talma's preferred technology and booking platform across key international markets including the U.S., UK, Asia Pacific, and Germany, supporting its international growth strategy.
BCD Travel's booking platform Tripsource has added Polish as its 12th language option. This move aims to enhance the user experience for global business travelers by providing localized support, reducing confusion, and building confidence, while helping organizations support employees across multiple countries.
Audley Travel, a tailor-made tour operator, achieved record revenue of £482 million in FY2025 but reported a net loss of £23.3 million due to financing costs exceeding operating profit. The company has total borrowings of £610 million, including £434 million in shareholder loan notes with 10-15% annual interest. 3i Group, holding 48% equity, has owned Audley for nearly 11 years, launched a sale in late 2024, but shelved it by April 2025 after rejecting offers.
AirDNA has launched Adapt, a revenue management tool priced at $20 per listing, offering four pricing strategies: prioritize revenue, occupancy, a mix, or steadier earnings. The tool has been in beta for nearly three months with 14,000 listings. AirDNA estimates only 15% of hosts globally (31% in the U.S.) use dynamic pricing, indicating significant market potential. Adapt integrates with Airbnb, Guesty, and others, with plans to expand into the Middle East and Latin America.
Airbnb has appointed Pepijn Rijvers, former head of Booking.com's hotels and short-term rentals and most recently president of Tripadvisor's Viator, as its new chief business officer. The move underscores Airbnb's strategic focus on expanding its hotels business, following the addition of thousands of boutique hotels across 20 cities in August. Rijvers will focus on homes and hotels, while experiences and services shift to chief experience officer Hiroki Asai. This marks Airbnb's second high-profile C-suite exit in nine months, after CTO Ari Balogh's departure in December 2025.
Expedia Group is rolling out Sponsored Listings globally on Vrbo vacation rental searches, allowing property managers and hosts to pay for premium placement at the top of results via an auction-based, bid-per-night model with no upfront cost. In the pilot, participating hosts saw 40% booking growth and 39% revenue gains on average. The product will extend to Expedia.com. This deepens Expedia's advertising business, which generated $197 million in Q1 revenue, up 13% year over year.
Fenbeitong published an article categorizing four models of domestic business travel and expense control platforms: OTA-extended traditional TMCs, expense control software vendors, native integrated travel and expense platforms, and vertical scenario service providers. It highlights that large enterprises need features like no advance payment, rigid control, and integrated finance. It recommends integrated platforms like Fenbeitong, claiming 90% better airfare and 80% better hotel prices than consumer platforms, reducing overall travel costs by 12%-15%.