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Oct 7Tue
  1. US Travel Advisories

    US State Department Reissues Maldives Advisory: Level 2 Maintained

    The U.S. Department of State reissued its Maldives travel advisory on October 7, 2025, with no changes to the advisory level or risk indicators, keeping it at Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) due to terrorism. The updated summary states that terrorist groups may attack with little or no warning, potentially targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets and shopping malls, and local government facilities. Attacks on remote islands may lengthen authorities' response time.

  2. US Travel Advisories

    U.S. State Department: Maldives Level 2, exercise increased caution (terrorism)

    The U.S. Department of State issued a travel advisory for the Maldives, advising increased caution (Level 2) due to terrorism. Terrorist groups may attack with little or no warning, potentially targeting tourist locations, transport hubs, markets and shopping malls, and local government facilities. Attacks may occur on remote islands, which can lengthen the response time of authorities.

Oct 6Mon
  1. Amadeus Newsroom

    Amadeus Hosts Agentic AI Hackathon in Bangkok

    Amadeus hosted a hackathon in Bangkok in October 2025 focused on using agentic AI to simplify traveler experiences, enhance personalization, and improve travel operations. Travel players from Asia Pacific used at least one Amadeus Self-Service API alongside Google Cloud's Gemini models, Agent Engine on Vertex AI, and Agent Development Kit. The theme was reimagining search, book, and service experiences. Teams included Trip.com, MakeMyTrip, PKFARE, and BCD Travel. Winning ideas covered personalized travel assistants, business travel assistance, and autonomous search agents.

Oct 3Fri
  1. SAP Concur Blog

    Five Ways Concur Invoice Simplifies Accounts Payable

    SAP Concur published an article on how Concur Invoice simplifies accounts payable. The tool uses AI, OCR, machine learning, and human verification to ensure invoice data accuracy, and supports digital storage of paper, email, or electronic invoices. It offers real-time spend visibility, automatic audit trails, pre-spend controls, and workflow automation including cost coding, dollar thresholds, and exception management, with integration into ERP, accounting, and payment systems. Citing the 2024 SAP Concur ROI Research Study, organizations using the tool achieved 35% more invoices processed per month, 20% cost savings, 70% increase in policy compliance, and 10% less time on invoice approvals.

  2. Amadeus Newsroom

    Amadeus Altéa Debuts in Pakistan with AirSial Collaboration

    Pakistan-based airline AirSial signed a new deal with Amadeus to deploy the Altéa Departure Control – Customer Management solution, aiming to enhance passenger and agent experiences at the airport. Integrated with other Altéa tools, the solution provides a unified platform covering check-in through baggage handling, enabling online check-in, seamless payments, and digital boarding passes. Launched in 2020, AirSial operates scheduled passenger and cargo services domestically and internationally, including Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, and Medina in Saudi Arabia and Muscat in Oman, and recently launched Dubai flights.

Oct 1Wed
  1. SAP Concur Blog

    SAP Concur and Amex GBT Establish Strategic Alliance

    SAP Concur announced a strategic alliance with American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) and the launch of Complete, a co-developed next-generation solution. With AI at its core, Complete aims to combine booking, servicing, payments, and expensing into one experience. It will integrate the Amex GBT marketplace, covering 600+ airlines and 2 million+ properties, into the SAP Concur technology stack. Concur Expense will also integrate with Amex GBT Egencia. The two companies will allocate funding and development resources, accelerating NDC content releases and unified traveler support.

  2. SAP Concur Blog

    Why Integrating Corporate Cards and P-Cards into One Workflow Matters

    SAP Concur published an article on the value of integrating corporate cards and P-cards into one workflow. Corporate cards cover everyday expenses like employee travel and meals, while P-cards cover vendor or department purchases with richer data and stricter controls. Integration enables real-time spend visibility, streamlined reconciliation, unified approval workflows, and stronger compliance and control. Citing the Weatherford case, which previously had 40+ card programs and dozens of local systems, integration delivered a 47% boost in workforce efficiency, 25% lower T&E operations costs, and an estimated $5 million in savings.

Sep 30Tue
Sep 29Mon
  1. SAP Concur Blog

    How AI is Transforming Travel, Expense, and Invoice Management

    SAP Concur published an article on AI applications in travel, expense, and invoice management. AI has been infused into its solutions for nearly a decade, reducing repetitive tasks and empowering finance teams with insights. Applications include ExpenseIt scanning receipts, Verify auditing millions of expense reports to flag outliers and potential fraud, and Intelligent Audit blending AI with human expertise to uncover non-compliant spending. AI also enables real-time policy enforcement, natural-language queries, and more accurate travel cost forecasting. SAP Concur emphasizes it does not use customer data to train external models and follows SAP's global AI ethics policy.

  2. SAP Concur Blog

    Unlocking Best-in-Class AP Performance: Automation Strategies and Metrics

    SAP Concur published an article on AP automation strategies, metrics, and solutions. It notes AP has shifted from a back-office function to a strategic powerhouse, recommending tracking metrics such as invoice processing cycle time, cost per invoice, exception rate, touchless processing rate, and staff time on supplier inquiries. According to industry benchmarks, top performers achieve invoice processing time of 3.1 days, cost per invoice of $2.78, exception rate of 9%, touchless processing for nearly half (49.2%) of invoices, and 13.4% of time (5.36 hours weekly) on inquiries. The article also covers Concur Invoice's end-to-end automation and a roadmap from manual to touchless AP.

Sep 25Thu
  1. SAP Concur Blog

    Benefits of Integrating Travel and Expense Management Solutions

    SAP Concur published an article on the benefits of integrating travel and expense management solutions. Bringing Concur Travel and Concur Expense onto a single platform delivers 2x faster expense report processing, 55% reporting significant cost reductions in travel booking and expense reporting (average 21% decrease), and 80% improved compliance. The article lists six reasons, including scalability, broad travel content (11x more policy-compliant hotel options, 30+ low-cost global air carriers and NDC content, rail access through Trainline), transparency, and end-to-end integration. SAP ranked #1 for 2023 market share in the T&E market with 49.6%.

Sep 24Wed
  1. FCDO Travel Advice

    FCDO Updates Travel Advice for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

    The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) updated its travel advice for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands on 24 September 2025, with no significant changes after review. The territory is a British Overseas Territory administered by a commissioner based in the Falkland Islands. The FCDO states no travel can be guaranteed safe and advises travellers to read the full guide and obtain travel insurance covering itinerary, activities and emergency expenses.

Sep 23Tue
  1. US Travel Advisories

    US State Department Issues Antarctica Travel Advisory: Level 2 Exercise Increased Caution

    The US Department of State issued a travel advisory for Antarctica on 23 September 2025, at Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. The advisory cites environmental hazards from extreme and unpredictable weather and limited emergency services. There are no US government consular services in the Antarctic Region; the closest US embassies and consulates are in Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa. US government resources in the region are committed to the US Antarctic Program.

  2. US Travel Advisories

    US State Department Issues Antarctica Travel Advisory: Level 2 Caution with Detailed Guidance

    The US Department of State issued a travel advisory for Antarctica on 23 September 2025, at Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. The advisory cites extreme weather and limited emergency services, notes no US consular services in the Antarctic Region, and lists the closest embassies in Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa. It recommends buying insurance, travelling with a professional guide or IAATO member organisation, enrolling in STEP, preparing a contingency plan, and contacting the State Department's Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs.

  3. SAP Concur Blog

    SAP Concur Recognized as G2 Fall 2025 Leader Across Multiple Categories

    SAP Concur announced it won a 2025 G2 Best Software Award in the Best Accounting and Finance Software category, marking its fifth consecutive year of recognition. In G2's Fall 2025 Grid Reports, SAP Concur was named a Leader in four categories: Expense Management, Travel Management, Invoice Management and AP Automation, earning 65 leader awards. G2 is visited by 90 million software buyers annually and hosts over 2.8 million verified user reviews.

Sep 22Mon
  1. SAP Concur Blog

    SAP Concur Addresses Five Common Misconceptions, Highlights Platform Integration

    SAP Concur published an article addressing five common misconceptions, emphasising that it is not just an expense reporting tool but an integrated platform connecting travel, expense and invoice. The article highlights features including AI-driven fraud detection, tax compliance, VAT reclaim and invoice automation, serving finance, travel management, IT, HR and procurement. New Concur Travel offers a consumer-grade booking experience while ensuring policy compliance.

  2. SAP Concur Blog

    SAP Concur Highlights Automated Expense Management as Key to Business Growth

    SAP Concur published an article noting that nearly half of finance leaders worldwide know of a company in their professional network that experienced spend management fraud in the past three years. The article highlights the costs of manual expense management, including missing receipts, time-consuming reports, out-of-policy purchases, unclaimed VAT and fraud risks. Automated expense management can reduce risks and improve productivity, citing a study estimating a T&E solution saves 13 hours weekly per finance or accounting team member.

  3. SAP Concur Blog

    SAP Concur Publishes FAQ Guide on Employee Expense Reimbursements

    SAP Concur published an FAQ guide on employee expense reimbursements, covering definitions, reimbursable expenses, receipt requirements, payment methods, timelines, tax treatment and alternatives. The guide states reimbursement amounts should exactly match expenses, employees must provide itemised receipts, reimbursements are not considered income for employees and are not taxable, and businesses can treat reimbursements as expenditures that may reduce tax liability. Alternatives include advances, per diems, corporate cards and purchasing cards.

  4. SAP Concur Blog

    SAP Concur Publishes Guide on Calculating and Tracking Mileage

    SAP Concur published an article on mileage calculation and tracking methods, including standard rate, actual expense, GPS apps and odometer. The article notes the IRS sets the standard mileage rate annually, at 70 cents per mile from 1 January 2025. The reimbursement formula is total business miles multiplied by the reimbursement rate. It recommends using the Drive app to automatically upload to Concur Expense and emphasises records should be timely, detailed and accurate.

Sep 18Thu
  1. Amadeus Newsroom

    Amadeus Research: Brits Still Rely on Friends and Family, but AI Use Grows 60%

    Amadeus released a global study covering 2,000 UK travellers. Friends and family recommendations remain the top source of inspiration for UK travellers (36%), but generative AI use grew 60% year-on-year, travel influencers 33% and social media ads 27%. AI use grew 146% in China, 82% in Singapore, 64% in Spain, 53% in India and 30% in the US. Among UK travellers, 70% would consider biometrics and 64% would use door-to-door baggage services. 80% agree provider quality emerges in disruption handling, and 81% would rebook with providers who handle disruptions efficiently.

  2. Amadeus Newsroom

    Amadeus research: traveler appetite for AI and travel tech skyrockets in 2025

    Amadeus released its Connected Journeys: How Technology Will Transform Travel in the Next Decade study, surveying 9,500 travelers across China, France, India, Singapore, Spain, the UK and the USA. Generative AI usage rose 64% year over year; 42% valued time savings, 37% personalized recommendations and 36% discovering new destinations. 64% would pay for an in-trip AI travel assistant, and 17% would pay up to five percent of total trip value. However, 25% encountered outdated or inaccurate AI information and another 25% found AI unable to capture personal preferences. 90% of air travelers reported some anxiety, 69% favored biometric gateways and 66% showed interest in remote baggage check-in.

  3. Amadeus Newsroom

    Amadeus Research: Gen AI and Social Media Transform How US Travellers Plan Travel

    Amadeus released a global study covering 2,000 US travellers. Social media is now the primary source of travel inspiration, with 34% of US travellers using it, up 21% year-on-year. Generative AI saw the fastest growth, with 17% of US travellers using AI tools, up 30%. 68% of travellers are willing to pay a one-off fee for an AI travel assistant, averaging 5.8% of total trip cost. 61% of Americans favour biometrics at airports.

Sep 16Tue
  1. Amadeus Newsroom

    Amadeus and Lufthansa test EU Digital Identity Wallet

    Amadeus and Lufthansa, both partners in the EU Digital Identity Wallet Consortium Large Scale pilot project, successfully tested the EUDI Wallet this summer for online check-in and in-person airport scenarios including check-in, bag-drop and boarding. Available to citizens in 2026 and provided by Member States, the EUDI Wallet securely stores identity documents such as passports and national ID cards, payment methods and biometric profiles. Amadeus has enhanced its Travel Ready solution to provide infrastructure enabling third-party wallets to operate with the travel industry, and plans to test digital travel credential use cases such as airport security and border control later in 2025.

  2. Amadeus Newsroom

    Malaysia's CIT selects Amadeus to modernize its tech stack

    Kuala Lumpur-based Malaysian business travel management company Corporate Information Travel (CIT) selected Amadeus as its digital transformation partner and will migrate its business to the Amadeus Travel Platform for more comprehensive air content and modern capabilities. Founded in 1985 and recently marking its 40th anniversary, CIT offers instant airline reservations, ticketing and corporate ticketing facilities with fares from more than 130 airlines worldwide. CIT said it aims to build a future-proof, scalable system so consultants spend less time on repetitive tasks, and to launch a modern client-oriented website including NDC content.

Sep 15Mon
  1. SAP Concur Blog

    SAP Concur upgrades travel and expense platform capabilities

    SAP Concur released the eBook Leading the Charge, Leading the Change in Travel Management, outlining modernization of its travel platform. Concur Travel improved car rental, hotel, air and rail content, with air connectivity ensuring full content access including GDS, NDC, EDIFACT and aggregators. AI and machine learning identify booking patterns and spot potential fraud and policy violations; the Joule AI assistant personalizes flight recommendations; Request Assistant uses generative AI for trip cost estimates; and ExpenseIt analyzes hotel folios. New virtual card payments for hotels add spending controls and visibility.

  2. US Travel Advisories

    U.S. State Department issues Level 2 travel advisory for Sierra Leone

    The U.S. State Department issued a Level 2 travel advisory for Sierra Leone, urging increased caution due to crime, unrest and inadequate health infrastructure. Violent crimes such as robbery and assault occur frequently, especially in Freetown, and police struggle to respond due to limited resources. The advisory says not to travel outside the Freetown peninsula after nightfall; U.S. government employees are prohibited from travel outside the capital after dark, and the U.S. Embassy in Freetown cannot offer emergency services outside Freetown at night. Demonstrations and protests can occur with little warning and occasionally turn violent. Local health facilities, services and pharmacy reg…

  3. US Travel Advisories

    US State Department Issues Level 2 Travel Advisory for Sierra Leone

    The U.S. Department of State issued a Level 2 travel advisory for Sierra Leone on September 15, 2025, urging increased caution due to crime, civil unrest, and inadequate health infrastructure. Violent crime such as robbery and assault occurs frequently, especially in Freetown, and police struggle to respond due to limited resources. Travel outside the Freetown peninsula after nightfall is discouraged; U.S. government employees are prohibited from traveling outside the capital after dark, and the U.S. Embassy in Freetown cannot offer emergency services outside Freetown at night. Demonstrations can occur with little warning and occasionally turn violent. Health facilities, services, hygiene,…

Sep 12Fri
  1. SAP Concur Blog

    SAP Concur Releases Duty of Care Guide Focused on Travel Risk Management

    SAP Concur published an article emphasizing the importance of corporate duty of care, citing its 7th Annual Global Business Travel Survey: 65% of business leaders perceive more risk in today's environment and 75% say employees' expectations about duty of care are higher than ever; 53% of CFOs think travel managers should do more to support traveler safety, while only 38% of travelers feel their travel manager is doing enough to ensure their wellbeing; 92% of travelers are willing to decline a business trip for reasons like safety, social or environmental concerns, or work-life balance impact, and 40% would refuse a trip out of safety or social concerns about the destination. The article not…

  2. Amadeus Newsroom

    Amadeus and UN Tourism Report: China Searches for South America Surge 311%

    Amadeus and UN Tourism published the Travel Insights 2025: Focus on the Americas report, based on Amadeus Navigator360 data. From July 2024 to June 2025, air traffic to the Americas rose 1.8% year-on-year, with South America leading regional air capacity growth at 6% and passenger traffic up 5.9%. China is the fastest-growing origin market for South America, with searches up 311% and bookings up 30%. Brazil and the U.S. lead in search activity, while Argentina tops actual travel. Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile perform well in both searches and bookings, with Paraguay leading booking growth at 9%. Florianopolis, Rio de Janeiro, and Lima remain leading destinations, while nature-focused locatio…

  3. Amadeus Newsroom

    Amadeus and UN Tourism Report: North America Travel Demand Steady, China Origin Grows 7%

    Amadeus and UN Tourism published the Travel Insights 2025: Focus on the Americas report, based on Amadeus Navigator360 data. From July 2024 to June 2025, air traffic to North America grew 1.1% year-on-year. The U.S., Canada, and Mexico remained the top three origin markets, while the UK rose to fourth. China (+7%) and Japan (+4%) were the fastest-growing international origin markets. North America hotel occupancy reached 74% in June 2025, slightly ahead of June 2024; ADR held steady above $160 in most months, with Canada peaking at $187 in June. New York and Los Angeles were the most booked destinations, Orlando rose to third, and Chicago rose to fifth. Nashville (+3%), Calgary (+2%), and D…

  4. Amadeus Newsroom

    Amadeus and UN Tourism Report: Momentum Builds in Latin America's Travel Market

    Amadeus and UN Tourism released the Travel Insights 2025: Focus on the Americas report, drawing on Amadeus Navigator360 data. Air traffic across the Americas rose 1.8% year on year from July 2024 to June 2025, with South America (+6%) and Central America (+4%) leading capacity expansion. The Americas welcomed 217 million international arrivals in 2024, generating about USD 451 billion in international tourism export revenues including passenger transport. Mexico, Argentina and Colombia ranked among top origin markets, while China and Japan posted the highest search growth to the region at +143% and +32% respectively.

  5. Amadeus Newsroom

    Amadeus Report: Mexico Emerges as a Key Travel Hub in 2025

    The Travel Insights 2025: Focus on the Americas report by Amadeus and UN Tourism shows Mexico emerging as a leading destination and international air hub. Air traffic across the Americas rose 1.8% year on year, and Mexico's searches grew 22%, ranking it among the top five origin markets. North American hotel occupancy reached 74% by June 2025, with Mexico's ADR under USD 140. Mexico is attracting new long-haul routes from Asia and Latin America, while the U.S. still accounts for over 80% of new air routes in North America.

  6. Amadeus Newsroom

    Amadeus Report: Caribbean and Central America Winter Travel Surges, China Searches Jump

    Amadeus and UN Tourism published the Travel Insights 2025: Focus on the Americas report, based on Amadeus Navigator360 data. Caribbean winter travel peaks from December to March, while Central America passenger demand rose 3.1% year-on-year. Peru (+15%), Argentina (+15%), and Puerto Rico (+9%) lead travel growth to the Caribbean, with search interest surging in China (+427%), Mexico (+47%), and Peru (+46%). In Central America, the U.S. remains the top market but bookings dropped 7%, while China showed a 413% increase in searches. The Caribbean added 177 new air routes, led by the U.S. with 44. Hotel occupancy exceeded 80% in Aruba and Puerto Rico during Q1 2025. Bahamas winter ADR exceeded…

Sep 11Thu
  1. Amadeus Newsroom

    Perth Airport Enables Full Biometric Experience with Amadeus

    Perth Airport has partnered with Amadeus to deploy an end-to-end biometric passenger system covering check-in to boarding. The airport will add close to 100 new self-service check-in kiosks and replace nearly 40 traditional check-in counters with bag drop units. Travelers on selected airlines can opt for biometrics at self-service kiosks, then validate identity at bag drop and boarding with a brief face scan, keeping passports and boarding passes in their pockets. The project enables Australia's first fully automated departure process using biometrics, building on collaboration dating to 2015 and biometric trials from 2022.

Sep 9Tue
  1. SAP Concur Blog

    SAP Concur: Eight Key Questions to Review Your T&E Program

    SAP Concur published a blog urging finance leaders to periodically review their travel and expense (T&E) programs, offering eight key questions: whether T&E is defined consistently, whether spend can be managed in hybrid and remote settings, spend agility, fraud reduction, whether compliance protects both company and employees, whether the T&E system needs change, whether employees will actually follow the expense policy, and whether the right tools measure success. It notes employees use more payment methods and categories, and that without visibility and controls, spend data scatters, compliance slips and costs rise, citing that companies lose an average of 5% of annual revenue to fraud.

Sep 8Mon
  1. SAP Concur Blog

    Solving the ROI Puzzle: How to Measure and Maximize AI Returns

    SAP Concur blog post discusses how to measure and maximize ROI from AI investments. It cites the 2024 CFO Insights survey showing 51% of CFOs have embraced AI, up from 15% in August 2023. However, 58% admit limited understanding. Gartner forecasts that by 2025, costs could overshadow returns for 90% of AI projects. The article suggests starting with small wins and considering non-financial impacts.

Sep 5Fri
  1. US Travel Advisories

    U.S. State Department: Armenia Travel Advisory Level 2, Do Not Travel to Azerbaijan Border

    The U.S. Department of State reissued its Armenia travel advisory after periodic review, keeping it at Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) due to areas of potential armed conflict. The border region with Azerbaijan is Level 4 (Do Not Travel). U.S. Embassy employees and their families cannot travel for non-essential reasons to Gegharkunik region east of Vardenis, Syunik region east of Goris, and Syunik region south of Kapan; travel through Yeraskh village in Ararat region is allowed but stopping is not. The advisory mentions enrolling in STEP, reviewing the Country Security Report, preparing an emergency plan, and strongly recommends buying insurance.

  2. US Travel Advisories

    US State Dept Issues Level 2 Travel Advisory for Armenia

    The U.S. Department of State issued a Level 2 "Exercise Increased Caution" travel advisory for Armenia due to areas of potential armed conflict. The advisory says not to travel to the border region with Azerbaijan for any reason, and restricts U.S. Embassy employees and family members from non-essential travel to areas east of Vardenis in Gegharkunik, east of Goris and south of Kapan in Syunik. Travel through Yeraskh village in Ararat region is allowed, but stopping is not.

Sep 4Thu
  1. Amadeus Newsroom

    Scandic Hotels Signs Amadeus Agency360 Enterprise Deal Covering 280 Nordic Properties

    Amadeus signed an agreement with Scandic Hotels, the largest hotel chain in Scandinavia, to deploy the Amadeus Agency360 Enterprise Solution, marking the first enterprise adoption of Agency360 in Scandinavia. The travel intelligence software tracks travel agency bookings from the industry's three major GDSs and will help Scandic analyze agency data across its 280 properties in the Nordics as well as Poland and Germany. The enterprise edition provides 12 months of forward-looking data and 24 months of historical insight, with bookings analyzable by owner, property category, and region.