BCD Travel announced a strategic investment in AMGINE, a corporate travel AI automation platform, to accelerate AI-powered solutions for better traveler experience and service delivery. The expanded partnership covers group air management, email automation, and more. BCD's AI strategy includes building AI into Tripsource, integrating specialized AI from partners like AMGINE, and enabling access to third-party AI tools.
HBX Group CEO Nicolas Huss announced his retirement effective September 30, with current CFO Brendan Brennan to become interim CEO on October 1. The company also issued a Q3 trading update: TTV rose 12% to €2.4 billion, revenue fell 3% to €177 million, and FY guidance was raised.
Vrbo released the Built to Stay Report, surveying over 1,700 travelers across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, UK, France, Germany, and Australia. The study found that 86% of travelers would pay more for a higher-quality listing, and 81% would pay more for a property with strong trust signals. Cleanliness, reliable amenities, and quick host response are key quality signals, while verified reviews and overall scores are important trust signals.
Canada-based TravelAI has acquired the Sonder brand and relaunched Sonder.com. The acquisition includes Sonder's trademarks and domain names, not its operating businesses, properties, leases, inventory or staff. Terms were not disclosed. Previously, Sonder's parent company announced wind down in November 2025 and filed for Chapter 7 liquidation. TravelAI launched the new Sonder.com as a curated guide to urban stays, featuring properties in New York, London, Barcelona and more.
Waltru is a Barcelona-based startup offering a personalized travel companion that generates itineraries based on traveler preferences and pace, and narrates each place's story via audio. Currently in beta, it plans to expand to Madrid, Paris, Rome and London. The business model is pay-per-trip via in-app purchases, with B2B2C distribution planned. The founding team consists of three Argentines with software and travel backgrounds.
Gee Mann, founder of TravlrID, argues that the travel industry is investing billions in AI but is building on a broken data foundation, causing AI agents to underperform. Traveler data is fragmented across multiple systems without a unified, accurate profile, leading to irrelevant recommendations and policy violations. The article calls for addressing data governance and ownership, otherwise AI will exacerbate fragmentation.
Trip.com Group announced it has received an administrative penalty decision from the State Administration for Market Regulation of China and sincerely accepts it, pledging to adopt rectification measures in accordance with laws. The company will strengthen governance mechanisms and contribute to sustainable development of the travel industry. Management will hold a conference call on July 27 to discuss.
Agoda CPO Ittai Chorev discussed new features: real-time flight tracking, AI-powered hotel browsing, and AI tools. Flight updates average 2-3 notifications per booking, powered by established aviation data sources. On the hotel side, AI pairs images with relevant reviews and stays current with property changes. The multi-product booking engine allows booking hotels, flights, and activities in a single transaction, and language support has expanded by five languages.
This week's travel tech briefs include: American Airlines adds Venmo and expands digital disruption tools; Spotnana introduces multiagent AI architecture; Travelport signs distribution deals with Air Zimbabwe and Aeroitalia; BCD Travel launches next-gen Tripsource; Engine Groups becomes free; Hostaway appoints executives; Wego partners with Valu for BNPL; SAS deploys Amadeus AI pricing.
BCD Travel has launched the next generation of Tripsource, a travel and expense platform built on an 'Open by Design' architecture, linking travel content, data, AI, and third-party technologies. The platform integrates booking, servicing, and intelligence, with a unified configuration layer and BCD Marketplace, supporting GDS, NDC, direct connects, and more. It will be showcased at GBTA.
Perk, an AI-native travel and spend platform, launched Entry Ready, the first integrated workflow for eVisa and ETA payments at the point of booking. It proactively surfaces visa requirements from passport profiles and allows application and payment without leaving Perk, covering over 60 destinations via partnership with Sherpa.
Evotec, a global drug discovery company, has selected Navan to manage its complete corporate travel and expense (T&E) program across Germany, the UK, the US, Italy, and France. The move aims to eliminate manual expense reporting and streamline processes through automation, providing real-time visibility and control to support operational excellence.
Loveholidays has expanded to eight markets, holding about 15% of the UK packaged travel market (up from 5% in 2019). Package penetration grew from 61% to 69%, and dynamic packaging rose from 2% in 2009 to about 25% now. AI chatbot Sandy handles 60% of chats and 20% of calls, saving about £4 million annually. The company uses a three-pronged AI strategy: revenue growth, customer experience, and operational efficiency.
BCD Travel has relaunched its award-winning traveler experience with a fully redesigned Tripsource mobile app and website, delivering a more intuitive and connected user experience. The new experience aims to increase traveler adoption, improve compliance, and generate savings, available globally in 11 languages across over 170 markets.
BCD Travel announced the launch of its next-generation Tripsource travel and expense platform, built on an Open by Design architecture. It creates a connected ecosystem integrating content, data, AI, and third-party technologies, with a unified configuration layer, access to The BCD Marketplace with 70+ partners, and a comprehensive content ecosystem including GDS, NDC, and direct connects.
MakeMyTrip Limited announced it will report its fiscal 2027 first quarter financial and operating results on August 3, 2026. The release will be posted on its IR website, followed by a live Zoom webinar.
Outdoor activities booking platform Checkyeti has acquired Alentour SAS, parent of Manawa, for an undisclosed amount. This marks consolidation in Europe's outdoor experiences industry. Checkyeti, founded in 2014, focuses on winter and summer activities across Europe; Manawa has a strong position in France and other European markets. The deal was supported by Banque des Territoires, now a shareholder. Together they aim to build Europe's leading outdoor experiences platform.
AI-powered vacation planning and booking tool 30 Sundays raised $6.7 million in Series A, bringing total funding to $7.5 million. Led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with existing investors Info Edge Ventures and Eximius Ventures increasing stakes. India-based, it offers video itineraries and conversational interface, with annualized gross booking value over $20 million from four destinations. Funds will boost product, tech, AI teams, marketing, and expand to new geographies and family segments.
Australian startup Chaty offers an AI receptionist that integrates with booking systems to help tour and activity operators handle inbound calls and website inquiries, checking live availability and completing bookings. It uses a usage-based SaaS model with monthly fees from $29 to $379, and integrates with platforms like FareHarbor and Rezdy.
Travel management platform BizAway has acquired Netherlands-based TMC Uniglobe Alliance Travel to strengthen its position in the Netherlands and Europe. The deal was effective July 1, terms undisclosed, backed by Mayfair Equity Partners. Uniglobe Alliance Travel will continue under its brand with no changes to client contracts or operations.
BTIG research shows over 60% of US travelers have tried AI tools, but AI platforms currently account for only 0.4% of OTA traffic. BTIG believes AI is more likely to evolve as a customer acquisition channel rather than a disintermediation threat, with OTAs retaining advantages due to data, resources, and marketing spend.
At Phocuswright Europe 2026, investors said AI remains the biggest buzzword, but software alone is no longer a moat. Startups need to integrate AI into their own systems and workflows, not just as a wrapper. Companies like Nuitée have successfully raised capital through partnerships.
Fora, a technology platform for travel advisors, has closed a $60 million Series D round, valuing the company at $1 billion. The funding will scale its AI assistant Via, which helps advisors with destination research, supplier info, itineraries, and proposal generation. Advisors have booked over $3 billion in travel since launch in 2021.
Expedia Group launched the Trails Fund with an initial $4.3 million in grants, partnering with three conservation organizations on 11 projects, estimated to benefit over one million visits annually. It also partnered with AllTrails, matching support for the 2026 Stewards Fund and offering AllTrails premium members discounts on Expedia lodging.
BCD Travel introduces business travel solutions for HR and People teams, simplifying booking, providing reliable assistance, clearer policies, and enhancing duty of care. It ensures consistent experience across regions, integrates travel and expense management, and supports guest and VIP travel.
BCD Travel has introduced travel solutions for HR teams, aiming to provide a consistent employee travel experience, simplify booking, offer reliable support, and help meet duty of care. The solution supports travel management for employees, guests, and executives, and integrates with expense management to reduce HR workload.
GetGoing, BCD's travel and expense management platform for SMBs, announced expanded capabilities and growth across North America and Europe. Enhancements include NDC airline content, expanded hotel inventory, and direct rail connections with Deutsche Bahn, SNCF, and UK rail providers, enabling in-platform booking. The platform can be implemented in under two hours and supports guest and non-employee bookings, leveraging BCD's global buying power and localized service.
BCD Travel launched Tripsource Insights, an AI and NLP-powered analytics platform that unifies travel, payment, and risk data into a single view with real-time dashboards and natural language queries, helping travel and finance managers optimize spend, compliance, and safety.
Expedia Group and Allegiant entered a 12-month exclusive agreement covering Allegiant's full network of 566 routes across 124 U.S. cities. This makes Expedia Group the first authorized OTA to distribute Allegiant flights, achieving 100% coverage of U.S. commercial passenger carriers.
Kuwait City-based startup Seatlr, founded in 2025, offers a city-based social network for travelers. Users enter their flight number to join a destination city's chat room, with AI translation supporting 59 languages. Seatlr aims to fill the gap in traveler connection and plans to monetize through AI-powered recommendations and commissions.
Perk (formerly TravelPerk) launched its MCP connector, becoming the first platform to offer travel, spend, invoicing, and events through a single AI integration. Users can query data via Claude, ChatGPT, and other AI assistants in natural language. A survey shows 23% of companies are configuring or integrating AI, with top demand for automating work travel.
This week's travel tech news: Klarna partners with Southwest Airlines for flexible payments; IBS Group launches AI company Naviq Technology; WeRoad names US general manager; NextTrip adds ad sales executives; Journey Beyond appoints First Nations engagement GM; PriceLabs launches mobile app and AI connector; Dida launches AI booking gateway Dida MCP.
Vio Travel is a destination management company (DMC) that combines direct supplier contracts across 15 destinations with a real-time pricing platform, helping agents build multi-country itineraries quickly. It became the first DMC in Asia certified under the Preferred by Nature Standard for Sustainable Travel Activities, with its Indonesia operations 100% compliant. Co-CEOs state that technology could automate 99% of the booking journey, but retaining 1% human judgment is crucial.
Civitatis' new CEO Andrés Spitzer spoke at Phocuswright Europe about AI and trust as the industry's biggest challenges. He emphasized the importance of discoverability in the age of AI agents and building trust through genuine user feedback. Civitatis is expanding in Latin America and partnering with Despegar to integrate inventory.
BCD Travel's Tripsource platform combines traveler information, trip details, and booking tools in one place, helping travel arrangers simplify complex planning, support travelers, and ensure compliance. The platform offers self-service tools, chat features, and expert support, reducing arrangers' routine workload. Tripsource will showcase new features at GBTA 2026.
GBTA held its annual business meeting, reviewing 2025 financial performance and achievements, and announced the 2026 Board of Directors election results. Newly elected directors will begin terms on August 5th at the close of the Convention. The meeting also previewed the GBTA Convention, August 3-5 in Chicago.
San Francisco-based superapp Super.com secured $65 million in Series D funding led by TPG, valuing it at $1.2 billion. Funds will expand product categories and Super+ membership, and invest in AI for personalization. The company became profitable in 2025 with 50% revenue growth.
Expedia Group announced it will report its second quarter 2026 results for the period ended June 30, 2026, on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, via an earnings release and accompanying webcast. The release will post after market close, and the webcast will begin at 1:30 PM PT / 4:30 PM ET. A replay is expected to be available for approximately twelve months.
Booking.com released a report revealing that 29% of travelers are interested in alternative destinations offering a similar experience to well-known spots, and 44% of those seeking less-crowded places are motivated to avoid contributing to overtourism. The report recommends alternatives such as Paros for Santorini and Favignana for Ibiza.
Hospitality technology company Mews announced a 15% reduction in its global workforce, approximately 170 roles, across all teams and geographies, with customer-facing roles largely unaffected. Founder Richard Valtr stated the company remains in a strong position and continues to grow, but AI is fundamentally changing the economics of hospitality, prompting proactive action. Mews aims to build an AI-native hospitality operating system and continues to hire for certain roles. The company previously raised $300 million in Series D funding at a $2.5 billion valuation.