All published updates

France Travel Advice Updated: Wildfire Risk and EES Information

The UK FCDO updated its travel advice for France, highlighting a high risk of wildfires from April to October and providing updated information on the European Entry-Exit System (EES). Travelers are advised to obtain appropriate travel insurance and stay informed about local safety conditions.

Impact and considerations

France is a popular business travel destination; wildfire risks may affect itinerary safety, and new EES regulations will impact entry procedures, so companies should monitor employee travel arrangements.

Brazil's ANAC Signs Technical Cooperation with French Aviation Body and Ceará Federal University

Brazil's National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) has signed a technical cooperation agreement with France's Service Technique de l'Aviation Civile (STAC/DGAC) and the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) to study the impact of climate change on airport pavement performance. The initial term is 36 months, extendable up to six years. Research will be extended to Brazil, with monitoring equipment installed at Fortaleza Airport, funded by the French side. Results may inform ICAO recommendations.

Quality Pays: New Vrbo Research Finds Travelers Will Spend More on Vacation Rentals They Trust

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.

Evotec Selects Navan to Unify Global Travel, Payments, and Expense Management

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.

Outdoor experiences platform Checkyeti acquires Manawa

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.

GetGoing expands platform capabilities for SMB travel and expense management

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.

European travelers are changing the rules

Phocuswright's Europe Consumer Travel Report 2026 reveals divergent behaviors among UK, French, and German travelers: UK travelers take more trips, Germans take fewer but spend more per trip, and France shows outsized demand for rentals, rail, car rental, and experience-led travel. Overall research decreases, with OTAs overtaking general search as the top research resource. AI usage is around 30-40%, but attitudes are polarized. Geopolitical concerns affect long-haul travel comfort, with about 40% feeling less comfortable visiting the US.

Holidu acquires Gites.com to expand in Europe

Vacation rental platform Holidu acquired Netherlands-based Gites.com, its 14th acquisition. Gites offers about 4,000 vacation rentals in France, and the Dutch market is one of Holidu's fastest-growing booking sources. The deal integrates local portals into its technology platform.

Visa launches travel platform with curated experiences in 10 destinations

Visa launched Visa Destinations, a travel platform for cardholders offering experiences, city guides, and travel benefits in 10 destinations: Paris, London, Dubai, Milan, Rome, Mexico City, New York City, Miami, San Francisco, and Thailand. The platform includes recommendations for dining, entertainment, culture, hospitality, wellness, shopping, and transport, with priority access to Top of the Rock and the Louvre. Visa Infinite and Signature cardholders receive additional benefits. Partners include Santander Group, Global Blue, Star Alliance, and Trip.com Group.

Europe Consumer Travel Report: OTAs lead, AI rises

Phocuswright's Europe Consumer Travel Report 2026 reveals that travelers in the UK, France, and Germany are doing less research than a year ago, and OTAs have overtaken general search as the primary online resource for planning trip components. AI remains a secondary tool but is growing quickly, particularly influencing destination choice. Country nuances: UK most active, France favors alternative accommodation and rail, Germany sees biggest increases in air travel and spend.

Expedia Research: Fully Connected Hotels Improve Revenue Performance

Expedia Group released research based on a survey of 1,500 hotel decision makers across six markets, finding that full connectivity, not just basic connectivity, drives stronger revenue performance, less manual work, and lower operational risk. 81% of fully connected properties say connectivity improved occupancy, ADR, or RevPAR, compared to 52% with basic connectivity.

Perk survey: 1 in 5 employees regularly misrepresent expenses, 8% use AI to fake receipts

Perk research shows 20% of employees regularly misrepresent expenses, and 56% have done so at least once. 31% still submit manually via email or spreadsheet, with manual processes more prone to misrepresentation. AI-generated receipts account for 8%, highest in Germany. Perk suggests expanding corporate card access, reducing friction, and implementing proactive guardrails.

July 2026 Housing Rental Industry Report Released

Meadin Research released the July 2026 housing rental industry development report. In July, the State Council approved the '15th Five-Year Plan for Expanding Consumption', incorporating housing consumption into a national consumption plan for the first time. Global rents showed divergence: US median rent was $1,388 (up 0.2% MoM), Canada average rent was C$2,036 (down 4.0% YoY), UK average rent was £1,369 (up 4.3% YoY). In China, Beijing and Shanghai rents remained high at RMB 101 and RMB 94 per sqm per month respectively. The industry continued its mainline of 'revitalizing existing stock, state-owned leadership, and financial closure', with CCB Housing Rental Fund's RMB 5 billion ABS secon…

Spain's surge signals a structural shift in global travel demand

Phocuswright research shows Spain is the strongest-performing market in Europe, with 96.8 million international visitors in 2025, up 3.2% from 2024, and tourism revenue growing 7%. The war in Iran is redirecting international travelers to perceived safe European destinations, benefiting Spain, Italy, and France. Spain ranks second worldwide in international visitors, behind France, but first in tourism expenditure. The article also discusses tourism saturation and the challenge of redistributing demand from overcrowded destinations to northern and inland regions.

Nox Mobility Raises €2M Pre-Seed for Private-Room Night Trains

Berlin-based startup Nox Mobility raised €2 million in pre-seed funding to develop a private-cabin overnight rail model in Europe. The round was led by IBB Ventures, with participation from investor Tommaso Lucca and HomeToGo co-founder Patrick Andrae. Funds will grow the team, build a full-scale mock-up, and prepare for first routes launching in 2027. The company notes European night trains declined from ~1,200 per week in 2001 to 450 in 2019. Its model offers private rooms instead of shared compartments, targeting leisure and business travelers; business travelers already account for 30% of night train users in France.

Veeve Adds 200 Onefinestay Homes in London and Paris

Short-term rental management company Veeve (part of UnderTheDoormat Group) has taken over management of 200 high-end homes from Onefinestay in London and Paris, expecting additional revenues of ~£2.3 million annually. Onefinestay will support the transition for continuity. CEO Merilee Karr says this reinforces Veeve's position in the high-end market. The move follows the successful onboarding of over 700 properties during the UnderTheDoormat-Veeve merger. Onefinestay plans to expand in Europe, the Caribbean, and the US.

Intrepid Travel Acquires Altaï Group to Expand in France and Americas

Intrepid Travel has acquired French adventure travel company Altaï Group, its largest acquisition to date. Altaï, headquartered in Lyon, operates brands including Atalante, Altaï Travel, and uses a vertically integrated model. The deal expands Intrepid's presence in France, making it the fourth-largest market, and strengthens operations in Chile and Canada, including a Montreal base. It aims to engage French-speaking travelers in Quebec and drive inbound demand to Canada, Peru, and Chile. This follows Intrepid's purchase of Dutch operator Sawadee Reizen.

Transavia Expands Distribution Agreement with Amadeus

Transavia, the low-cost carrier in Air France-KLM Group, has expanded its global distribution agreement with Amadeus, providing access to all fare types, including Smart Fare and Fare Family Upsell, via the Amadeus Travel Platform. The agreement covers Transavia France and Netherlands. Transavia is strengthening its presence at Paris Orly, operating routes to Marseille, Nice, and Toulouse from March 29, 2026, targeting business travelers.

UK FCDO updates travel advice for Andorra

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has published travel advice for Andorra under its Warnings and insurance section, current as of 8 September 2026 and last updated on 10 December 2025. The latest update concerns new information about dual nationals returning to the UK under the Entry requirements page. The FCDO notes that all travel to Andorra is through France or Spain and advises checking the France or Spain travel advice before travelling for updates that may affect the journey.

Impact and considerations

This is official UK travel-risk guidance. It makes clear that Andorra has no independent access route and must be reached via France or Spain, so affected travellers need to monitor both countries' advice as well.

TravelPerk Rebrands to Perk, Uniting Travel and Spend Management

TravelPerk announced its rebrand to Perk, launching an AI-native platform that unites travel and spend management, with a mission to eliminate 'shadow work' — the invisible, non-core tasks employees do outside their main job. Forrester Consulting research commissioned by Perk found shadow work costs businesses $1.7 trillion a year across six major economies (US, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands), with employees losing about seven hours per week on average. Perk says its platform automates two thirds (67%) of the most frustrating non-core work and adds an AI-native spend management module plus Perk Pay physical cards. The company has crossed $300m in annualized revenue and established…

EASA Publishes First ReFuelEU Aviation Annual Technical Report: SAF Share 0.6% in 2024

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published its first ReFuelEU Aviation Annual Technical Report. In 2024, fuel suppliers reported that 0.6% of aviation fuel supplied at EU airports was Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), equivalent to 193 kilotonnes, avoiding around 714 kilotonnes of CO2 emissions. The mandatory target for 2025 is 2%. The average SAF price in 2024 was €2,085/tonne, far above conventional jet fuel at €734/tonne. 25 fuel suppliers provided SAF to 33 airports across 12 Member States, but 5 Member States accounted for 99% of supply. Almost all SAF was biofuel, with 81% from used cooking oil.

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.

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.

H1 2025 International Business Travel: Volume Up, Fares Steady

SAP Concur analyzed international air bookings in Concur Travel from Jan 1 to Jun 30, 2025, comparing with the same period in 2024. Global international business travel volume rose 2.6% year over year in H1 2025, up 4.5% in Q1 and 0.6% in Q2. U.S. business travelers paid the most for international flights at $2,675 per ticket on average; Japanese travelers about $1,950; Italian travelers $719. The U.S. remained the top global destination, accounting for 15.3% of international business trips.

Survey: How Business Travel Perspectives Differ by Generation

SAP Concur's seventh annual Global Business Travel Survey covered 3,750 business travelers across 24 markets, analyzing differences among Gen Z, millennials, Gen X and baby boomers. 97% are willing to travel for business, but Gen Z and millennials are more likely dissatisfied with current travel frequency. Younger generations more often report company travel cuts and are more open to AI and recommendations; older generations prefer manually sorting options. Air safety concern is similar across generations, 64% for Gen Z versus 52% for boomers.