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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.
Adventure travel specialist WeRoad has raised $58 million in Series C funding led by Airbnb, with existing investors participating. The Italy-based company's total funding now stands at $100 million. The investment will fund expansion into the U.S. market, its first push beyond Europe. Over 300,000 travelers have used the platform since its 2017 launch.
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.
Italy-based Smartness has raised €47 million in Series B funding led by United Ventures and CDP Venture Capital SGR, with participation from existing investor Partech. The company's agentic AI platform automates operations for hotels and vacation rentals, serving over 5,000 customers in 41 countries. The funding will support European expansion, with a goal to triple revenue in 2026.
According to Phocuswright's Italy Travel Market Brief 2026, Italy's travel market reached €30 billion in gross bookings in 2025, up 4.5% YoY. Online bookings account for 58% of the market, with mobile driving over half of that activity. Tourism hit an all-time high with 476 million overnight stays, up 2.1%. Low-cost carriers captured 61% of summer capacity, and hotel investment exceeded €2.5 billion.
Italo, Italy's premier private high-speed rail operator, has renewed its partnership with Navitaire, an Amadeus company, through 2030. The renewal expands retailing capabilities with advanced APIs and pricing optimization tools, and develops new features for easier integration with other carriers and services, reducing time to market.
SAP Concur's Global Business Travel Survey polled 700 travel managers across seven markets from April 30 to May 12, 2025. 78% expected their company's 2025 travel budget to increase, versus only 7% expecting a decrease, with Canada at 92%. 69% said budgets do not reflect how important business travel is to success, and 67% said company leaders undervalue their role. 43% of travel managers said they have the most influence over travel program changes, while 41% named the CFO. 99% said their company has updated, is updating, or is considering updating travel policies or training to protect employee data from cyber threats; 99% would be comfortable with travelers using AI for booking, rebookin…
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) published travel advice for San Marino, still current as of 8 September 2026 and last updated on 10 December 2025, adding new information about dual nationals returning to the UK (see the 'Entry requirements' page). The advice notes that entering San Marino requires travelling through Italy and recommends reading Italy travel advice, while also covering warnings, insurance and travel insurance.
Amadeus and trend forecasting agency Globetrender released 'Travel Trends 2026,' highlighting six trends based on Amadeus proprietary data: The Pawprint Economy, Travel Mixology, Point-to-Point Precision, Pop Culting, Pick 'n' Stays, and Innovation Tourism. The report covers pet-friendly rail pilots, A321XLR long-range narrowbody jets, AI-driven trip planning, hotel personalization, and innovative destinations like Shenzhen.
Italian carrier Aeroitalia is extending its collaboration with Navitaire, an Amadeus company, planning to deploy a suite of solutions to simplify operations and enhance customer experience. Central to this is continued use of New Skies, a reservation and retail platform for low-cost and hybrid carriers whose single-order architecture manages both offer and order across the customer journey, supporting personalised promotions, dynamic offers, seamless check-in, real-time disruption management and omnichannel distribution. Aeroitalia also plans to adopt Navitaire Dynamic Pricing, Navitaire Loyalty and the SkyLedger revenue accounting system. Launched in 2022, Aeroitalia operates 15 aircraft o…
Amadeus and UN Tourism jointly released the Travel Insights 2025: Focus on Europe report, based on Amadeus Navigator360 data. Among the top 30 tourism destinations, Azerbaijan was the fastest growing with a 26% increase in air bookings, while Kazakhstan grew 7% and the Czech Republic 6%. Classic destinations still dominate, with the top ten booked destinations in Europe accounting for 70.9% of all trips from May 2024 to April 2025, led by Spain, the UK, Italy, France, and Germany. Western Europe hotel occupancy rose from 67% to 68%, with ADR increasing from $198.32 to $204.24; Northern Europe occupancy rose from 73% to 75%, with ADR from $197.77 to $200.74. Worldwide passenger traffic to Eu…
The U.S. Department of State keeps Italy at Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) due to terrorism. The advisory states there is a risk of terrorist violence, including terrorist attacks and other activity, in Italy. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, with common targets including tourist spots, transportation centers, shopping malls and markets, local government buildings, hotels, clubs and restaurants, religious sites, parks, sporting and cultural events, schools, airports, and public areas. It advises travelers to stay alert in tourist spots, check local media for breaking news, and be prepared to adjust plans.
SAP Concur announced seven 2024 Innovation Award winners showcasing travel and expense automation. Bechtel piloted Concur Select Access powered by Travelfusion to display NDC content alongside GDS fares, reducing out-of-channel direct bookings and improving Duty of Care reporting. Uber used Concur APIs and automation to save more than 5,000 employee hours, automate resolution of over 70% of expense-related help desk tickets, and drive corporate card adoption above 90%. KUKA made hotel and entertainment expense creation seven times faster. Stellantis unified T&E processes across 30 countries, with 98% of employees covered by Concur Expense, estimating savings of more than EUR1 million. PETRO…
A SAP Concur blog post argues that hybrid and flexible work, combined with increasingly sophisticated enterprise applications, has made digital adoption platforms (DAPs) a key tool. A DAP is a codeless software addition that simplifies processes within an enterprise application via in-interface guidance and tool tips. The post cites IDC research showing 87% of surveyed line-of-business respondents are automating their own work, and an IDC prediction that by 2025 CIOs investing in DAPs and automated learning technologies will see a 40% productivity increase. It also notes that more than 170 countries operate VAT systems, with regimes such as the UK's Making Tax Digital and the EU's SAF-T evo…
SAP Concur issued a tax alert: the EU 8th VAT Directive allows EU-established businesses to recover VAT incurred in one of the 28 EU countries, with the 13th Directive covering non-EU businesses, and a September 30, 2018 deadline. Businesses registered in Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain may be eligible if conditions are met. Eligible expenses vary by country and personal expenses are never eligible. The post advises completing country-specific forms, noting deadline exceptions such as the UK and Cyprus, using automated systems and planning ahead.