Your Daily Dose of Travel Gossip

Expedia Group sees double-digit growth in revenue, gross bookings as AI push continues | PhocusWire

Revenue was up 11% year over year to $3.5 billion, while total gross bookings were up 11% to $27 billion in Q4 2025.

Phocuswright Europe 2026 | PhocusWire

Barcelona

Travel Marketing AI Summit | PhocusWire

New York City

OTAs gain share of experiences bookings as direct declines | PhocusWire

According to the State of Experiences report from Arival, 37% of bookings were attributed to OTAs in 2025.

Naboo secures $70M to expand beyond events, scale in US | PhocusWire

Naboo said the additional capital will be used to expand beyond events to become a “global ‘tail-spend’ procurement platform.”

61% of travel brands are testing or scaling agentic AI | PhocusWire

After developments in 2025, agentic AI use is likely to increase for travelers and businesses.

Calling all travel startups: Global Startup Pitch returns in 2026 | PhocusWire

The Grand Finals will be held at Phocuswright Europe in Barcelona this summer.

Startup Stage: Altek AI wants to use AI to improve hotel guest communications | PhocusWire

Founded in 2024, Norwegian startup Altek AI recently raised $500,000 to build an AI platform for hotels focused on guest communication.

Marriott shares details of AI projects, partnerships | PhocusWire

Marriott plans to deploy natural language search across Marriott.com and the Bonvoy mobile app in the first half of 2026.

DirectBooking, DeepYou partner to build AI-native hotel booking platform | PhocusWire

The companies aim to have the platform cover 100,000 hotels in the next three years.

CEO Spotlight: Bryan Batista of Skyscanner | PhocusWire

Skycanner CEO Bryan Batista talks about travel's uncomfortable truths and what needs to be started from scratch in the industry.

Using cloud to power innovation in travel | PhocusWire

AWS' Tedd Evers discusses current cloud use cases and how it will impact travel innovation moving forward.

New rules for ‘good’ listings: How guests, algorithms are raising the bar for STRs | PhocusWire

PriceLabs co-founder Richie Khandelwal describes what makes a "bad" STR listing and why hosts and property managers need to set clear expectations.

Amadeus to shut down self-service APIs portal for developers | PhocusWire

Access for enterprise customers will remain in place, a decision that's prompted ample discussion among industry stakeholders.

Airlines' tentative approach to AI | PhocusWire

An Accenture study suggested only 12% of carriers link AI directly to revenue, compared with other consumer industries that have adopted it more fully.

Tripadvisor pleased with experiences revenue contribution, early AI MVP tests | PhocusWire

The experiences business reported revenue of $204 million in the quarter, up from $186 million during the same period in 2024. Full-year revenue rose 10% to $924 million.

Presenting the Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2026 | PhocusWire

PhocusWire presents the Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2026—our annual list of new companies in travel, hospitality and tourism.

Indicio launches tech allowing AI agents to verify digital passports | PhocusWire

The software overseeing the interactions also verifies that the chatbot actually belongs to the airline or travel company, “creating trust in both directions.”

Sabre, Mindtrip, PayPal partner to launch agentic AI assistant for travel | PhocusWire

The product is set to launch in the second quarter and will live on the Mindtrip platform.

Airbnb confirms hotels expansion plans amid 'strong' early momentum | PhocusWire

Airbnb reported solid Q4 and full-year results and shared updates on its progress in the hotel vertical.

PhocusWire's weekly travel tech news briefs: Airbnb, Datalex, SITA and more... | PhocusWire

Keep up with all the latest people, partner and product news from around the global travel industry.

Earnings roundup: Yatra, TUI Group, HomeToGo, Grab | PhocusWire

Check out highlights from the latest financial updates from companies across the global travel industry.

Schwab transitions to chairman role at Casago | PhocusWire

Casago president Joe Riley, who took up the role in September 2024, will take over as CEO in October.

Healing petals: Why spring flower season in Europe is the natural therapy you didn’t know you needed | Euronews

Studies have revealed that time spent in nature can reduce stress, anxiety and blood pressure.

Yes, you can still visit Barcelona. Here’s how to do it more responsibly | Euronews

Groups across Europe are calling for a day of anti-tourism protests in June, foreshadowing another summer of unrest.

Where to see the white smoke: What to know about visiting Rome for the conclave | Euronews

Tens of thousands of travellers have descended on the city for the funeral of Pope Francis and the election of a new pontiff.

Limestone pinnacles, cypress trees and white cliffs: 4 European beaches among the best in the world | Euronews

Two European beaches made the global top 10 for their stunning unspoilt nature.

Canary Islands are experiencing ‘record-breaking’ tourist numbers despite resident protests | Euronews

On Tenerife, authorities have also announced that a new eco-tax will be introduced next year to protect a popular national park.

Vietnam is introducing a 10-year golden visa. Here’s what we know so far | Euronews

Vietnam is experiencing an economic boom, making it increasingly attractive as a destination for high-net-worth foreigners.

Mountain hikes, canyoning and diving: Why Madeira could be your next adventure holiday destination | Euronews

Visit in shoulder season when the island is at its quietest and its natural landscapes are in their prime.

UN Tourism and Macao University of Tourism Drive Digital Transformation in Asia-Pacific’s Meetings and Events Industry

UN Tourism and Macao University of Tourism Drive Digital Transformation in Asia-Pacific’s Meetings and Events Industry

UN Tourism and Macao University of Tourism Drive Digital Transformation in Asia-Pacific’s Meetings and Events Industry

UN Tourism and Macao University of Tourism Drive Digital Transformation in Asia-Pacific’s Meetings and Events Industry

Tourism as a driver of rural empowerment: UN Tourism Global Conference concludes in Viet Nam

UN Tourism joined with the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Vietnam to host the First Conference on Tourism for Rural Development in the historic town of Hoi An.

Abu Dhabi Awarded UN Tourism QUEST Certification for Excellence in Destination Management

UN Tourism has recognized the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi (DCT-Abu Dhabi) for its excellence in destination management.

UN Tourism Strengthens Collaboration with Austria to Advance Sustainable Tourism

UN Tourism and Austria have discussed opportunities for further collaboration and for strengthening partnerships in the areas of sustainability, statistics and development.

Automated cars, low emissions and noise pollution: Europe’s driving rules are changing in 2025 | Euronews

Countries in the bloc are cracking down on emissions, dangerous driving and noise pollution.

Former Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis dies aged 88 | Euronews

Simitis' funeral will be carried out with the honours of a serving Prime Minister. Among the most important successes of his eight-year term were Greece joining the eurozone, as well as his effort in pushing for Cyprus' accession to the European

Video. Latest news bulletin | January 5th – Evening | Euronews

Video. Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.

Several flights cancelled across Germany as extreme winter weather brings widespread disruption | Euronews

Frankfurt airport cancelled 120 planned takeoffs and landings on Sunday due to clearance work on runways and reduced visibility, while Munich airport also operated at limited capacity due to the weather.

Scholz condemns Musk's support for far-right AfD | Euronews

German government officials previously accused Musk of election interference as his endorsement comes weeks ahead of the country's general elections in February.

Tourism Makes History at COP29 as 50 Countries Back Climate Action Declaration for Sector

More than 50 countries have endorsed a landmark proposal for Enhanced Climate Action in Tourism.

UN Tourism and Macao University of Tourism Drive Digital Transformation in Asia-Pacific’s Meetings and Events Industry

UN Tourism and Macao University of Tourism Drive Digital Transformation in Asia-Pacific’s Meetings and Events Industry

Madrid Sets the Stage for the 3rd World Sports Tourism Congress

The 3rd World Sports Tourism Congress (WSTC) will take place on 28-29 November at the iconic Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain.

UN Tourism Launches Global Artificial Intelligence Challenge

UN Tourism is looking for start-ups and scale-ups that are revolutionizing the tourism sector through cutting-edge solutions.

Universidad Siglo 21 Welcomes UN Tourism in Legislation and Sustainable Tourism Seminar

On 26 and 27 November, Córdoba served as the venue of the 2nd International Seminar on Tourism Law, organized by UN Tourism in collaboration with Universidad Siglo 21 and Agencia Córdoba Turismo