Travel Weekly Group Ltd - 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers - Page 104

1 min

Travelgenix partners with operator Mercury…

🏖️ Travelgenix partners with Mercury Holidays, a trusted UK tour operator, to offer holiday packages, escorted tours, and river cruises via Travelgenix’s websites and widgets. This integration enables travel agents to access deals like second- and third-week free offers, no single supplement options, and early booking discounts. Mercury Holidays joins Jet2 Holidays, Etihad Holidays, and Every Holiday in Travelgenix’s API feeds, facilitating live, online package bookings for agents, enhancing customer experience, and fostering competition with industry leaders.

4 min

Travel tech ‘dominated by white,…

📊 A recent study by Belvera Partners found only 13.5% of top B2B travel technology CEOs and visible individuals are 'non-white'. Belvera's B2B Travel Tech Map, updated monthly, features over 400 entities but reveals a lack of diversity, with some sectors like lobby groups, vacation rentals, and hospitality schools having zero 'non-white' leaders. In contrast, hotel distribution and sales have 20%. This follows another report showing only 15.6% of travel tech leaders are female. Industry experts urge reflecting consumer diversity and predict better economic outcomes for diverse companies.

1 min

Canary Technologies unveils first…

📱 Canary Technologies launched its AI Voice platform, a suite of AI-powered hotel assistants designed to manage guest calls, drive bookings, and streamline operations. The platform includes AI Front Desk Assistant, AI Concierge Assistant, AI Central Reservations Assistant, and Canary’s AI Booking Agent. Co-founder and president SJ Sawhney emphasized the platform's role in improving guest communication and service, as well as handling peak demand to prevent a compromised guest experience and missed revenue.

2 min

Lastminute.ae launches as new market for OTA

💸 Lastminute.ae launched, offering discounted flights from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Part of lastminute.com, established in 1998, and based in Dubai, it caters to Middle Eastern travelers with bilingual services. General Manager Yiannis Papadonikolakis highlighted the company's customer-first approach and regional expertise. The Middle East's airline traffic is projected to rise by 8.8% in 2025. Dubai International Airport ranked as the world's busiest with 5.3 million seats in December. Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport served 49.1 million passengers in 2024, a 15% increase from 2023. Kuwait City airport is expanding capacity to 50 million passengers with a new terminal in 2025.

3 min

Guest Post: Navigating sustainability…

🌍 McKinsey reports 80% of travelers visit only 10% of tourist destinations, causing environmental strain. 75% of tourists aim to travel sustainably within the next year, with 73% preferring hotels that practice sustainability. Over 200 sustainability certifications exist for the hospitality industry, vital for marketing and compliance. Challenges include the variety of certifications, data management, and regional differences in sustainability regulations. Digital tools can optimize data collection efficiency, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness, while benchmarking against industry standards can offer commercial and social benefits.

2 min

Amal Mohammed Ahmed promoted to spearhead…

📈 Amal Mohammed Ahmed promoted to Vice President - Global Operations at Dnata Travel Group, managing a team of over 2,000 across global contact centres in UAE, UK, Serbia, Philippines, and India. Dnata, part of the Emirates Group, is executing a global growth strategy to expand in the Middle East and beyond. John Bevan, CEO, states that Ahmed's role will support Operations, driving innovation in customer service. Ahmed's background includes over two decades with Emirates Group and an MBA in Aviation Management from Coventry University, UK. Dnata comprises over 15 international travel brands and recently expanded its retail presence with a new store in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates.

3 min

Sojern reveals destination marketing trends…

📈 Sojern released the "State of Destination Marketing 2025" report with insights from nearly 200 global DMOs. While 60% of DMOs still rely on clicks as a metric, 54% struggle with ROI and 37% face tracking challenges. Programmatic advertising is used by 83%, with display ads (97%), social media (90%), and search marketing (80%) being the top channels. Despite 85% DMOs maintaining or increasing digital ad budgets, only 28% use AI for data analysis, and 52% now prefer always-on campaigns over seasonal ones. Co-op marketing grew in Europe by 16% year-over-year, with social media dominating at 91% usage, and Facebook and Instagram being top platforms for 99% of DMOs. Data analysis remains a challenge for 51% of DMOs, yet 84% leverage data for marketing insights.

1 min

Lufthansa Group expands Amex GBT partnership

📅 American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) teams up with Lufthansa Group to expand New Distribution Capability (NDC) fares, enhancing customer value with access to NDC-only rates and promotions from airlines like Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Austrian Airlines, and Discover Airlines. Amex GBT's NDC programme already includes over 20 carriers, and the partnership aims to provide robust, NDC-enabled solutions for corporate customers, promising a seamless and personalized experience.

1 min

FinMont integrates PRECISION’s fraud…

🛂 FinMont, a global travel payments platform, and PRECISION, part of Etraveli Group, are collaborating to combat payment fraud in the travel sector. Payment fraud costs airlines 3.1% of annual global e-commerce revenue, signaling a need for better solutions. The partnership will integrate PRECISION's fraud prevention technology into FinMont's system, aiming to improve payment security and efficiency for travel businesses. CEOs Suby Valluri of FinMont and Peny Rizou of Etraveli Group emphasize the benefits of seamless and reliable payment processes.

4 min

Guest Post: Key trends shaping the…

💸 In 2025, the business travel industry witnesses traditional practices evolving with technology. The "Value of Business Travel report" from June 2024 indicated a 62% CEO expectation for increased travel budgets compared to 2023. Decentralization of trip booking and AI integration play significant roles, with TravelPerk incorporating AI to aid customer experience. 2024 saw industry consolidation, a trend expected to persist due to consistent unit economics. Despite technological advancements, the core need for in-person interaction continues to drive business travel.

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