Travel Weekly Group Ltd

✈ The 32nd Arabian Travel Market (ATM), set for April 28-May 1, 2025, at Dubai World Trade Centre, will focus on 'Global Travel: Developing Tomorrow’s Tourism Through Enhanced Connectivity'. Key topics include sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which doubled in production to 1 million tonnes in 2024 and is expected to reach 2.1 million tonnes in 2025. Emirates and Etihad have cut CO2 emissions using SAF on various international routes. Industry revenues for 2025 are projected to surpass $1 trillion with traveler numbers hitting 5.2 billion, a 6.7% increase over 2024, while flights are anticipated to reach 40 million. Business travel is predicted to rise, with 40% of companies planning to increase travel and 42% expecting higher spending than in 2024. Gen Z and millennials are prioritizing airport entertainment, with 43% choosing destinations based on airport offerings. The 2024 ATM had 4.5% of exhibitors from the aviation sector, taking up 10% of the space, with growth anticipated in 2025.

📈 Travelport signed a long-term content agreement with China Eastern Airlines, integrating New Distribution Capability (NDC) content. This enables travel agents to manage NDC reservations, including cancellations and exchanges. The deal aims to scale NDC adoption and enhance content accessibility through Travelport's AI-driven Content Curation Layer and Content Optimiser in Travelport+. China Eastern's Vice President Fu Jian highlighted the commitment to top-tier content and customized customer experiences, while Travelport's goal is to be the industry's leading content aggregator, simplifying NDC content access and management.

🌍 Travelsoft launches Travelsoft Services, a white-label multi-consolidator for its 1,200 clients, expanding offerings across its platforms like Atcore and TravelgateX. Based in Palma de Mallorca, it's led by Celeste Mussetti as managing director. Services include access to hotels, flights, trains, and more, with XML connections to key suppliers. Manuel Aragonés, CEO of Travel Compositor, emphasizes innovation and client growth through this initiative.

💻 Mews, a hospitality cloud firm, acquired Clarity Hospitality Software Solutions, marking its 12th acquisition. Clarity, a New Zealand-based company, opened a UK office in 2016, servicing hotel groups and venues across APAC and the UK. Mews' technology is adopted by numerous hotels in these regions. Valued at over $1 billion, Mews has over 75,000 users and increased UK customers by 42% and APAC by 16%. Mews CEO Matt Welle intends to build a global network of connected hotels. Clarity's CEO Dougall Love emphasizes technology-driven productivity and guest experiences.

🚀 United Airlines has expedited the integration of Starlink, expecting to start testing on a United Embraer E-175 next month and launch the first commercial flight this spring. The plan includes equipping the entire two-cabin regional fleet by year-end and launching the first mainline Starlink-enabled aircraft within the same timeframe. MileagePlus members will enjoy free access to various in-flight entertainment options. Last September, United signed a significant agreement with SpaceX for fleet-wide Starlink service, aiming for unmatched gate-to-gate connectivity.

🚀 myPlane, an online booking engine for commercial passenger charter flights, processed digital offers worth over €200 million in 2024. The platform saw a 300% increase in charter enquiries that year, signaling a shift away from manual booking processes in the commercial charter industry. myPlane, which partners with 130 airlines and has 1,200 B2B users, is gearing up for strategic expansion in 2025 following a new fundraising round. Over 6,000 flight enquiries were matched to airlines in 2024 through myPlane, as the travel tech start-up aims to revolutionize the €100 billion air charter market.

💻 Amadeus and Accenture's research in 2023 found IT solutions reduced CO2 emissions by 50,000 metric tons. IT leverages like Amadeus Airport Sequence Manager could save 493,000 metric tons of CO2 annually if globally implemented. Amadeus Altéa Departure Control could avoid 5.2 million metric tons of CO2 with global adoption. Together, these IT solutions could cut 5.7 million metric tons of CO2 a year, equating to 0.6% of 2023's global aviation emissions or 10,000 transatlantic flights.

🏖️ WeRoad, European solo tour operator, closed last year with €100 million in revenue. Since 2017, expanded into Spain, UK, Germany, and France, and launched WeRoad.com in 2024. Bookings now come from 103 countries. It has served 200,000 travellers with a network of 3,000 Coordinators. WeRoadX marketplace launched in Italy and Spain in 2023, now in the UK, France, and Germany. Weekend Trips launched in 2024, capturing 10% of bookings. In 2025, CEO Andrea D’Amico aims to lead in adventure travel across Europe.

💻 Boom, the world's first AI Property Management Software (AiPMS), expands into the boutique hotels sector. Developed by CEO Shahar Goldboim, Boom introduces AI-powered operational software and an autonomous workforce to small and medium-sized hotels. The platform offers cost savings, efficiency, and enhanced guest experiences by automating tasks like rate negotiation, room allocation, and maintenance dispatching. Boom helps boutique hotels compete with larger chains by reducing reliance on multiple third-party apps and minimizing labor-intensive operations.