Innovation

📈 Hotel sales professionals face administrative burdens, with manual data entry into PMS and CRM systems, inefficient negotiation processes, and time-consuming Friday reporting. Demand Calendar offers a specialized CRM for hotels, automating data processes and saving 40 hours per month. This leads to €1,800+ in monthly value per salesperson. By integrating with PMS and offering dynamic tools, the CRM eliminates repetitive tasks and improves workflow efficiency, allowing sales teams to focus on revenue generation.

💻 Online travel bookings surpassed $1 trillion, growing faster than offline channels globally. Asia Pacific accounts for over a third of global OTA sales. Social network usage for trip research rose from 16% in 2023 to 19% in 2025 in the U.S. 58% of active U.S. travelers use AI; 39% use it specifically for travel planning. 25-33% are interested in AI booking tools. By 2026, millions will adopt digital identity wallets for secure bookings.

💸 Global travel technology group Travelsoft acquired .BOSYS Software GmbH in January 2026. Founded in 2002, .BOSYS supports over 3,000 travel agencies in Germany and Austria, and specializes in CRM, mid-office, and back-office solutions. This acquisition is Travelsoft's first of 2026, increasing its group to 12 companies and employing over 700 experts. Travelsoft aims to enhance its presence in Germany and Austria while maintaining product continuity and customer support within the .BOSYS team.

✈️ Amadeus and ICAO signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support ICAO's No Country Left Behind (NCLB) initiative. The collaboration aims to boost the adoption of advanced digital technologies in international air transport by 2050. Amadeus will provide expertise in travel technology, digital identity, and data management. Initial NCLB deliverables are expected in the first half of 2026. This effort aligns with ICAO's TRIP framework and Doc 9303 specifications.

🚀 Maya, a technology platform specializing in agentic AI for the travel industry, reported a 5x revenue increase and tripled its client base last year. After solidifying its presence in Europe, Maya plans to expand into the Middle East in 2026, focusing on Dubai due to its rapid adoption of AI travel technologies. The firm also targets Latin America, with Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil as key markets. The US is the next major milestone in Maya’s international expansion.

💻 U.S. Department of Transportation invests $1 billion to improve airports for families, including play areas and healthier food. Gina Acosta's viral thread on flight-pricing AI prompts uncovered a $340 fare, usually $1,200. Bessemer Venture Partners identifies two AI startup types, "Supernovas" and "Shooting Stars," with revenue benchmarks. Alphabet's market cap rose $1.5 trillion in 2025, outperforming leading travel agencies. Over $500 million was funded for in-person connection initiatives, highlighting a trend back to offline experiences.