Marketing

📆 Expedia Group launched its Travel Agent Affiliate Programme (TAAP) in the UAE, targeting partners and travel agents across the Middle East. TAAP offers commissions on total booking value, user-friendly tools, and marketing materials. Expedia, with platforms like Rezlive, Halalbooking, and Blackrock Technologies, aims to promote Middle Eastern destinations through partnerships with Experience Abu Dhabi, Visit Oman, Jordan Tourism, Emirates, and Adeera. An Arabic-language site is upcoming. Robin Lawther, VP of Expedia TAAP, will speak at ATM on April 30 about ethical AI and maintaining a human touch.

🏨 Sonesta International Hotels Corporation will finalize a strategic alliance with AKEN Hotels & Resorts LLC by mid-year, enhancing Sonesta’s international growth in South America and the Caribbean. Their collaboration aims to integrate AKEN’s properties into Sonesta's loyalty ecosystem, tapping into Latin America’s cultural richness and ecotourism, and providing guests with immersive local experiences. The alliance is expected to create a broader global audience for South American hospitality and contribute to Sonesta's expansion strategy, leveraging AKEN’s local insight and operational excellence.

📈 Google retains third-party cookies in Chrome, impacting the digital ad industry. Google's stock rose 3.8% after the announcement. The Trade Desk, LiveRamp, and Yahoo are potential winners, with LiveRamp's stock increasing over 7%. SSPs like PubMatic and Magnite could benefit from enhanced ID signals and contextual insights. Open web publishers, including Vox Media and Newsweek, may see sustained revenue streams. Criteo, while avoiding a $40 million loss, faces sunk costs in Privacy Sandbox investments. Privacy advocates and consumers are likely losers, missing out on promised enhanced privacy protections.

📱 Sundar Pichai, Google's CEO, unveiled the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) at the NRF conference in New York City yesterday. UCP, a collaboration with partners like Shopify, aims to streamline commerce in AI platforms like Gemini and Google AI Mode by integrating with Google Merchant Center and Google Pay. Competing with OpenAI's ACP, UCP is more decentralized and ecosystem-oriented, allowing merchants to sell directly through AI interfaces. Google leverages existing infrastructure, with plans for features like loyalty programs and cross-sell capabilities.

🗺 Social media is reshaping travel in 2026. Visual, conversational, social-first, and AI-enabled searches are key trends. Authenticity is now a commercial advantage. The report, using insights from millions of data points and top travel creators, highlights that social platforms are crucial for decision-making in travel. Creator content is effective with the right strategy and distribution. These insights aim to help travel marketers capitalize on current opportunities.

🏨 Hotels express frustration with OTAs over high commissions and pricing control, yet often neglect direct booking channels. Common issues include outdated websites, confusing booking processes, minimal content, and lack of investment in direct booking incentives. While OTAs are crucial, relying on them without improving direct channels leads to dependency. If OTAs represent 90% of a hotel’s business, the issue lies in strategy, not the OTAs themselves. Balancing OTA presence with direct bookings is key.

📱 26 social media tips for 2025! Use saved content from 2025 to inspire new ideas. For brand growth, focus on distribution and top-of-funnel content. Foster community by featuring user-generated content and hosting events. Test new content formats and platforms, like TikTok accounts, to maximize reach. The best social media strategies allow flexibility for trends. Engage with your audience to build genuine connections. Embrace social-first content for awareness and protect time for creative thinking.