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Automatic

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Amadeus sees healthy 2024 travel demand despite slower bookings

🏖️ Amadeus, a Spanish travel booking group, predicts robust travel demand for 2024, aligning with its guidance despite a forecasted bookings slowdown. Even as European airlines like Ryanair, Air France, and Lufthansa miss or lower profit forecasts due to rising costs and a post-pandemic travel decline, Amadeus CEO Luis Maroto, on a call post beating quarterly expectations on August 1, 2024, maintains confidence for normalized traffic and full-year performance.
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Booking.com considers appeal against mega fine

📖 On August 1, 2024, the OTA, following a CNMC investigation, announces plans to appeal what it terms an "unprecedented decision." A Booking spokesperson argues that the EU's Digital Market Act should be the platform for issue resolution rather than individual country regulations, highlighting Booking.com's competitive market presence and customer and partner choice through programs like Preferred Plus and Genius. The decision is said to create inconsistency for consumers and partners in Spain. Full details at Trav Magazine.
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Delta Expects $500 million hit from CrowdStrike outage

🛫 Delta Air Lines experienced a major outage on Aug 1, 2024, canceling over 5,000 flights during the busiest travel weekend of the summer. A failed software update from CrowdStrike resulted in 40,000 servers needing manual resets. The incident, which had global repercussions, is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Transportation and has led to significant financial losses and reputational damage for Delta, the nation’s third-largest fleet. Delta is preparing for litigation against CrowdStrike.
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This AI tool can plan your next vacation

🏕️ Mindtrip, a travel startup, launched "Start Anywhere," an AI itinerary tool on Aug 1, 2024. CEO Andy Moss asserts it surpasses general-use chatbots by integrating real-time data with generative AI for tailored travel plans, avoiding outdated suggestions like closed venues. Meant to enhance in-the-moment decisions, like discovering spots near Milan's cathedrals, it's a blend of GPS awareness and conversational AI. 🌐 Mindtrip.ai provides the full narrative.
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UK: OTAs join forces to lobby government

📢 On August 1, 2024, 11 UK online travel companies including Airbnb, Booking.com, eDreams Odigeo, Expedia Group, Kiwi.com, lastminute.com, loveholidays, On the Beach, Skyscanner, Trainline, and Travel Republic, formed a group to lobby the new government. They aim to highlight their contribution to the economy and consumer benefits, focusing on protection and choice, and promoting fair and competitive digital travel markets.
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Marriott lowers forecast for 2024

💸 Marriott revised its 2024 RevPAR growth forecast down to 3-4% from a high of 5%, due to weaker domestic travel demand in the U.S. and economic challenges in China. As of the end of June, the company's global room pipeline grew by 2.2% to 559,000 rooms. The U.S. election is expected to affect fourth-quarter group bookings in North America.
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The Power of One: Driving Hospitality Innovation at Converge 2024

📢 In Miami, the Converge Hospitality Revenue Summit recently concluded with nearly 300 attendees including IDeaS' clients, partners, and leaders. Keynote speakers like Chris Hemmeter forecasted hospitality tech growth, Cassie Kozyrkov discussed AI as an enhancement tool, Maricarmen Cardenas and Rob Darrow advocated for data-driven decisions, and Sanjay Nagalia offered a glimpse into IDeaS' product future. The summit acknowledged innovators Alexis Remy with the Innovation Award and Angus Blair with the Changemaker Award. Upcoming events include Converge Bangkok on Nov. 4-5, 2024, and Converge London on July 22-23, 2025, with early bird registration available until September 31.
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Paris Olympics may be keeping tourists away – HOTELSMag.com

🏅 Paris is preparing for the Olympics with elevated hotel rates, seeing a 41%-61% surge in average hotel prices in three- to five-star hotels during the event compared to yearly averages. Tourist tax will increase by almost 200%, with costs per night ranging from €2.6 to €14.95. Despite high occupancy predictions, nearly 80% hotel booking levels in June, tourists are avoiding the city pre-Olympics due to disruptions and higher expenses. Airlines like Air France-KLM anticipate a revenue drop of €180 million, while Delta expects a $100 million loss. Visitor numbers could reach 11 million, but only 1.5 million from abroad. France is projected to maintain its tourism appeal, expecting 101 million international arrivals in 2024, up from 98.2 million in 2023.
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Surge in travel bookings may slow this year

🌍 Travel experts observed a 16.8% decrease in sales in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Despite varied factors like elections, inflation, and geopolitical events, the travel industry remains optimistic with continuous investments into new hotels, resorts, ships, and itineraries. Notably, luxury travel sales have remained robust. Full insights are available at Travel Weekly.
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