Travel Weekly Group Ltd

💳 TerraPay and XanderPay partnered to simplify international hotel payments. Hotels can now centralize operations on a single platform, reducing costs and improving cash flow management. This collaboration empowers hoteliers with control over collection, settlement, and reconciliation processes, optimizing financial operations and unlocking growth in the digital tourism economy. The partnership shifts payment strategies to centralised models, reducing reliance on traditional systems like SWIFT, and enhancing guest-centric payments for seamless experiences in the hospitality sector.

💰 Corpay launched Corpay Complete in the UK to streamline finance operations. The platform unifies accounts payable, FX, expenses, and payments. According to Deloitte, 63% of UK CFOs prioritize cost control, but only 36% have real-time cash flow visibility. 67% of global CFOs cite disconnected tools as a barrier to automation. Only 5% of finance teams are fully automated. Corpay Complete aims to address these issues, enhancing efficiency and reducing risks in finance operations.

🛳️ MSC Cruises, the world's third-largest cruise company, partnered with Peopleware to overhaul workforce management for global contact centers. Previously reliant on spreadsheets, MSC standardized processes to handle seasonal peaks, such as new ships or marketing campaigns. The new system ensures better customer service, lower abandonment rates, and more employee autonomy via a self-service portal. Workforce management has become a strategic driver for customer service and business decisions, according to Michele Pepe, Corporate Workforce Planning Manager.

🛳️ Vertical Systems collaborates with Carnival Cruises to automate cruise bookings and itinerary management for P&O, Cunard, and Princess. In partnership with Dreamlake, phase two of their integration enhances back-office efficiency using Tarsc software. This week, new functionality reaches Vertical Travel Group, Holiday Elite, and Your Holiday Booking. Lewis Johnston notes the reduced manual input and improved after-sales process. Previous integrations include easyJet, Jet2, and Olympic Holidays. CTO David Becker emphasizes creating an effortless booking ecosystem.

🛫 In 2024, the travel industry became the most attacked sector, experiencing 27% of global bot attacks, up from 21% in 2023. These attacks are facilitated by AI and automation tools, with simple bot attacks rising to 52% of traffic on travel sites. Bots now account for 59% of travel web traffic, leading to increased operational costs and reputational damage. The solution? A multi-layered, AI-driven defense strategy to counteract these threats effectively.