Travel Weekly Group Ltd - 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers - Page 85

2 min

Insurtech company Pikl boosts its…

🏖 Pikl, a vacation rental insurtech company, appointed Steve McGuinness as COO and James Everett as CUO to bolster its leadership for growth post successful 2023 B2B launch. McGuinness, formerly at Saga, Auto & General, Chubb, RBS, will manage performance and risk. Everett, ex-Deputy Head of Underwriting at Canopius Group, will focus on insurance solutions for vacation rental businesses. CEO Louise Birritteri anticipates rapid growth and market expansion with their expertise.

1 min

BizAway appoints a new General Manager

🏢 Dario Rizzo joins Italian-based scale-up BizAway as General Manager to bolster the company's global brand positioning and invest in young talent. With a degree in Economics and Banking Science and specialization in Economics and Financial Intermediaries Management from Siena, Rizzo brings digital strategy and B2B marketing experience from previous roles at Tribe47, GetResponse, and Factorial in cities like London, Warsaw, Gdańsk, and Barcelona. CEO Luca Carlucci anticipates Rizzo will enhance community, share knowledge, and create new opportunities for the company.

3 min

The 2025 SAF Mandate: Why the UK must rise…

🛩 The UK's Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mandate, effective as of January, requires SAF to constitute a minimum of 2% of fuel for UK flights in 2025, with targets increasing to 10% in 2030 and 22% by 2040. SAF can slash carbon emissions by up to ~80% compared to traditional jet fuel. Despite the mandate, the UK Climate Change committee predicts SAF will only represent 6% of total fuel demand by 2030, missing the 10% goal. To bolster SAF scaling, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) suggests a comprehensive strategy focusing on enhancing SAF production, infrastructure, R&D, and technology adoption for net-zero aviation by 2050. Business travel, with significant purchasing influence, plays a critical role in promoting SAF, especially through the book-and-claim model, enabling the purchase of SAF without it being physically present at airports. The World Economic Forum highlights the importance of formal government acceptance of this model and transparent accounting to drive corporate investment in SAF.

1 min

Tokyo launches medical information portal

🏥 Launched by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Tokyo Medical Information Site for Foreign Tourists and Residents is an online portal designed to assist non-Japanese speakers with navigating the city's healthcare system. It provides information on emergency assistance, how to find medical facilities, receiving care instructions, and multilingual support contacts. The portal is available in multiple languages, including Japanese, English, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Korean, and others via AI translation.

2 min

India expands its presence at 2025 Arabian…

🌍 India's tourism industry is booming, with a focus on its market at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) from 28 April to 1 May in Dubai. India's outbound tourism is expected to hit US$55 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 11.4%. Dubai saw 3.14 million South Asian visitors last year, with India being significant. Indian hotel supply grew at over 3% CAGR in the last decade, adding 114,000 rooms since 2014. ATM 2023 will see a 41% increase in Indian participation, expecting over 47,000 attendees and 2,600 exhibitors.

3 min

HBX Group hosts first European partner…

📌 HBX Group's MarketHub event was held in Algarve, Europe, attracting hundreds of executives to discuss technology, Gen Z, and digital payments. The platform processes over 6.2 billion searches and 80,000 requests per second, with a €200 million investment in technology over three years. "Olivia," an AI-powered customer service platform, and advanced AI applications were showcased. The Algarve saw 5.2 million visitors in 2024, exemplifying sustainable tourism growth. The global travel industry, valued at $11 trillion, is expected to see the B2B travel market reach $94 billion by 2032. Gen Z, comprising 30% of the global population, prioritizes personalized, sustainable travel, heavily influenced by social media. HBX Group's recent IPO and commitment to governance and transparency were also highlighted.

2 min

Hospitality platform surpasses 12,500…

🏨 Hospitality technology platform Mews has boosted its customer base by 85%, now serving over 12,500 global customers. In North America, the company doubled its customer base in 2024, while the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) achieved 20% market penetration, and France experienced a 37% annual growth. Mews has recently received an additional $75 million investment from Tiger Global. Notable clients include Lark Hotels and Gravity Haus. Mews offers cloud-native, AI-enabled solutions for the hotel industry.

2 min

Europeans opt for Easter travel to Japan…

🛫 Europe's Easter 2025 travel trends show a mix of long-haul and unique destinations according to RateHawk. Top 10 Easter destinations for Europeans: Japan, USA, Spain, Italy, France, UAE, UK, Portugal, Turkey, and Thailand. Japan leads with 12.2% of bookings, seeing a 100% increase from Easter 2024. Average accommodation booking value is £840 for a 3-night stay. Iceland bookings from Germany have quadrupled since spring 2024. Saudi Arabia and UAE demand grows among UK and Spanish travel agencies, with Saudi bookings up by 2.5x and UAE doubling year-on-year. USA claims 12% of all European accommodation bookings. Long-haul destinations make up 47% of bookings, up 12% from 2024. RateHawk offers travel agents 2.6 million accommodation options across 220 countries.

2 min

HBX Group advances its sustainability strategy

🌱 HBX Group published its ESG 2024 Report, highlighting environmental, social, and governance progress and its commitment to sustainable tourism. Over the past year, it expanded the Sustainable Hotels Programme to over 40,000 certified establishments, with 6,000+ eschewing single-use plastic. The company has over 300 subscribers in its knowledge exchange hub and received the Climate Change Award at A World for Travel event, as well as the CSR Best Practice Award at the 15th Sustainability Week in Spain. HBX Group is developing a decarbonisation plan, seeking ISO 14001 certification, and plans to grow its Think Big programme internationally.

2 min

Kaptio teams up with Therefore Interactive…

🏖 Kaptio, a Salesforce-native platform, merges with Therefore Interactive to set a new travel technology standard. Their collaboration aims to simplify booking flows, enhance customer experiences, and drive growth for multi-day travel operators. The partnership already benefits Rocky Mountaineer, which saw digital improvements including new websites for Canyon Spirit and Armstrong Collective, and a revamped Agent Portal. Armstrong's VP, Ashley Wright, acknowledges the partnership's impact on technical capabilities and market reach. Kaptio CEO, Viðar Svansson, sees this as a milestone for customer digital engagement and transformation.

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