Travel Weekly Group Ltd

🚀 myPlane, an online booking engine, launched AI-powered features to streamline commercial charter flight bookings. Designed to move airlines and B2B travel buyers from manual processes to a digital platform, the AI tool processes 200-500 daily enquiries, standardizing and responding to them efficiently. This innovation aims to enhance transparency and efficiency in the charter flight industry, as stated by co-founder Juuso Klemola.

🏖️ On the Beach, an OTA, reported a 10% increase in total transaction value (TTV) for summer 2025, with a record year in 2024. The year-to-date TTV growth stood at 10% year-on-year, with winter 2024-25 up by 18%. Early bookings for March to June saw a 17% rise from the previous year. The company's asset-light model and competitive pricing mitigate inflation pressures. Investments in technology have expanded city packages to over 70 destinations. International expansion includes package holiday sales from Ireland, where a recent campaign spurred growth. The board is confident that summer 2025 will surpass summer 2024 and that FY25 adjusted profit before tax (PBT) will meet consensus expectations.

🧟 In February 2025, technology events highlighted the rise of AI in travel and hospitality with 67% of Saudi and UAE consumers using AI for holiday planning, surpassing the EMEA average of 41%. The Saudi Tourism Authority introduced Sara, an AI tour guide, during the LEAP 2025 conference. Mabrian's AI virtual assistant AILA was launched in January 2025 for B2B travel intelligence. Qatar Airways upgraded Sama, an AI cabin crew member, and presented Dream Destination – The Pulse. The Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, from April 28 to May 1, 2025, will showcase a 25% increase in travel technology exhibitors.

🏩 Paxport launches a Certified Partner Programme to simplify airline content booking with a four-tiered structure: Essential, Enhanced, Elite, and Elite Plus, reflecting integration levels. Partners can join the scheme and receive commercial benefits, with annual accreditation reviews. Elite partners have access to a referral scheme. Amy Shine, Paxport's commercial partnerships manager, emphasizes the importance of technology partners in making emerging technologies available to customers and improving their booking experience.

🌍 Experience Connector partnered with P&O Ferries, expanding customer access to curated in-destination activities both pre-departure and post-purchase. They will use an optimised white label platform integrated with P&O's website, initially focusing on popular routes and destinations in The Netherlands, England, France, Ireland, and Scotland. The partnership enhances the customer journey with spontaneous booking capability via on-board digital platforms, aiming to grow and evolve with traveler preferences.

✈ Turkish Airlines partnered with HBX Group and PerfectStay to launch Turkish Airlines Holidays globally, offering access to hotels, experiences, and transfers. Previously limited to Turkey, the service has expanded to the UK, Europe, South Korea, Mexico, Australia, with the US market to follow. Direct consumer sales are the current model, with travel agents not included. HBX Group's TTV for accommodation was 13% in 2024. The collaboration aims to provide a single platform for planning and booking trips.

🏠 Brian Butts appointed as vice president of sales at Custom Travel Solutions (CTS) in 2025. Butts has decades of experience in global travel partnerships and revenue growth; previously served as consulting partner and SVP of strategy at Dorms.com. He held senior positions at Global Solutions Team and spent eight years at Booking.com, managing over $1.8 billion in Gross Travel Value and generating more than 75% of affiliate revenue in North America. His role is pivotal for CTS's expansion, redefining travel memberships and loyalty programs in the US market.

🔏 Lodgify announced the launch of Lodgify Smart Locks, allowing hosts to manage smart lock devices within one platform. Over 60% of vacation rental industry respondents use smart locks according to the Lodgify 2024 report. Alex Vuilleumier, COO of Lodgify, emphasizes the importance of smooth check-ins. The system generates unique codes for guests and monitors device statuses. Lodgify partners with Nuki, offering a 15% discount on Nuki smart locks until March 31, 2025, with an extra per-device monthly fee.

🚂 US visa policies maintain strictness and have suspended issuing passports with non-binary gender markers. Egypt reinstated visa-on-arrival and e-visa for Canadians. Saudi Arabia requires meningitis vaccination proof from 10 February. Bulgaria and Romania joined Schengen Area in January 2025, allowing visa-free travel within the zone. Zambia granted visa-free entry to 53 more countries. Mauritania scrapped visa-on-arrival for electronic visas from 5 January. Israel introduced a mandatory Electronic Travel Authorization for visa-free eligible travelers. Thailand extended visa-free entry to 60 days for tourists from several countries. China now allows up to 10-day visa-free transit for about 54 countries. A survey showed 82% of US companies used AI for travel management in 2024, up 69% from 2023.