In Phocus

While ancillaries are often discussed as a way to boost profit, not every travel company has introduced these revenue streams. But what's holding them back?

Mark McLaughlin, CEO of Coras, and Inigo Valenzuela, CEO of Smartvel, opened up about the hesitancy they encounter in the pitching process to travel suppliers.

Mclaughlin identified technology as a roadblock. As an API provider for tickets and events, he said he&rsquo...

As the short-term rental (STR) industry continues to evolve, it’s become clear that vacation rentals can be more than just a place to rest one’s head—and Airbnb has tapped into this opportunity with its recent launch of Services.

But what benefit do ancillaries really pose to STR providers? Industry leaders shared their thoughts in a panel-style interview in the PhocusWire studio at Phocus...

The travel industry has had pretty much everything thrown at it in the first six months of 2025. It has faced ongoing global conflict, economic instability, political uncertainty and challenges related to climate change.

The second quarter earnings of online travel agencies, hotel groups and airlines reflected some of this turmoil. Airlines blamed macroeconomic factors for revenue losses and demand uncertainty, while the CEO...

Loyalty has long helped brands drive engagement but not everything is plain sailing in the travel loyalty world.

The landscape is shifting with younger generations demanding something different from programs and companies reassessing what's working. At the end of last year, for example, Morning Consult reported that travelers aren’t totally satisfied with programs as they exist. And in 2023, McKinsey ...

Travel’s tours and activities sector has been growing in recent years, and the space is continuing to evolve in 2025.

Industry leaders opened up about current trends during a studio interview with senior reporter Morgan Hines at Phocuswright Europe earlier this summer. 

Right now, experts said there are some key shifts tied to demographic, booking behavior and emerging technology, all of which could shape the f...

Peter O’Donovan's career has included several leadership roles, and he now sits as the CEO of CarTrawler. O'Donovan was appointed to the role in 2022 after four years as chief operations officer.

CarTrawler works to connect clients and travel brands to mobility solutions and car rentals across the world.

During a CEO Spotlight interview in the PhocusWire studio at Phocuswright Europe, O’Donovan discussed wha...

The travel industry is known for being susceptible to just about everything, from financial downturns and global conflict to rapid technological development and climate change. However, it's also known for its ability to bounce back—often quite quickly.

At Phocuswright Europe 2025, CheckYeti, a specialist in outdoor experiences, and WingBuddy, a packaged tour operator, joined us in the PhocusWire studio ...

If the first quarter of 2025 proved lackluster for travel startup funding with only about $1 billion going into newcomers in the space, the second quarter slipped further.

It seems all the headlines around tariffs as well as the political uncertainty and global conflict may have put investments on hold, with only about $800 million going into travel startups, according to Phocuswright’s Travel Startups Int...

During an interview at the PhocusWire studio at Phocuswright Europe, Maxim Sevastianov, founder and CEO of Trava, said he defines API connectivity success in the course of a long game.

“You define that there is a certain need in the market for that particular application, right?” he said. “Then you develop and you talk to the customers, of course, and they say there is a need for that.”

However, it...

As travel came to a screeching halt during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jari Virtanen, CEO of Stena Line Travel and Retail Group, was faced with a blank slate. 

So, Virtanen, who oversees a portfolio of brands including Sembo, European Online Flights, Motorist and Best Travel, took the time to innovate and look to the future.

According to Virtanen, at the time, he looked at larger online travel agencies (OTAs) and noticed ...

API-first property management system (PMS) Apaleo aims to help hoteliers scale business. And according to founder and CEO Uli Pillau, the platform give developers and startups, as well as established players, the opportunity to innovate.

“When you look at us, we are the only not all-in-one PMS in the market—we are a true platform, so our innovation comes really from all of the apps and the modules and com...

With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), search engine optimization—or at least SEO as we know it—has been effectively kicked out of the party. And it's a “reality” that the travel sector is being forced to confront.

Mario Gavira, vice president of growth and brand for Kiwi.com, who has been vocal about the future as it relates to AI and agentic AI, said the industry has to adapt.

“Our ...

In an executive interview, Gillian Jones, senior business development manager of Condatis, and Vikas Bhola, CEO of Neoke, suggested that a shift towards digital ID adoption may help facilitate the connected trip, but it can feel daunting. 

And while fragmentation presents a barrier, standardization is another concern, with regions and industries developing their own frameworks for implementing SSI.

According to Bhola, how...

Speakspots, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered WhatsApp hotel chatbot, has entered the B2B space with a white-label AI agent for hotels.

The new feature was announced at Phocuswright Europe in Barcelona.

“We started as an AI travel planner. Now we have over 50,000 users every month, especially in Europe,” said Andres Martinez Artal, CEO and founder of Speakspots, in an interview with PhocusWire. “We...

Multiday adventure and experiences platform TourRadar has unveiled TourRadar Moments in its app. The social commerce initiative enables travelers to book trips from uploaded photos and video reels content.

The company is also rewarding the creators for sharing the content with travel credits for future trips.

TourRadar co-founder and CEO Travis Pittman said "the timing is perfect" for the initiative amid ongoing developments i...

The road to modern retailing in the airline world is long and very complex.

Implementing the International Air Transport Association's New Distribution Capability technology standard is still a source of consternation for many carriers and their retail partners, but others are beginning to evolve towards offer and order and the dream of offering travelers personalized services.

Flyr, which was founded in 2013, has been steadily bui...

Founded in 2012, Snowflake is a cloud-based data storage company that works across a variety of verticals including travel and hospitality. In September 2024 the company launched its “AI Data Cloud for Travel and Hospitality” to address industry needs such as dynamic pricing and sustainability tracking, reputation management and performance advertising.

Whitnee Hawthorne, global head of travel and ho...

Flight specialist Oojo is a relative newcomer to the online travel world.

The company launched four years ago and is part of Trevolution Group, which is the travel technology and services part of the wider Dyninno Group.

During an interview in the PhocusWire Studio, Gulce Karsli Rozeveld, who joined Oojo as CEO earlier this year, discussed the online flight specialist’s growth and her thoughts on whether a one-...

Airline distribution developments such as new commercial approaches and the move to offer-order have been the topic for many debates in 2024.

Discussions around IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) technology standard are ongoing but general adoption is still quite low and there seems to be an acceptance, or perhaps resignation, that although there has been a little acceleration, it will take more time.

David Gunnarsson, ...