PhocusWire

Group booking specialist #Lobby has raised $2.2 million in funding as it looks to expand beyond hospitality to other segments within travel. The investment in the #Switzerland-based company came from @founderful. @pascalmathis, co-founder of the venture capital firm and a co-founder of @GetYourGuide, joins Lobby’s board of directors. Read more on #PhocusWire bit.ly/4v5CTqE

Search is moving toward AI-powered results at speed. According The State of Marketing, a report from Hubspot (@HubSpot ), nearly half of marketers (49%) say that web traffic from search has decreased because of AI-generated answers. Marketing agencies argue that brands need to act (and spend) now. Continue reading the full article on #PhocusWire now. bit.ly/3NXABcd

@Airbnb has partnered with @WelcomePickups to offer private car transfers as part of its Services offering. The service is available in more than 125 cities across #Asia, #Europe and #LatinAmerica and enables guests to pre-book a car in the Airbnb app between their listing and point of arrival or departure. The introduction follows a trial earlier this year. Read more on #PhocusWire bit.ly/41t1zMh

Nishank Gopalkrishnan was appointed CEO of #Dreamlines in mid 2025. He previously held roles at #TUI, @triposo and @makemytrip. Gopalkrishnan sees opportunity to expand Dreamlines through packaging travel services alongside cruise, forging #B2B partnerships and driving efficiency using AI. Read more on #PhocusWire bit.ly/4cp0Gtd

#Drifter provides AI visibility analytics for destinations, helping places understand how they appear across platforms such as ChatGPT, @Gemini and #Perplexity Its platform enables destination marketing organizations (#DMOs), hotels and attractions to monitor, measure and improve how they are represented in #AI-driven travel discovery. Read more on #PhocusWire bit.ly/4tsIfdX

Search is moving toward AI-powered results at speed. According The State of Marketing, a report from Hubspot (@HubSpot ), nearly half of marketers (49%) say that web traffic from search has decreased because of AI-generated answers. Marketing agencies argue that brands need to act (and spend) now. Continue reading the full article on #PhocusWire now. bit.ly/3NXABcd

Is #SouthAfrica the world’s quiet travel tech powerhouse? South Africa’s online #travelmarket, valued at $2.54 billion in 2024, is on a trajectory toward nearly $6 billion by 2033. But the more interesting story isn’t the size of the prize, but who’s showing up to claim it. South Africa has quietly become the continent’s leading force in #tourism innovation. Read more on #PhocusWire bit.ly/3ObfX8J

#HBXGroup has acquired full ownership of dynamic packaging technology business @PerfectStay for an undisclosed amount. The company initially acquired 25% of Paris‑based PerfectStay in mid 2024 and the transaction, which completed earlier this week, is based on a long-term performance-based deal related to EBITDA until 2030. Read more on #PhocusWire bit.ly/4151gXJ

Industry and macro trends are reshaping the Asia Pacific (#APAC) travel market. Some of the most visible changes are playing out inside the travel industry across mobility, accommodation, distribution and payments. Broader shifts in demographics, infrastructure, finance and geopolitics are driving other developments. Read more on #PhocusWire bit.ly/4dist0m

@Airbnb has partnered with @WelcomePickups to offer private car transfers as part of its Services offering. The service is available in more than 125 cities across #Asia, #Europe and #LatinAmerica and enables guests to pre-book a car in the Airbnb app between their listing and point of arrival or departure. The introduction follows a trial earlier this year. Read more on #PhocusWire bit.ly/41t1zMh

Nishank Gopalkrishnan was appointed CEO of #Dreamlines in mid 2025. He previously held roles at #TUI, @triposo and @makemytrip. Gopalkrishnan sees opportunity to expand Dreamlines through packaging travel services alongside cruise, forging #B2B partnerships and driving efficiency using AI. Read more on #PhocusWire bit.ly/4cp0Gtd

#Drifter provides AI visibility analytics for destinations, helping places understand how they appear across platforms such as ChatGPT, @Gemini and #Perplexity Its platform enables destination marketing organizations (#DMOs), hotels and attractions to monitor, measure and improve how they are represented in #AI-driven travel discovery. Read more on #PhocusWire bit.ly/4tsIfdX

Is #SouthAfrica the world’s quiet travel tech powerhouse? South Africa’s online #travelmarket, valued at $2.54 billion in 2024, is on a trajectory toward nearly $6 billion by 2033. But the more interesting story isn’t the size of the prize, but who’s showing up to claim it. South Africa has quietly become the continent’s leading force in #tourism innovation. Read more on #PhocusWire bit.ly/3ObfX8J

#HBXGroup has acquired full ownership of dynamic packaging technology business @PerfectStay for an undisclosed amount. The company initially acquired 25% of Paris‑based PerfectStay in mid 2024 and the transaction, which completed earlier this week, is based on a long-term performance-based deal related to EBITDA until 2030. Read more on #PhocusWire bit.ly/4151gXJ

Search is moving toward AI-powered results at speed. According The State of Marketing, a report from Hubspot (@HubSpot ), nearly half of marketers (49%) say that web traffic from search has decreased because of AI-generated answers. Marketing agencies argue that brands need to act (and spend) now. Continue reading the full article on #PhocusWire now. bit.ly/3NXABcd

Industry and macro trends are reshaping the Asia Pacific (#APAC) travel market. Some of the most visible changes are playing out inside the travel industry across mobility, accommodation, distribution and payments. Broader shifts in demographics, infrastructure, finance and geopolitics are driving other developments. Read more on #PhocusWire bit.ly/4dist0m

@Airbnb has partnered with @WelcomePickups to offer private car transfers as part of its Services offering. The service is available in more than 125 cities across #Asia, #Europe and #LatinAmerica and enables guests to pre-book a car in the Airbnb app between their listing and point of arrival or departure. The introduction follows a trial earlier this year. Read more on #PhocusWire bit.ly/41t1zMh

Nishank Gopalkrishnan was appointed CEO of #Dreamlines in mid 2025. He previously held roles at #TUI, @triposo and @makemytrip. Gopalkrishnan sees opportunity to expand Dreamlines through packaging travel services alongside cruise, forging #B2B partnerships and driving efficiency using AI. Read more on #PhocusWire bit.ly/4cp0Gtd

#Drifter provides AI visibility analytics for destinations, helping places understand how they appear across platforms such as ChatGPT, @Gemini and #Perplexity Its platform enables destination marketing organizations (#DMOs), hotels and attractions to monitor, measure and improve how they are represented in #AI-driven travel discovery. Read more on #PhocusWire bit.ly/4tsIfdX

Is #SouthAfrica the world’s quiet travel tech powerhouse? South Africa’s online #travelmarket, valued at $2.54 billion in 2024, is on a trajectory toward nearly $6 billion by 2033. But the more interesting story isn’t the size of the prize, but who’s showing up to claim it. South Africa has quietly become the continent’s leading force in #tourism innovation. Read more on #PhocusWire bit.ly/3ObfX8J