PhocusWire

GHARAGE Ventures launched its €40 million Fund I back in early March looking to back early-stage startups in the travel and retail sectors. Gharage Ventures evolved into an independent investment vehicle out of an entity with the same name first launched by Gebr. Heinemann in 2020. Now, it has announced a first investment since launching the new fund through its participation in a seed round for Lemrock, a company providing the infrastructure for agentic commerce. Read the full article by Linda Fox on #Phocuswire phocuswire.com/interviews/sta… #travel #traveltech #travelindustry

FCM Travel next month will widely release a "fundamentally reimagined" version of its AI tool Sam that the travel management company (TMC) said will be able to work seamlessly with travelers, travel managers and agents. The tool can respond to travelers' conversational inquiries with FCM's guardrail system that adheres to spending thresholds, workflow approval processes and supplier preferences as configured by travel managers, according to FCM. Read the full story by Michael Baker on #Phocuswire phocuswire.com/news/technolog… #travel #traveltech #travelindustry

Travel influences consumer behavior more than any other category of spending. Consumers consistently rank it first among discretionary priorities, and even in times of economic uncertainty, consumers say time and time again that they will invest more in travel, cutting back on categories like eating out and online shopping. What we are seeing change today, however, is not whether consumers are choosing to #travel, but how they are planning and purchasing their trips. Learn more in #PhocusWire's latest article featuring #HopperTechnologySolutions, bit.ly/4wkNAGx. #travelnews #traveltech #travelindustry #businessintelligence #travelpayments #traveltechnews #AI

@HBXGroup_ has acquired experiences technology company Bridgify to broaden its offering and drive further AI use across operations. The technology includes AI recommendation algorithms helping travel companies to match experiences to travelers. Read the full article by Linda Fox on #Phocuswire phocuswire.com/news/technolog… #travel #traveltech #travelindustry

Agentic AI is rapidly transforming how #travel is discovered, planned and booked—shifting from inspiration to fully autonomous transactions. But what does this actually look like in practice? In this webinar, @PayPal, @Sabre_Corp and @mindtripai come together to showcase the industry’s first end-to-end agentic travel booking experience. Moving beyond theory, speakers will demonstrate how AI agents can search, recommend and complete bookings on behalf of travelers—all within a seamless, conversational flow. Gain valuable insight from: Brad Johnson, Judy Reeves and Abby West. Register for the webinar now on #PhocusWire, bit.ly/42Sw4f4. #travelnews #traveltech #travelindustry #businessintelligence #travelpayments #traveltechnews #AI

Against the backdrop of the war in Iran, Spain has been the strongest-performing market among all European countries included in @Phocuswright 's Europe Travel Market Report 2026 report series. This strength has been underpinned by a combination of factors according to Spain Travel Market Brief 2026. Spain once again surpassed its previous tourism records in 2025, reaching 96.8 million international visitors, a 3.2% increase over 2024. Revenue generated from international tourism grew even faster, at 7%. Spain remains second worldwide in number of international visitors, behind France (102 million), yet ranks first in tourism expenditure. Read the full article on #Phocuswire phocuswire.com/news/online/sp… #travel #traveltech #travelindustry

Travel influences consumer behavior more than any other category of spending. Consumers consistently rank it first among discretionary priorities, and even in times of economic uncertainty, consumers say time and time again that they will invest more in travel, cutting back on categories like eating out and online shopping. What we are seeing change today, however, is not whether consumers are choosing to #travel, but how they are planning and purchasing their trips. Learn more in #PhocusWire's latest article featuring #HopperTechnologySolutions, bit.ly/4wkNAGx. #travelnews #traveltech #travelindustry #businessintelligence #travelpayments #traveltechnews #AI

Off the back of a travel booking test last summer, TikTok has formally announced in-app booking with TikTok GO. The social media giant named @bookingcom , @Expedia , @Trip.com, @ViatorTravel , @GetYourGuide and @Tiqets (which was recently acquired by @ExpediaGroup ) as TikTok GO partners. TikTok GO surfaces lodging and experiences through search, video and location pages for its 200 million users in the United States. When travelers 18 and older find something they are interested in, they can look and complete a booking. Read the full story by Morgan Hines #Phocuswire phocuswire.com/news/technolog… #travel #traveltech #travelindustry

@ExpediaGroup is combining its B2B and global supply organizations under a single leader as the company continues expanding its platform and partner business. The company said Monday that Alfonso Paredes has been appointed president of B2B and chief commercial officer, adding oversight of Expedia Group’s global supply organization to his existing responsibilities leading Expedia Group’s B2B business. The move brings together Expedia Group’s global travel supply teams—including hotels, vacation rentals, air, activities, car rental and insurance—with its partner distribution and platform operations. phocuswire.com/news/online/ex… Read the full story by Cathy Walsh #Phocuswire #travel #traveltech #travelindustry

Agentic AI is rapidly transforming how #travel is discovered, planned and booked—shifting from inspiration to fully autonomous transactions. But what does this actually look like in practice? In this webinar, @PayPal, @Sabre_Corp and @mindtripai come together to showcase the industry’s first end-to-end agentic travel booking experience. Moving beyond theory, speakers will demonstrate how AI agents can search, recommend and complete bookings on behalf of travelers—all within a seamless, conversational flow. Gain valuable insight from: Brad Johnson, Judy Reeves and Abby West. Register for the webinar now on #PhocusWire, bit.ly/42Sw4f4. #travelnews #traveltech #travelindustry #businessintelligence #travelpayments #traveltechnews #AI

Gonzalo Garcia Estebarena is just weeks into the CEO role at Latin America-based online travel agency (OTA) @Despegar . The former CTO and chief commercial officer (CCO) of the company steps into the role a year after Netherlands-based Prosus completed its acquisition of Despegar for $1.7 billion. Read the full interview by Linda Fox on #PhocusWire. phocuswire.com/interviews/onl… #travel #traveltech #travelindustry

The Weather Company and Steller have introduced a travel advertising experience on weather.com to transform checking the weather into travel discovery. The partnership aims to give travel brands and destination marketing organizations (DMOs) the opportunity to influence users when they are looking at weather in out-of-town locations, identifying possible travel intent. Read the full story by Morgan Hines on #Phocuswire phocuswire.com/weather-compan… #travel #traveltech #travelindustry

@Phocuswright  has unveiled the program for Phocuswright Europe 2026, based on the strategic and operational shifts reshaping the travel industry. Senior leaders across the global travel ecosystem will convene to compare approaches, challenge assumptions and get a clearer take on where the market is headed. Read the full article on #Phocuswire to learn more about Phocuswright Europe 2026. phocuswire.com/events/online/… #travel #traveltech #travelindustry

Altitude AI is building an AI-first business travel platform aimed at companies with unmanaged programs. The approach combines trip planning, booking and spend controls, giving employees an AI-powered travel assistant while helping to control costs. Read the full article by Linda Fox on #Phocuswire phocuswire.com/startup-stage-… #travel #traveltech #travelindustry

Here's our roundup of the people, product and partner news from the global travel industry this week. @KlookTravel , @Spotnana , @AirCanada , @wizzair, Hopper Technology Solutions, @roomex , 12Go, @bookingkit , Travel Forward (formerly the Travel Foundation), @Datalex , Air Macau, @KAYAK , @Fareportal , Duffel, @HotelMinder , Lighthouse, PKFARE, Wano, AirAsia MOVE, @WEX_Travel , Extend Check out the full article on #PhocusWire to see the latest news from these companies! phocuswire.com/travel-tech-ne… #travel #traveltech #travelindustry

Trifork has acquired VION AI, adding real-time operational intelligence to its aviation software business. The deal adds VION AI’s tools for tracking and analyzing activity on the ground during aircraft turnarounds. Trifork plans to fold that technology into its iFly4 platform, which is used by airlines and airports to manage operations and passenger service. Read the full article by Cathy Walsh on #Phocuswire phocuswire.com/trifork-acquir… #travel #traveltech #travelindustry

The #hospitalityindustry is under pressure to digitize nearly every part of the business, from operations and distribution to payments and partner relationships. In this conversation, Noelani Schroy, vice president of sales at @onyxcentrsource, discusses how #hotels, #travelagencies and vendors are navigating that balance. Watch the full discussion now on #PhocusWire, bit.ly/4983SbB. #travelnews #traveltech #travelindustry #businessintelligence #travelpayments #traveltechnews #AI

The #hospitalityindustry is under pressure to digitize nearly every part of the business, from operations and distribution to payments and partner relationships. In this conversation, Noelani Schroy, vice president of sales at @onyxcentrsource, discusses how #hotels, #travelagencies and vendors are navigating that balance. Watch the full discussion now on #PhocusWire, bit.ly/4983SbB. #travelnews #traveltech #travelindustry #businessintelligence #travelpayments #traveltechnews #AI