Online travel agencies tips

In what will be every travel industry dealmaker’s wet dream come true, Uber has explored buying Expedia in recent weeks, according to a speculative report in FT this evening.

Online travel company Ixigo’s board on Thursday approved plans to acquire a 51% stake in train e-catering food service Zoop. The deal is for INR 125.4 million ($1.5 million). 

Travel metasearch engine Skyscanner is preparing to launch a new marketplace within its app that offers a range of additional services.

Priceline is the first travel company to say that it’s integrating its AI chatbot with the latest voice tech from OpenAI.

The playbook for selling flights and hotels is pretty well known. But selling experiences—where the growth is now — is still being figured out.

The latest data from Viator, an online travel agency for travel experiences, offers a window into evolving travel habits.

Yatra Online on Monday announced that it has agreed to acquire Globe All India Services (Globe Travels), a corporate travel services provider, for INR 1.28 billion ($15.25 million) in cash.

The Skift Research team recently unveiled its State of Travel 2024 report, a 400-page that documents the consumer and business trends in various sectors of the travel industry — including hotels and online travel agencies.

Indian online travel agency Yatra.com reported a 5% quarterly revenue decline Tuesday, a drop CEO Dhruv Shringi attributed to intensifying price competition in the consumer business.

As part of its strategy to enter key markets in Southeast Asia, India-based online travel agency (OTA) HappyEasyGo on Monday announced that it would be partnering with global payments-infrastructure provider Primer to offer localized payment solutions.

Viator, a TripAdvisor brand, has partnered with Amazon.com to integrate its vast inventory of tours, activities, and experiences into Alexa-enabled devices in hotel rooms. This marks the experience sector’s first major push into voice-activated travel bookings.

Online travel agency Yatra is working to expand its corporate share and enhancing its services to expand its total market, CEO Dhruv Shringi said on Friday.

Indian online travel company EaseMyTrip will be focusing on growing its non-air business in fiscal 2025, Prashant Pitti, its co-founder, said during an earnings call Friday. 

Looking to establish itself as the number 1 online travel agency in Southeast Asia, Air Asia Move, previously known as AirAsia superapp, announced the launch of its ASEAN Explorer Pass on Thursday.

Indian online travel agency EaseMyTrip.com on Monday confirmed an investment in business-to-business (B2B) travel portal ETrav Tech.

CEOs at MakeMyTrip and Yatra Online agree: India holds more than just a country. 

GetYourGuide launched a suite of tools for tour and activity operators on Tuesday. The company, which has raised roughly $1 billion in funding, aims to make it easier for solo and mom-and-pop entrepreneurs to sell their walking tours, cooking classes, and other services through its online travel app.

Trivago is rolling out its first major brand advertising campaign since the company changed its leadership seven months ago, and the multi-country ad blitz replaces its roster of professional pitch people with one actor who speaks numerous languages thanks to the power of AI.

Klook, an online travel agency for tours and activities, transport, and travel services, said it had raised $210 million (about $290 Singaporean dollars) in capital with a mix of venture equity and bank financing.

Tripadvisor’s Viator has long been one of the largest online travel agencies for tours and activities. But to juice its revenue, it began letting tour operators spend more for better placement in Viator search results.

Five travel tech startups have announced fundraises this week totaling more than $144 million.