US to witness biggest drop in inbound travel

Travel Daily Media | March 09, 2020

The Leading Travel Index (LTI), the predictive component of the US Travel Association’s Travel Trends Index (TTI), has predicted international inbound travel to the US will fall 6% over the next three months as the coronavirus outbreak continues to affect the global economy. The latest TTI captured data from January, when awareness of coronavirus began to rise and China — one of the biggest travel markets to the US — implemented aggressive measures to curb travel out of certain cities. The predicted 6% three-month decline compared to the same period in 2019 is the sharpest in the five-year history of the TTI, and would be the largest drop in international inbound travel since the 2007-2008 financial crisis.

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easyJet holidays Partners with BeCause to Expand Hotel Sustainability Data Capabilities

PRNewswire | August 24, 2023

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Under the new partnership, hotel sustainability data will be automatically updated in the easyJet holidays database, ensuring that users and travelers always have up-to-date sustainability information about eco-certified accommodation options. "Through our shared involvement with GSTC, we quickly recognized both easyJet holidays' need for a scalable sustainability data solution and their genuine commitment to industry transformation," said Frederik Rubens Steensgaard, CEO and co-founder of BeCause. "We look forward to a long and productive relationship and helping to make real headway on reducing travel's impact on the environment." Supporting easyJet holidays' eco-friendly goals Part of the easyJet group, easyJet holidays is the UK's fastest-growing tour operator, projected to grow by 60% year-on-year this summer. The company, who were the winners of The Globes' Sustainable Future Award, is committed to making sustainable holidays mainstream and, in addition to the GSTC, partners with the University of Oxford and the UNWTO to help drive forward the development of sustainable travel. "We're committed to our holidays being a force for good and making a positive impact on the environment and local communities in the destinations our customers visit," said Matt Callaghan, Director of Customer & Operations for easyJet holidays. "We know that holidaymakers are caring more than ever about the eco credentials of the hotels they're choosing to stay at. So, we needed a partner to help us connect and communicate hotel sustainability data more efficiently and scale with us as we grow, and BeCause delivered on those criteria." BeCause's technology framework connects certification entities like GSTC and Green Key with travel providers and distributors, enabling over 11,000 hotels, tour operators and OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) to provide travelers with accurate and reliable sustainability data. These processes, traditionally handled via spreadsheets, emails and unconnected niche systems, are ripe for transformation, and managing them more efficiently allows travel and tourism companies like easyJet to accelerate their sustainability efforts across their consumer-facing platforms. About easyJet holidays easyJet holidays is the UK's fastest-growing tour operator, having carried 1.3 million people in its first fully operational year and being named Rising Brand of the Year by Travolution. It offers great-value beach, city and lakes holidays to over 5000 hotels, in more than 100 destinations across Europe, directly through its website and through over 5000 travel agent partners. The ATOL-protected holidays can be secured with a deposit of just £60 per person, including flights, hotel, 23kg luggage and transfers on beach holidays. easyJet holidays is a member of ABTA, and all packages are covered by its Ultimate Flexibility, offering freedom to change a booking, a refund guarantee, and best price guarantee. Winners of the Sustainable Future Award at the Globe Travel Awards 2022, easyJet holidays has a sustainability strategy focusing on three key pillars – create better holiday choices which is about making sustainable travel affordable and accessible to everyone; keep our holidays special, which is maximising the benefits and minimising the negative impacts of travel and tourism, and transform travel for everyone which means embedding sustainability into business decisions and behaviours and driving meaningful change in the industry. Through ongoing collaboration with the University of Oxford and as a member of the GSTC, easyJet holidays is focused on building its research, partnerships and certifications and taking action to make a positive impact on the people and places that make its destinations so special. easyJet holidays has been named one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2023 – being called out as one of the most loved employers and highly commended as a great place to work for LGBTQIA+ employees, as well as being named The Best Workplace in Travel 2023. About BeCause BeCause is an enterprise software company that enables sustainability data to flow more simpler, faster and cheaper so travel and tourism companies can positively impact people, the planet and their profits. BeCause works with over 11,000+ companies, including sustainability-certified hotels, eco-labels, certification entities like GreenKey, industry partners including UN GSTC and marketplaces including Booking.com. 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Travel Technology, Business Travel, Airlines and Airports

American Airlines and TravelBank offer better travel booking experience through New Distribution Capability (NDC)

PR Newswire | August 23, 2023

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Travel Technology

Wego and Azerbaijan Tourism Board helps travelers to plan the perfect holiday

prnewswire | July 21, 2023

Wego, the largest online travel marketplace in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), invites travelers to discover Azerbaijan in all seasons. The two companies will join forces for a new campaign aiming to showcase Azerbaijan's incredible attractions to MENA travelers. Building on the successful previous partnership, this collaboration will leverage Wego's extensive reach and innovative marketing strategies to showcase Azerbaijan's rich cultural heritage, diverse landscapes, and warm hospitality. In Azerbaijan, both summer and winter offer a wide range of exciting activities for each type of traveler. Mamoun Hmedan, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, MENA and India, Wego, said: "As we renew our partnership with Azerbaijan Tourism Board, we aim to inspire and guide travelers to explore the wonders of Azerbaijan and create a seamless and inspiring travel experience. We recorded over 830,000 searches globally to Azerbaijan this year and we are expecting to see an increase in the searches towards the summer." During the summer months, the country's beautiful coastal areas become a haven for beach lovers. Travelers can indulge in water sports such as jet skiing and parasailing. Additionally, the picturesque mountainous regions of Azerbaijan, such as the Greater Caucasus range, provide fantastic opportunities for hiking, trekking, and exploring scenic trails that lead to breathtaking vistas and hidden waterfalls. Florian Sengstschmid, CEO, Azerbaijan Tourism Board, said: "In winter, Azerbaijan transforms into a winter wonderland, providing excellent opportunities for winter sports enthusiasts. The country has premier ski resorts and offer world-class skiing and snowboarding facilities with a range of slopes suitable for beginners to advanced skiers. Additionally, the picturesque village of Gabala, located in the Tufandag Mountains, offers a charming winter retreat with opportunities for skiing, snowboarding, and even enjoying horse-drawn sleigh rides through snowy landscapes." About Wego Wegoprovides award-winning travel search websites and top-ranked mobile apps for travelers living in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East regions. Wego harnesses powerful yet simple to use technology that automates the process of searching and comparing results from hundreds of airlines, hotels, and online travel agency websites. Wego presents an unbiased comparison of all travel products and prices offered in the marketplace by merchants, both local and global, and enables shoppers to quickly find the best deal and place to book whether it is from an airline or hotel directly or with a third-party aggregator website.

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