Tourism stories

SiteMinder extends hotel distribution into AI chat tools, aiming to keep 53,000 hotels bookable as travellers increasingly start searches there.

Minor Hotels teams up with Google, Salesforce, OneTrust and Deloitte on an AI-led data platform to sharpen guest service across 640 properties.

Agoda opens Bangkok technology hub to unite nearly 4,000 staff in a seven-floor office at One Bangkok, boosting regional operations and collaboration.

Cloudbeds report shows independent hotels face softer rates, rising OTA reliance and stark regional splits, with Asia Pacific hit hardest.

iVisa unveils B1/B2 visa support as the US tightens visitor scrutiny and pilots bonds of up to USD $15,000 for higher-risk applicants.

Ubigi teams with Tripsora to fold travel eSIM data into AI trip planning, promising savings of up to 75% and fewer roaming bill shocks.

TerraPay and Sabre have struck a multi-year deal to power instant cross-border bank payouts for travel agencies, airlines and hotels.

Vodafone teams with Netcompany on a global travel eSIM, promising instant, data-only connectivity in 200-plus destinations worldwide.

Babeltext's multilingual chat platform revolutionises business communication, translating messages across 135 languages into English for seamless customer engagement.

A Cloudflare study reveals 41% of cybersecurity leaders in Asia Pacific faced data breaches last year, amid growing fears over AI's role in such incidents.

Computex 2024 concluded successfully, drawing 85,179 ICT professionals globally and featuring innovations like AI-integrated PCs, smart mobility, and metaverse tech.

Ant Group boosts its cross-border payment limit fivefold to $5,000 per transaction to simplify international visits in line with China's updated policies.

Singaporean startup, Meta Fantasy, acclaimed by the Google AI Trailblazers Programme, is set to launch a platform capable of creating AI-generated 3D spaces.

Zoku Travel and the LA Tourism and Convention Bureau join forces to redefine global travel, utilising Zoku's unique platform for content creators to monetise and distribute travel experiences.

DSpark partners with Visa, merging anonymous mobility data with transaction data to enable comprehensive customer insight. .

Mastercard and Agoda have broadened their collaboration in an effort to modernise B2B transactions within the travel and tourism industry.

Spammers are phishing eager holidaymakers with travel, themed lures, according to new research from Bitdefender Antispam Lab.