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Let’s dive into our weekly news curation, where we bring you the most exciting updates shaping the future of travel:
- Leaving luggage concerns behind. The Portuguese luggage management service LUGGit secured €1.8 million in funding. Founded in 2019, LUGGit offers pick-up, storage, and delivery services for luggage. Recognized for innovation by the World Tourism Organization, the company expanded to new European cities and achieved a successful 2023 financial year, doubling its 2022 revenue. With over €2.2 million in total investment, LUGGit plans to further expand across Europe, expand the team and enhance its services. LUGGit was a finalist of our FutureTravel Pitch Competition last year.
- The European dream for remote workers. California-based Outsite is a community where people who work remotely live together. And they are now getting a lot of money – €300 million – to grow in Europe. The partnership aims to quadruple Outsite’s European inventory to 3,500 rooms, focusing on hotel properties with 20 to 50 rooms or more. This will also help them expand to 150 places around the world. Their main focus for this expansion is on Europe, particularly in countries like Spain, France, Portugal, and Italy.
- Fresh perspectives on guided tours. Great piece about WeRoad’s remarkable growth, with its traveler numbers doubling in one fiscal year. The company’s unique model involves trips led by coordinators with little experience in the destination, resulting in spontaneous and adventurous experiences. WeRoad expanded beyond Italy into the UK, Spain, France, and Germany, generating €60M in bookings. The introduction of the WeRoad X marketplace transformed the company into a branded travel agency, empowering coordinators to design and lead specialized tours independently. This shift led to the addition of 200 new itineraries across 50 destinations, fostering collaboration and showcasing the scalability of this approach.
- In the clouds, in your wallet. Alaska Airlines is rolling out Apple’s Tap to Pay on iPhone technology for inflight purchases. Passengers can effortlessly use Apple Pay, digital wallets, or contactless cards for transactions. As part of their commitment to providing seamless and thoughtful experiences for passengers, this collaboration with Stripe enables flight attendants to use iPhones for various tasks, including managing seating, delivering pre-ordered meals, and taking snack and alcohol orders. The Tap to Pay feature is initially being introduced on selected flights and will soon be available on all flights in the future.
- Decoding tourism through analytics. Italian data analytics company Data Appeal, part of the Almawave Group, has acquired 70% of the Spanish data analytics firm Mabrian Technologies. This strategic move aims to establish dominance in the European travel intelligence market, creating the largest data intelligence company specializing in tourism in Europe. The collaboration leverages the complementary strengths of both companies, boasting a robust portfolio of 160 data sources across 200+ countries. This acquisition positions them as leaders in advanced tourism analytics, covering various aspects such as traveler sentiment, mobility, demand, spending, accommodation, sustainability, and inclusivity. The strategic collaboration responds to the increasing demand for data-driven solutions in the global travel intelligence market.
- Making tourism more competitive. Telefónica and the UNWTO are partnering until 2026 to foster digital, sustainable, and inclusive tourism. They will focus on areas like digital entrepreneurship, innovation, and the application of technologies such as big data and AI. Together, they will lead the ‘Digital Futures’ program, using technologies like big data, IoT, AI, blockchain, and cybersecurity. Their goals include nurturing global innovation ecosystems, promoting technological adoption in tourism, and offering training programs to enhance skills. The partnership aims to make the tourism industry more competitive and improve its sustainability and inclusivity