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Let’s get to our weekly curation of the main news on innovation, trends, and startups from the travel industry.
- AI in every step of travel plans. Travel discovery and booking platform Layla has bought Roam Around, an AI-powered itinerary creator. This means Layla will now be able to help travelers to better plan their trips. With Roam Around’s tech, Layla will be offering more features and making travel planning easier for travelers. Backed by 3 well-known travel leaders, seems that Layla is serious about using advanced tech to make travel easier and to help people find great travel experiences.
- Hotels vs. Vacation Homes. The chart below from Statista illustrates the proportion of vacation rentals and hotel revenue in total travel & tourism revenue across selected countries. Hotels maintain their dominance in global travel revenue despite the rise of short-term rentals. In the highlighted eight economies, hotel accommodation remains the primary revenue contributor, with Italy leading in vacation rentals. The US, UK, and Japan are projected to rely heavily on hotels in 2024.
- Boosting experiences everywhere. Denmark-based startup, Holdbar, specializing in experience management technology, has secured $3.5 million in a seed round. Their software is designed for experience providers to create, promote, and sell activities. The platform offers infrastructure for small businesses in domestic tourism and experiences to operate independently. With this investment, they plan to enhance their product, expand operations, and capitalize on the growing demand for experiences, particularly among younger generations.
- Less food waste, thanks to AI. The Dutch airline KLM has been investing in digital technology. Their latest investment involves minimizing onboard food waste using AI. This technology enables the airline to accurately predict the number of passengers who will board a flight, allowing for precise meal planning. As a result, KLM achieves up to 63% less food waste, amounting to a saving of over 100,000kg of meals per year.
- Beating jet lag for travelers. Intercontinental Hotels partnered with Timeshifter app to combat jet lag, enhancing the luxury travel experience. The tech solution, based on sleep science, personalizes plans for guests, aiming to minimize jet lag’s negative effects. The partnership aligns with Intercontinental’s brand evolution, offering travelers a refreshed and energized stay.
- Where is the snow? Interesting piece from LinkedIn News Europe, talking about how this season has been difficult (to say the least) for European ski resorts, who are facing challenges due to a decline on snowfall, impacting operations and events. Climate change obviously makes this issue worst, leading to a conversation on how to adapt to environmental changes and manage expectations.