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Back in the olden days there weren’t so many dates on the travel industry calendar of trade shows and conferences. As the sector has grown, so have the number of supposedly ‘unmissable’ events.

But the only traveler who could find time to attend all these events also happens to be the only traveler profile that gets overlooked at such events: a time traveler. Yes, someone with a travel technology option that not even Elon Musk claims to have discovered and patented (yet).

All the rest of us must treat our time more wisely. But how to decide when there are so many appealing choices? Thankfully a strong consensus exits amongst the upper echelons of the travel sector as to which events really are must-visits.

Needless to say any conference by Phocuswright consistently ranks a high priority, especially to those of a tech bent. This week Phocuswright Europe will be in Amsterdam. Taking place over three days starting on Tuesday, many of the top leadership of Europe’s leading travel businesses will be descending on the city of canals and cafés.

Themes for this year’s show include blockchain, artificial intelligence, and ‘bleisure´; and attendees will be able to hear from industry experts from leading companies such as Expedia, Skyscanner, Amadeus, Accor, Kayak and more.

This year we’re proud to be a sponsor of the Phocuswright Young Leaders Summit, which takes place on Tuesday and celebrates industry leaders under the age of 35 in our sector.

We’re also proud that our Executive Chairman Joan Vilà will be on stage on Wednesday to be interviewed by Phocuswright’s very own Maggie Rauch. He’ll be speaking about the rapid changes in the bedbank sector and the evolution of our business following the integration of Tourico Holidays and GTA into our Group last year.

The best thing about discovering new perspectives and learning new information is sharing the experience with others. So hopefully this won’t be a trip where what goes to Amsterdam stays in Amsterdam. Rather we should all be talking about it for months to come.


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What type of traveler finds time to attend all of the travel industry’s many conferences? 

Dubai is the largest city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is located on the country’s northern coastline. Now that we have located the most populous city in the UAE, you would probably like to know more about Dubai? If so, read on as there is lots to know.

For instance, did you know that Dubai holds the world record for being the city with the most world records? From the world’s biggest mall to the world’s most sustainable city, the list is impressive. It also holds the world’s most luxurious hotel and the tallest building as well.&nbsp; This is just a small sample of the most interesting world records Dubai holds. Perhaps we could rename it as the city of records?

Dubai has retained its crown as the most visited city in the Middle East and landed sixth in the world in the latest global ranking of tourist destinations, according to the Euromonitor International Top City Destination Ranking for 2017. The city is benefitting from years of extensive investment in state-of-the-art and world-leading infrastructure, luxury shopping, hotels and entertainment. Dubai has developed a unique culture in which global traditions, attitudes, customers, religions and lifestyles have merged harmoniously, while still priding itself on its Arabian roots.

But this week ATM Dubai, the leading travel and tourism event in the region, has become the center of attention because it has gathered the crème de la crème of the travel industry. This is because this year’s ATM is the first where all three of the Hotelbeds Group wholesale brands –including Hotelbeds, Tourico Holidays and GTA –- participated together on one stand.

During the 5-day show, we announced Dubai as one of the world’s most visited cities and top destination in the region by a considerable margin, accounting for 65% of the Group´s total room nights in the Middle East. Abu Dhabi and Doha follow in the second and third position respectively. According to our booking data, Indian travellers visit Dubai the most, followed by United Arab Emirates (UAE) residents, Saudi Arabians and then Spanish nationals;&nbsp; the source markets that have registered the strongest year-on-year growth in bookings are, in ascending order, Spain, China, Germany and the USA.

This city of high-rises and shopping malls has transformed itself from a desert outpost to a destination du-jour, where tourists flock for sales bargains, sunshine, and family fun. Our Hotelbeds Group bedbank platforms offer a wide range of options to many travelers when choosing the capital of the Emirates. Dubai is famous for sightseeing attractions such as 4x4 Evening Desert Safari, Burj Khalifa (which, at 829.8 meters, is the tallest building in the world) and the cruise along Dubai Creek (Dhow Cruise).

Having mentioned all those amazing achievements, what are the future plans for the city?

Dubai is the only Middle Eastern city in the top ten most visited globally and is expected to attract more than 26 million visitors by only 2025, overtaking London, which is currently in third place. The city’s rise to popularity is thanks to the integrated approach by all the travel industry players. The city also has plenty of plans to drive domestic tourism and the important family holiday segment further. The expansion of mid-market lodging options, together with the upcoming Dubai Expo 2020, will encourage tourism growth further still.

For many record breaking is addictive and Dubai doesn´t seem set to quit anytime soon. Could we see an Olympics or World Cup in Dubai? For now it certainly seems the sky is the limit in the golden city of records.

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How Dubai went from the golden city to the city of records 

Last week the travel industry’s elite were dancing to the tune of tango at the WTTC Global Summit in Buenos Aires; but this week the pace has increased a notch or two as the travelati attend Skift Forum Europe and descend on the home of techno, Berlin.&nbsp;

This quick change of tempo can also be noticed in the modern choice of venue and liberal dress code requirements, with guest speakers expressly told to leave their ties at home.

Noteworthy podium appearances will include Ryanair’s Kenny Jacobs, Thomas Cook’s Peter Fankhauser, and Accor’s Sébastien Bazin. Financial analysts Bernstein are sending in their very own Richard Clarke to speak about investing in future travel trends. Contentious but fascinating topics that will keep everyone on the edges of their seats will include Brexit and ‘digital fatigue’.

Our Executive Chairman, Joan Vilà, will be interviewed on stage by Skift’s European Correspondent, Patrick Whyte, to discuss ‘Business to business at scale’. Joan will be explaining more about the bedbank ecosystem and answering questions about our Group’s new strategy, following Tourico Holidays and GTA joining us last year.

Amongst the many highly quotable insights supposedly made by the wise sage of baseball, Yogi Berra, is the gem “I never make predictions, especially about the future”. But some people believe that the future is not something to predict, it’s something to be made. For our sector at least, this Thursday most of those people will be in Berlin. How long will it take for the future to catch-up with those who aren’t present? Whenever it is, it will almost certainly be too late.


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From tango to techno, the travel industry ups its tempo this week in Berlin

Paris might be famous as the location of Marlon Brando’s last tango, but this week the fancy footwork of travel commerce will be taking place in Buenos Aires, the real home of tango.

That´s because the World Travel &amp; Tourism Council (WTTC) will be holding its 18th annual Global Summit in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. The WTTC is the global lobby group founded in 1991 to gain recognition for the job creation and economic contribution of our fast growing sector.

And where better to hold it than in the nation chairing the G20 this year and whose recent economic resurgence is helping its tourism economy?&nbsp; Over 600 tourism ministers, CEOs and senior executives of leading travel firms, academics and analysts focusing on the sector, and journalists from across the globe will all converge on the city.

Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri will be opening the event and this year’s theme of ‘Our People, Our World, Our Future’ will see tough questions asked about the future facing travel &amp; tourism today. &nbsp;

Key note speakers of interest will include Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); the ex-Prime Minister of Spain, José María Aznar; the CEO of Thomas Cook Group, Peter Fankhauser; the CEO of TUI Group, Fritz Joussen; and the President &amp; CEO of Marriott International, Arne Sorenson. &nbsp;

Our very own Executive Chairman Joan Vilà will be taking part in a debate on stage titled ‘Leadership in a digital age’, where he´ll be discussing how digital disruption is impacting effective leadership in an uncertain climate, alongside fellow panelists from Airbnb, Dufry AG, and Value Retail.

At Hotelbeds Group we are proud to be members of the WTTC and participate actively in its regular events, debates and research. We´re particularly looking forward to the event as it will be the first chaired by the WTTC’s new President &amp; CEO, Gloria Guevara Manzo, whose previous roles included being the Tourism Minister for Mexico.

One of the famous songs by the legendary Argentine tango singer Carlos Gardel was called Silencio (in English, Silence), but hopefully the impact of this week’s WTTC Global Summit will be anything but silent. Whether you like tango, jazz or rock music, the fact that travel &amp; tourism is the world’s largest sector and produces 10% of the world’s GDP, is surely music to the ears of everyone in the travel industry? It certainly is to the one in ten people who are employed in travel &amp; tourism globally, and thankfully that figure is growing. It´s enough to make you want to dance. &nbsp;&nbsp;


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This week the spiritual home of tango will teach travel industry’s elite some new steps 

There is a saying in Brazil, inspired by the title of a book by writer Stefan Zweig, that "Brazil is the country of the future – and always will be", alluding to the eternally unfulfilled expectation of that great country's success.

But at a tourism level the development of the country in recent years has proved that this saying is out-of-touch with modern Brazil: the future seems to have finally arrived. &nbsp;

World Travel Market Latam once again last week opened its doors and it couldn’t be in a much better position. This year Brazil is the host country for the event, confirming the privileged position that the country is living when it comes to tourism industry leadership.

It is not a secret that Brazil has managed to be in the spotlight of the international travel trade industry during the last four years. First came the football World Cup in 2014 and then the Olympics in 2016, which both put the country in front of the eyes of the whole world. So what’s next – how do you top that?

With the momentum of both events Brazil has managed to take advantage of the international attention to attract a considerable mass of tourists.

Additionally however, Brazil is emerging as an important source market for global tourism. &nbsp;According to bookings made via Hotelbeds Group’s platform already it is the main Latin American source market –&nbsp; and has become our seventh globally (up two positions compared to the previous year); by the same measure domestic tourism in Brazil has also increased 32% in room nights compared to the previous&nbsp; year.

With these credentials, Hotelbeds Group didn’t miss a chance to be present at this year’s edition of the World Travel Market Latam in São Paulo, where we had a stand combining our three bedbank brands – Hotelbeds, Tourico Holidays and GTA – under one roof.

Over 50 colleagues from the Wholesale Sales and Sourcing departments attended the event to represent our company. Showcasing our products to potential and existing partners, they held more than 200 meetings that could drive win-win growth opportunities for both our partners and our business.

Lauren Volcheff, Responsible for Sales Americas of Hotelbeds Group&nbsp;commented “The increase in the number of Brazilian tourists travelling domestically can be attributed to several measures to promote tourism in the country. On the one hand, the recent opening of new air routes has improved mobility inside the country; but this also acts as a benefit for those visiting Brazil from outside, as this year we are also registering an outstanding increase in the number of tourists coming from the United States – with 69% growth in room nights. On the other hand – as part of the government’s Tourism Plan – the boost of ecotourism and regional tourism are pushing the development of domestic tourism by making known internal destinations previously unknown to date by Brazilians.”









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World Travel Market Latam: has the future finally arrived for Brazil?

This year Easter fell on the last weekend of March, but an early Easter break is always tricky for sun-seekers. If a little vitamin D is not an option, where to go then?

According to Hotelbeds Group’s latest reports, it looks like travelers in Europe looked for a city break to enjoy their time-off this Easter. But amongst all the options, Paris rose as the winner. As Frank Sinatra’s song says, “I love Paris in spring time”.

Although Paris was the preferred destination among European travelers for the spring holiday, it is also ranked as the most expensive European city and the world’s second after Singapore, according to&nbsp;The Economist Intelligence Unit. So Paris demands a certain level of style – after all it’s the home of fashion, romance and fine cuisine.

But why has the City of Light been positioned at the very top in the go-to list for this four-day break?

This is proof that for those who choose their holidays price is not always a decision-making factor. Definitely Paris is, in many ways, the ultimate city break destination. Visitors can relax for the long weekend and patisseries fill their windows with chocolate-themed displays for the holiday. But apart from heady mixture of sophistication and relaxation, what does Paris really offer to those with well-lined pockets?

Our Hotelbeds Group bedbank platforms offer a wide range of options to many travelers when choosing the French capital. This is a city with something for everyone: solo travelers, couples, families, foodies or culture enthusiasts. Amongst them all, for many the jewel-in-the-crown activity is Disneyland Paris, which just happens to be Hotelbeds Group's top-selling attraction. After the theme-park, some other favorite activities include the Paris Hop-On Hop-Off tour, the Paris Magic sightseeing cruise, and obviously the Eiffel Tower visit, which is always a must.

With over 2,100 hotels, Paris is the city with the biggest accommodation offering available on our platform. But Paris hotels don’t have to cost the earth. There are options for all budgets, from 1 star up to 5.

If the idea is to look like Parisiennes, buy a fresh baguette and have a nice walk along the river Seine,&nbsp;très chic.

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Why travelers will always love Paris in spring time

Everyone knows that good news travel fast. But how fast does news in our sector travel? Rather ironically, travel news doesn´t travel very fast. Beyond the trade media, our news normally comes in the form of a supplement in your weekend paper: full of fantasy photos of destinations no one will ever really visit.

This year the pace quickened noticeably: many travel &amp; tourism industry stories made the front page globally. Why? For many years this has been the biggest industry in the world. But more recently one in which all of us have slowly become stakeholders, and suddenly everyone cares.

For example, this was the year in which ´overtourism´ became an official word. The world, and in a few extreme cases some accosted tourists, woke up to the concept that not all tourism is welcome. This was especially the case in countries like Spain, which along with many other southern European destinations had the busiest year ever on record, despite such a high proportion of the nation´s GDP coming from tourism.

This was also the year in which finally a travel industry executive achieved the same rock-star, magazine cover status as leaders of other industries. Daria Khosrowshahi beat off some real heavy weight business names to take over at Uber.&nbsp; The combination of travel and technology was simply too sexy to resist for both investors and journalists.

Sadly fame is often accompanied by infamy though, and this year saw front page news for all the wrong reasons. Most epically, the case of United Airlines violently ejecting an overbooked passenger from a flight, with the video going viral immediately. For those in the UK the Monarch collapse also saw widespread coverage of stranded passengers all over Europe; and in Germany the demise of Air Berlin doubtless caused some handwringing.

Our industry has also seen its fair share of high profile challenges that were not of its own making, but were nonetheless left to our industry to resolve. Terrorism attacks in tourist destinations have become all too common, with the Barcelona and Las Vegas cases leaving many asking what more our industry can do to protect our customers from harm. The Trump administration´s ban on citizens of many Muslim countries entering the United States, followed by a surprise laptop ban on many Atlantic flights, caused significant headaches for many airlines and airports.

For a sector that generates 10% of world GDP and the same proportion of jobs, the business of tourism still remains under-represented in the media. Too many travel adverts, not enough actual travel news. But as this year has shown, travel news is slowly becoming about more than just destinations – travel is finally arriving.


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Did travel finally arrive in 2017? Destinations are no longer the only news

Mark Twain famously stated that “rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated”. Likewise around 10 years ago many analysts were pronouncing a slow, agonising death for the travel agent. But just like Mark Twain, the rumours were false – in fact traditional travel agencies still represent a sizeable share of all intermediated travel sales globally.

For sure, globally traditional travel agencies have been facing continuous threats for some time, not least the threat of disintermediation and just more competition in the form on online travel agencies. If someone can get it cheaper elsewhere, why bother with you?&nbsp; And more recently they have faced an even greater threat as their ‘expert role’ is undermined by &nbsp;more sophisticated travellers with easy-to-use mobile apps at their disposal to search, book and even cross-reference information through applications such as TripAdvisor, Google Trips, Uber, Airbnb or Skyscanner.

And yet somehow your local high street still has one, if not more, bricks-and-mortar travel agencies? Just like many businesses that have modernized to stay alive, many traditional travel agents realized they could not stand still and have managed to stay relevant to their customers by introducing all kinds of new measures. In fact, recent studies in the United States reveal that even one in three millennials go to travel agents to plan their holidays.

Just what is it that a traditional travel agent offers you that makes it so relevant still in 2018 – and will do over the coming decade? Here are five points to consider: 


	Most importantly a travel agent can still offer that ‘trusted adviser’ status. Agents have learned to specialize as nowadays travelers want proposals that fit their particular tastes and interests, which is why many agencies have focused on travel typologies such as adventure, groups, cruises, luxury or even corporate trips.
	Whilst of second most importance is the technology on offer that enhances that trusted adviser status. Agents are now more connected than ever before and they have a great knowledge of what they sell. They have been updated in terms of product and tools, they are well informed and well-traveled. So the holidaymaker continues to rely on travel agencies, betting on their experience to give advice and not just as a mere seller. Travelers do not look for information in the agency, they already have more than enough, and they look for clarity, security, recommendation and organization.
	The safest option to avoid surprises. Although it may seem that they won’t happen to us, many things can ruin your holidays: extreme weather, flight cancelations, and revolutions even. Many times agents have saved episodes of crisis and, thanks to their power of negotiation and their extensive network, have relocated their clients or gotten the last seat available on a plane after an overbooking. Travel agents will leverage vendor relationships to advocate for travelers when unexpected changes occur.&nbsp;&nbsp;
	Easy way for multi-leg bookings and organizing complex trips. Digital travelers, although they are hyper-connected and up-to-date with the latest travel applications, tend to have more purchasing power and are willing to plan more complex and international trips. They realize that using a professional travel agent can improve the overall travel experience and the ease of reserving everything in the same place, what we call a "one-stop-shop model". The client will leave the agency with everything but the packing done.
	Lowest prices possible. Believe it or not, travel agents have tricks up their sleeves that automated websites have never heard of. They know when a price is actually at its lowest point. Also travel agents can put a price quotation on hold for 24 hours so the client has more time to make a decision. You will never have that option directly on a website where prices fluctuate by the minute, and might change before you even reach the checkout.



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Five ways that traditional travel agents are still adding value to travellers

Once upon a time selling travel was all about the where, when, and, inevitably, how much. But recently travellers have started to do something rather unexpected. They´ve become all philosophical and started to ask ‘why’?

By a rather ironic coincidence, or perhaps for that very reason, these existentially anguished travellers also just happened to be called the generation ´Y´ (also known as ´millennials´). And they ask a lot of challenging questions for those of us involved in selling travel.

Despite their soul-searching needs, thankfully the most important question they ask about a trip seems to be: is there free Wi-Fi? In an age when every company has become a technology business, it seems that we´ve all become technology consumers – certainly for the millennials anyway. Once again rather ironically, it seems no coincidence that Wi-Fi is pronounced with a ´Y´ in English. &nbsp;

There is not still any clear convention about the exact age range of this generation. But what everybody agrees is that this disruptive group is dictating the new rules of interacting, working and consuming.&nbsp; This ‘Y’ group is changing our reality (or the reality we knew to date) and the travel sector is far from an exception.

New and exciting ways of travelling and booking are emerging, pushing companies to re-invent endlessly with technology at the very core of everything. But what are the real interests of these illusive new tech-savvy consumers when it comes to travel? According to experts, the preferences of millennials when travelling are focused mainly on:

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	Firstly, having memorable experiences. This has led, on the one hand, to the growth of long-haul destinations and, on the other hand, the increase of demand for customized hotel experiences. Have you ever imagined sleeping in a tree or in an igloo?! Your 24 year old colleague or neighbor possibly is. &nbsp;


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	Secondly, responsible tourism. New travellers are now more concerned about the environment, pushing them to avoid ´overtourism´, a very new concept. Millennials are therefore more likely to look for places not in the traditional guides.


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	Thirdly, mobile interactions and personalized experiences during all of the whole travel cycle: caring is great, but it seems that sharing is more important – and being cared for (via exclusive offers) trumps it all. In this sense, platforms such as Instagram will play a key role in showcasing these ´wild´ experiences.


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In this new scenario, where nobody seems to really understand &nbsp;‘Y’, Sergi Mesquida, Head of Innovation &amp; New Ventures at Hotelbeds Group participated this&nbsp;week at Millenials 20/20 Europe’s Summit in London – where over 3,000 delegates attended to have more light shed on this topic.

Over 200 cross-industry speakers from a wide range of sectors shared their knowledge, experiences and insights. Sergi participated in a ´fireside chat´ about the latest trends shaping our industry and highlighted that “all sectors today are looking at Artificial Intelligence as the new disruptive technology that will reshape all industries in the near future. The different sessions helped us better understand the behavior of customers and therefore use this knowledge to improve the customisation of our services.” He also added, &nbsp;“it was really inspiring to see how other companies from different sectors use technology to correspond to customers’ changing needs and solve challenges that are similar to the ones we also face!”

Millenials 20/20 is Europe’s only summit focusing on fresh thinking and progressive change in the future of retail, marketing and commerce that presents the latest campaigns and innovations in marketing, advertising, retail, payments e-commerce, social media, video, data, AI, VR &amp; AR, voice, and robotics – all driven by the fast-evolving needs of the millennial generation.

You can find photos and more information about the summit on its website: http://www.millennial20-20.com/&nbsp;

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The travel sector is no longer about where and when, but ‘Y’

Once upon a time any pre-trip 'to do list'&nbsp;included items related to clothes, medicines or personal hygiene. And not least a passport and tickets! In the modern world we'&nbsp;re all also now searching for our mobile phone (and its charger).&nbsp;

But with every trip we also become more concerned by what mobile apps we are taking on our trip. Netflix for many is a must on long trips nowadays. But what about apps that help us travel? Travel apps are fast becoming the 'unforgettable'&nbsp;item when on the move.

So which are the travel apps you simply shouldn´t travel without? And even more importantly, which are the travel apps indispensable once you are in-destination? Are we fully taking advantage of technology to improve our travel experience?

According to App Annie – a provider of analytics and market intelligence to developers – the most downloaded travel apps in 2017 were Uber, Hotels.com, Expedia, TripAdvisor and Fly Delta. &nbsp;What is clear is that the needs of travelers are related mainly to transportation and the search for accommodation, as the rankings show.

But App Annie does not discriminate between pre-trip and in-destination, which makes it difficult to establish which apps we reach for when packing our virtual suitcase.

To clarify this dilemma we have asked our very own expert here at Hotelbeds Group: Sergi Mesquida, Head of Innovation and New Ventures.

Sergi states that the most indispensable apps when abroad are ones related to transportation.&nbsp; Top of the list is Citymapper: “It is very useful when looking for the best transportation, as it shows you in real time all the possibilities of public transportation in the city where you are located”. He also is fond of Trip advisor, Google Translate and XE currency converter. &nbsp;

When it comes to planning the trip logistics, as a good Google fan, he recommends Google Trips. This automatically maps out a half -day or a full-day of activities with suggestions for things to see and do.

Last but not least, he could not miss the top-ranked Google Maps, when it comes to maps and orientation in an unknown city.

It seems very clear that travelers needs in-destination are more much more focused on transportation and navigation, than booking for flights, accommodations or activities – something perhaps developers are overlooking.

The big question however is, will new technologies such as AI, Virtual Reality or Robotics change the needs, desires even, of travelers once in-destination? Will entirely new apps appear – companies even – or will existing apps just incorporate these technologies into them? Only time will tell.&nbsp;


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Different applications: booking vs travelling in the world of travel apps

A group of lions is a pride and rhinoceroses en masse are a crash. But what is the collective noun for a group of travel industry professionals? This week it´s not even a noun, it´s an acronym: ITB. And it´s taking place in Berlin.

Stepping onto the plane from Palma de Mallorca to Berlin yesterday almost everyone in the departure lounge was speaking travel guru jargon: PAX this, source market that, revenue per seat mile, revenue per available room, and, of course, everyone was occupied by occupation rates.

That unique ITB feeling only amplified as we took the train from the airport to our hotel, with travel industry professionals from every nation, some in rather fetching national dress outfits, speaking all manner of languages. In the hotel reception of the Park Inn waiting patiently to check-in it was all handshakes and even hugs with industry colleagues from near and far, competitors or not.

Germans are Europe's number one traveler by both spend and absolute numbers. And this week we're all here to ensure that they'll keep coming back to fly with our airlines, check-in to our hotels and visit our beaches. In some cases newer destinations are muscling in, as we showed in a press release last week that confirmed more Germans will be travelling long-haul this summer.

Besides, what self-respecting travel professional would miss this jamboree? Over 10,000 exhibitors and up to 160,000 visitors every year make it unmissable; and on the weekend it is open to the public as well, so those of us in the consumer end of the game get double value for money.

At Hotelbeds Group we never miss a chance to visit ITB and this year we've a stand combining our Hotelbeds, Tourico and GTA&nbsp;brands all under one roof. A decent sized delegation has flown in from all over the world, including our colleagues from our car rental business (CARNECT) and our activities business (TAB).

Aside from meeting hotel partners and travel intermediaries on our stand, this year we're also participating in interviews with the media and our Head of Innovation, Sergi Mesquida is giving a keynote speech about Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Friday on the eTravelLab stage at 1:30pm. Come along and hear him live? We'll be broadcasting a recap across our social media channels for those who can't attend.

Otherwise pop by and visit us in Hall 9, Stand 110. Whatever language you speak, we know you want to speak about travel.

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When does a collective noun become an acronym? When it's called ITB

Code…don’t sleep…repeat! As previewed on this blog, that’s exactly what happened last week in our Palma office when more than 50 tech gurus came together for our Hack@Travel event, a 24-hour Hackathon to test tech skills and create unique experiences for travellers.

Hack@Travel was a joint event sponsored by Hotelbeds Group and the University of Baleares (UIB). It attracted aspiring students to work alongside some of our company’s top software developers.&nbsp; Teams were asked to come up with innovative technology solutions to address current challenges faced by modern travellers.

Other than the honour of the coders, what more was at stake? Prizes on offer were significant, with special cash awards of up to €6,000 along with additional prizes such as hotel nights and tickets to activities such as theme parks.

Using Hotelbeds technology (APIs) – including Accommodation and Activities (APItude &amp; ACTAPI) as well as public APIs and open data to enrich their developments – participants were divided into 10 different groups.&nbsp; They worked around the clock to create new value propositions within the travel industry and identify untapped business opportunities.

The Best Project award was selected by a panel of judges and went to the ´Pathfinder´ team, whose project focused on offering travellers experiences on the go. Based on the user’s starting point and destination, the mobile application searches for activities while the user is en route, showing accommodation options nearby through the integration with APItude.

Whilst in the People’s Choice category, voted for by the participants, the top award was given to the team ´Trend Travel´, who designed an application that identifies the best destination and activities based on the user’s preference – as well as what is trending on social media.&nbsp; In addition, it displays unforseen factors that could affect the decision-making process such as extreme weather alerts, local violence ratings and air quality.

Throughout the event, our Technology and Product Management Directors, Chris Branagan and Peter Mansour, visited the Hack@Travel area to welcome participants and share their support. Both expressed how thrilling it was to see the teams in action and were inspired by the new ideas and solutions developing at pace and under pressure.

To find out more about how the event went watch this video we´ve uploaded on YouTube.

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