7 Digital Trends We’re Tracking the Week Ending June 20, 2014

Every week we post hundreds of stories across various sectors in travel, connecting the dots across various global trends, and in these weekend posts we highlight the stories that tackle these trends.

This one looks at top digital trends. For all of our trends roundups, go here.

>> How the Top 5 Booking Sites Compete on Facebook for Users and Likes: As Expedia and Airbnb demonstrate, it’s not just about the friending.

>> The Most Popular Online Booking Sites in Travel, 2014 Edition: Booking.com and TripAdvisor are in dominant positions in markets across the globe.

>> Brands Target LGBT Travelers on YouTube: Pride celebrations in June are rallying the LGBT community and travel brands.

>> U.S. Local Transit Lines Rush to Introduce Mobile Ticketing: Mobile ticketing adoption is on the rise in the U.S. at a time when local transit riders are more likely to see their fellow riders staring at a device than the whites of their eyes.

>> How Much Closer Are Passengers to Making In-Flight Calls?: In-flight calls are inevitable, but the rules surrounding their use and the etiquette that will arise is yet to be seen.

>> Public Wi-Fi Hotspots Ease the Burden of International Travel: To empower international tourists, savvy destinations are investing in free Wi-Fi hotspots in public spaces and transit systems.

>> Testing Far-Out Travel Wearables That Speed the Airport Experience: Receivers will be able to find you, track you, allow you to check-in to your flight, and, in theory, you could use these devices to pay for all that Duty-Free booze.