The Prompt

TravelPerk's biggest project of the year is expanding into an all-in-one corporate travel and expense management platform. It's what today's customers expect.

This investment from private equity firm Vitruvian Partners sets Klook up for further expansion in Asia Pacific.

Travel startups have raised about $400 million so far this year. By this time in 2024, travel startups had raised more than twice that.

Trivago's CEO said changes to Google ads are primarily what caused repeated revenue declines over the past couple of years.

Tech systems need upgrades to handle unprecedented growth in travel, and private equity firms are deploying billions to take part. In 2025, expect more consolidation as well-funded late-stage startups buy up smaller players, reshaping the industry’s behind-the-scenes infrastructure.

Airbnb can cost more than a direct booking with a property manager. Airbnb's customer support people may intervene if a guest is having a problem with a host. But on a pure cost basis, it pays to book direct.

More AI companies surely is better for the travel industry, even if Silicon Valley isn't happy about it.

TravelPerk's $200 million deal likely is a preview of what to expect in 2025. There were multiple large raises in 2024 — including hundreds of millions of dollars for business travel platforms — and the signs point to that continuing.

OpenAI’s new autonomous digital assistant is an early glimpse of what travel leaders have been waiting for — and warning against — since ChatGPT was first released.

It's a slow start to the year, but travel startup funding is sure to pick up.