In our monthly digest, you can find the highlights of the past month on travel technologies in under a 5-minute read. We wish you good reading!
 | What are travelers on Google searching for?According to travel discovery platform TripsToDiscover’s analysis on Google search activity in the United States, searches are up dramatically for travel products as vaccine distribution rolls out. Data reveals that searches for hotels are up 92%, 79% for flights, and 88% for cruises, while vacation rental searches have remained relatively steady. |
 | What is shaping the future of the hospitality industry?In light of the latest report from Horwath HTL Spain, the article analyzes how the pandemic has changed some consumer behaviors and how hospitality companies will need to realign their businesses to deal with the needs of the market in the future, and classifies the changing consumer behaviors under seven categories: health and safety, digitalization, remote work, etc. |
| Cleartrip sold to Indian consumer products marketplace FlipkartFlipkart, one of the major e-commerce brands in India, has acquired online travel agency Cleartrip. The company will acquire 100% of Cleartrip’s shareholding and plans to retain the service as a standalone brand. Cleartrip will work alongside Flipkart to further develop technology solutions to make travel simple for customers. |
 | Holidays to popular destinations up as much as 91% due to testing requirementsThe current requirement to travel differs from one destination to the next, so researching these requirements before you travel is strongly advised. The hotel booking platform Hoo looked at five popular holiday destinations and how much Covid protocols will drive up the cost. Accordingly, France with 91%, Greece with 68%, and Italy with 63% are the top three countries on the list. |
 | Expedia announces new direction in brand positioningAfter months of conducting deep customer research to understand and address critical traveler pain points, the new positioning marks a pivotal moment for the brand. At the heart of the rebrand are a refresh of Expedia’s platform experience across its award-winning mobile app and more than 70 websites. Expedia also introduces a series of updates aligned to its brand vision of being the ultimate travel companion. |
| Booking windows, trip duration up as consumers return to travelSkyscanner Horizons: The Return of Travel is based on the global marketplace’s own search and redirect data, comparing March 2021 to March 2019. According to the report, in 2021 travelers globally selected prices 28% more expensive, booking windows are up to 80 days in advance and the average trip length for this year is 16 days. |
