The travel industry is an unstoppable force. Despite the challenges it faces, it always continues to adapt, progress, and improve. 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!
 | How hotels and OTAs can prepare for the post-pandemic futureWith the post-pandemic era slowly proceeding ahead of us, there are a lot of questions in the minds of hoteliers and OTAs. Supply and demand have been unpredictable in the previous months, but now we are heading towards a clearer path. In this article, HotelRunner discusses how both parties can prepare for the time ahead, and a quick glimpse of what lies in the future. |
 | As Bitcoin surges, will cryptocurrency become an accepted form of payment in travel?Since Bitcoin first appeared in 2009 as the original decentralized digital currency (not controlled by banks or a government), it has taken the world by storm and is slowly starting to become an accepted form of payment by many companies. Reaching a value of around $50,000 for one Bitcoin this week, we can see that cryptocurrency is here to stay. |
| Hospitality experts predict 2021 trendsBeing one of the most affected industries, the hospitality industry has been rattled and forced to adjust, and from large to even the smallest changes carried utmost importance. In this article, we can find short excerpts from different hospitality experts, where you will discover suggestions, recommendations, words of caution, and areas of opportunity for every aspect of hospitality. |
 | 60% worldwide are considering replacing international travel with domestic travel in 2021As travelers are beginning to plan their journeys, “only 29% of our respondents say that they will reduce their budget by more than 40%, compared to the 40% back in October,” which means we can expect a great increase in travel. In current situation of the world, people feel much safer traveling domestically. |
| Expedia Group pulls Vrbo from Google’s vacation rental metasearch productExpedia Group has had a shining bright star on their end last year. VRBO! With most of the vacation rental site’s bookings coming directly through Vrbo.com, according to their 2020 Q4 financial report, VRBO has been their most valuable asset. Expedia Group CEO Peter Kern says “We didn’t find investment in the Google vacation rental product particularly incremental…” |
| Will the hospitality and travel industry recover in 2021?COVID-19’s impact on the hospitality and tourism industry has been devastating and unprecedented. Aviation, hotels, restaurants, everyone is waiting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But there are signs of improvement and 70% of people are willing to travel in 2021 according to Travel Pulse’s survey of over 5,800 participants. |
