Good (holiday) Monday morning to everyone . . . It is President’s Day, which means those of us in the U.S. get to enjoy an additional day off (sort of, but not really) work. Our Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, February 14, 2025, is below. As I promised in our last Update, this week’s Update contains a number of stories providing concrete examples of how AI is being used (and predicted to be used in the near future) in the travel industry. I’ve also included a story updating the status of the UK’s Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, which the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has confirmed it will begin to enforce in April of this year. For those of you who have asked recently what new regulations are on the horizon – after the FTC’s Junk Fees rule and most recently, the DSA’s KYP requirements – you might want to take a closer look at the new consumer-focused legislation. I plan to have more information about the Act and its requirements in our next Update. Enjoy.
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- Here Come the AI Agents. For the past few weeks, we’ve been featuring stories about OpenAI’s new AI-powered agent, Operator. Hospitality.net published an article last week that provides a helpful overview of these new tools, including a description as to how these tools could actually aid hoteliers and their direct booking efforts. As the author notes, timing is everything with these newest technologies and hoteliers now need to move with a sense of urgency (particularly, with OTA’s current and growing head start).
- Southeast Asia Leads the Charge in AI Transformation. With its online travel penetration levels estimated to increase to 74% by 2027 (with the majority of that soon to be coming through mobile), Southeast Asia is expected by many to be at the forefront of AI disruption to the travel industry. Young travelers in the region are already transitioning to AI-based itinerary planners and concierge apps.
Have a great week everyone.