Under this partnership, Agoda and DOT will primarily run joint marketing initiatives to promote travel to the Philippines. The collaboration extends to training programs and workshops on topics like digital transformation, service excellence, and industry best practices. Agoda and DOT will also support more sustainable tourism practices through awareness initiatives and knowledge‑sharing.

Agoda Chief Commercial Officer Damien Pfirsch commented: “Agoda is proud to partner with DOT to encourage inbound travel, collaborate on training and development programs, and support growth across the many incredible tourist destinations in the Philippines. By combining DOT’s leadership with Agoda’s expertise, we will entice more travellers to visit the Philippines while elevating the tourism industry as a whole.”

The partnership also highlights the shared commitment between Agoda and the DOT to promote the Philippines as a welcoming, safe, and accessible destination for domestic and international travellers. Through Agoda’s global network of accommodations, flights, and activities, and the DOT’s destination management initiatives, the joint partnership aims to deliver practical benefits to tourism businesses, empower tourism professionals, and enhance traveller confidence.

(Source: Agoda)

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The partnership allows international travellers to book cross-border bus tickets connecting Hong Kong with Macao and major cities in Mainland China’s Greater Bay Area using 12Go’s platform, enhanced by GoByBus.hk’s local expertise.

It combines GoByBus.hk’s specialised expertise in Hong Kong–Macau-Mainland China coach services with 12Go’s regional booking infrastructure. 

Travellers can now enjoy real-time schedules, instant e-tickets, secure payments, and direct bus routes, removing the need for multiple platforms or border hassles.

“This collaboration marks a significant step forward in simplifying cross-border travel for foreign passengers,” said GoByBus.HK Chief Business Developer Ken Yung. “By partnering with 12Go, we can offer even more reliable, user-friendly ticketing options for popular routes such as Hong Kong to Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and beyond to foreign users. Our goal is to expose the foreign user to enjoy a convenient cross-border travel experience in our hometown.”

Partnership benefits

Expanded Network: Access a wider range of bus operators and schedules instantly.

Seamless Booking: Online ticketing with e-tickets delivered via email.

Competitive Pricing: Enjoy attractive fares and exclusive promotions.

Optimised Experience: Mobile-friendly platform for planning trips on the go.

GoByBus.hk is committed to providing the most up-to-date route information and online ticketing infrastructure. At the same time, the partnership with 12Go strengthens its position as the primary platform for Hong Kong–Mainland China-Macao bus travel.

About GoByBus.hk
GoByBus.hk is an online platform for cross-border and intercity bus travel. Users can check schedules and reserve tickets with multiple operators across Hong Kong and Mainland China.

About 12Go
Founded in Singapore in 2012, 12Go provides secure and efficient transportation booking services across Asia for both B2B and B2C customers.

(Source: GoByBus.hk)

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The partnership aims to simplify access to foreign exchange by integrating Thomas Cook India’s offerings into the visa application journey on Atlys. The collaboration thus brings together two highly complementary services  — visa processing and foreign exchange — into a single, unified journey, enabling customers to plan essential aspects of their international travel with greater ease and efficiency.

Customers applying for international visas can opt for forex and seamlessly connect with Thomas Cook India to obtain a Visa backed Forex Card or foreign currency. The service is supported by a streamlined process featuring Thomas Cook India’s digital and assisted onboarding, video KYC, and secure doorstep delivery across India, ensuring a convenient and reliable experience. 

The initiative aims to support today’s travellers seeking digital-first, hassle-free bookings.   

Thomas Cook’s products

Prepaid Travel Cards: 28 global currencies.

Holidays: Borderless Travel – prepaid multi-currency card.

Overseas Education: Study Buddy card.

One Currency Card: India’s first prepaid card with zero cross-currency conversion fee.

Currency notes: high-demand travel destinations.

Overseas Remittances: Send Money Abroad service covering over 120 countries.

Thomas Cook (India) Limited, Chief Business Officer – Foreign Exchange, Deepesh Varma said, “This collaboration aligns well with our customer-first approach, as travellers increasingly seek speed, convenience and reliability at every stage of their journey. Forex is an essential part of outbound travel, and through this partnership, we will be able to cater to a fast-growing base of digitally savvy, young travellers. With our digital capabilities spanning the Thomas Cook website, TC Pay app available on Android and iOS, and 24/7 WhatsApp assistance, we are well-positioned to offer a seamless and convenient forex experience.”

(Source: Thomas Cook India)

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B-Portal provides contracted offline travel agencies with a branded portal to check rates and availability, and to complete bookings directly. Payment is processed via Bakuun’s embedded bank-to-bank payment network and tied to contracted terms. The platform integrates with 250+ channel managers and 100+ currencies.

Until now, contracted rates between hotels and their offline travel agencies have often been distributed via spreadsheets and PDFs, with bookings confirmed by email. Payments from travel agencies arrive post-checkout without a booking reference attached, leaving hotels exposed to credit risk. Finance teams match each transfer manually. According to the State of Distribution Report 2025 (HEDNA), 80% of hotels spend up to two days a week on manual reporting and reconciliation. Bakuun resolves these issues.

“We started Bakuun to empower any travel business of any size with technology, to simplify distribution and remove blockers in cross-border operations, payments, and contracting”, said Bakuun Founder & CEO Marco Bacchilega.

About Bakuun
Bakuun is a global travel technology company transforming the way businesses manage connectivity, distribution, and payments. The platform replaces fragmented, outdated systems with seamless, scalable solutions designed to enhance operational efficiency and unlock new growth opportunities.

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The MoU, signed on Tuesday, will harness Visa’s global payments network and Trip.com Group’s ecosystem, enabling travellers to discover personalised recommendations, access offers for dream destinations and transact seamlessly on their journeys.

Trip.com Group will also become a global Anchor Partner for Visa Destinations, a global experience-led programme that connects cardholders to curated travel experiences shaped by culture and local insights, allowing travellers to plan journeys around what matters most.

As Anchor Partner, Trip.com Group will integrate Visa Destinations into its ecosystem to create enhanced travel value propositions and provide personalised offers and benefits to a wide spectrum of consumer segments. Visa and Trip.com Group will also collaborate on joint marketing and promotional initiatives in selected markets, enabling more people to discover dream destinations and experiences around the world.

In addition, Visa and Trip.com Group will explore deeper collaborations catered to rapidly growing segments across Asia Pacific, including new ways for Trip.com Group users to access Visa’s affluent offerings, such as its global portfolio of sports, music, and lifestyle partnerships, while giving Visa Infinite cardholders access to exclusive Trip.com Group offers. Visa and Trip.com Group will also work closely to accelerate travel between Mainland China and the rest of the region.

Global travel intentions

According to Visa’s Global Travel Intentions (GTI) 2026 study:

Almost three in four (72%) survey respondents plan to travel within Asia in the coming months, with one in four intending to travel to Japan

Digital payments are second nature to Asia-Pacific travellers, with 73% of respondents bringing credit cards or mobile wallets on their trips.

92% of respondents went online to plan and research travel recommendations for recent trips, with 49% using AI tools to find travel destinations or ideas

Visa Chief Marketing Officer Asia Pacific, Danielle Jin, said: “Our collaboration with Trip.com Group is built for what travellers want today, combining trusted global payments with unmatched travel discovery through our platforms. We look forward to a successful collaboration with Trip.com Group, working closely to deliver more curated, rewarding, and seamless travel experiences that connect people to what they are most passionate about.”

Trip.com Group Chief Marketing Officer Bo Sun noted: “Through this strategic collaboration with Visa, we are advancing this mission in the Asia Pacific and beyond by integrating trusted payments capabilities, curated travel experiences, and expanded premium offerings across our one-stop travel ecosystem.”

(Source: Visa)

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A proprietary AI ecosystem built at the core of FCM’s technology, making Sam the intelligence layer running through everything FCM does – not a feature sitting on top of it. For existing customers, what’s coming will feel like a different product entirely.

“This is a genuine, game-changing first for the managed travel industry,” said FCM Travel Global Chief Experience Officer, John Morhous. “A lot of our competitors are trying to bolt AI onto existing stacks, but the real power in AI is that the more connected it is, the more you can do with it. Sam is built, not bought – and that compounds over time.”

Sam’s intelligence works across all roles — travellers, arrangers, and travel managers — with equal depth. Most AI in managed travel still focuses on a single point in the journey. Underpinning it all is FCM’s proprietary technology architecture, which defines which trusted data sources Sam queries for each interaction, preventing hallucination and ensuring enterprise-grade accuracy.

Central to Sam’s architecture is its proprietary guardrail system – a capability that goes far beyond hallucination prevention. Travel managers can configure precisely how Sam responds to specific query types, ensuring answers always reflect their policies and rules of engagement.

A traveller not entitled to business class will never receive a recommendation for a premium fare. An out-of-policy hotel will not be surfaced as an option.

Spend thresholds, approval workflows, and supplier preferences are all automatically enforced in conversation, giving organisations the benefits of conversational AI while retaining the programme controls that enterprise travel demands.

“Travellers are tired of fragmented experiences – piecing together more than five tools just to get through a trip,” said Morhous.

“Sam isn’t a single point of support. It’s there throughout the entire journey, for every person in a travel programme. Because our AI is proprietary, the accuracy and compliance enterprises need isn’t bolted on – it’s built in.”

At launch, Sam delivers end-to-end trip support across the full traveller journey, with real-time programme data intelligence for travel managers through plain-language conversation, seamless handoff to FCM consultants with full context intact, and a unique smart redirect into customers’ existing booking tools – the only AI solution in managed travel to offer this.

“June is only the beginning,” said Morhous. “Because we own our technology end-to-end, every release makes our customers’ programmes smarter.”

(Source: FCM Travel)

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Bolt, a leading global ride-hailing platform, recently met with relevant regulatory authorities in Thailand to provide updates on its ongoing efforts to enhance industry standards for app-based ride-hailing services. 

The discussions focused on fostering a fair and competitive ecosystem while continually strengthening public safety standards. 

Following discussions with government stakeholders, Bolt took on board valuable recommendations to improve its services. The company also confirmed that it continues to operate and serve passengers as usual while the electronic platform certification process is under review, ensuring that people across Thailand can continue to access safe and convenient transportation services. 

As part of these efforts, Bolt shared updates on several proactive safety measures.

Enhanced driver selfie verification: Bolt has enhanced its driver selfie checks using facial recognition technology to reduce instances of driver impersonation, including a shorter time window, meaning drivers will be verified more often.

Zero-tolerance enforcement: Bolt has further tightened its policy against account sharing and impersonation, with drivers who violate it being terminated from the platform. 

Supporting Driver Compliance: Bolt continues to support drivers in obtaining public driving licences and public vehicle registrations (RY.17 and RY.18) to help ensure compliance with Thai regulatory requirements.

Passenger Support and Assistance: Following the unfortunate incident involving a passenger in late April, Bolt acted immediately to provide support and assistance to the affected individual, including coverage for medical treatment and mental health support, in line with the company’s responsibility and care for those impacted.

Bolt Thailand General Manager Nathadon Suksiritarnan said: “Safety remains our highest priority, alongside supporting a fair and competitive ecosystem across the industry. We remain committed to serving passengers in Thailand while continuously improving a transparent and reliable platform. Bolt will continue investing in initiatives that help reduce barriers for drivers entering the platform and contribute to improving mobility standards for people across Thailand under internationally aligned regulatory practices.”

(Source: Bolt Thailand)

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After more than a year of leading the tour and river cruise operator, Chris Hall will transition from the role of Managing Director, APAC to Chairman and Strategic Advisor with the organisation. This role will commence on 15 July 2026.

Since joining GFOB in March 2025, Hall has steered a new APAC region strategy which has seen a refresh of its product, pricing and marketing approach. Aiming to deliver even sharper travel packages, he led the introduction of ‘Fly-free’ and flight-inclusive deals across Avalon Waterways and Globus. 

During his tenure as Managing Director, Hall increased industry training initiatives, delivering the first-ever advisor charter training and launching the ‘Travel Deals you can Trust’ campaign, which highlighted Cosmos’ value-driven tour offering.

GFOB President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Nisbet applauded Hall’s contributions to the company to date.

“Chris has shown great leadership of the APAC region over the past twelve months, bringing a laser sharp focus to our product offering and pricing in the market and ensuring Globus, Avalon and Cosmos brands are set up for future growth,” Nisbet said.

“The APAC region holds great potential for our brands, so we are investing in the team to create the Chairman and Strategic Advisor role while also appointing a new Managing Director to continue with the execution of the refreshed strategy.”

Hall says that, in addition to fulfilling director duties in his new role, he will continue to hone GFOB’s strategic approach in the region and will play a key role in supporting the new managing director and leadership team in achieving the company’s set objectives.

“At GFOB, we’ve evolved significantly over the past 12 months, working to sharpen our offering and go to market with an even more competitive product,” Hall said.

GFOB is currently accepting expressions of interest for the Managing Director, Asia Pacific role. 

(Source: GFOB)

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The annual programme recognises the most innovative companies, products and services shaping the future of travel technology, with thousands of nominations submitted from around the world.

TripWorks was selected for its operator‑built design, enterprise‑grade infrastructure, and its unique combination of AI automation and business intelligence that helps operators grow revenue, streamline operations and deliver exceptional guest experiences. The platform’s hybrid AI model supports everything from dynamic pricing and automated communications to real‑time reporting and operational workflows.

“We built TripWorks to give operators the kind of technology advantage that has historically only been available to the largest travel brands,” said Aaron Fessler, Founder and CEO of TripWorks. “Being recognised by the TravelTech Breakthrough Awards is a meaningful validation of our approach, and of the operators who have trusted us to power their growth.”

The TravelTech Breakthrough Awards are part of the Tech Breakthrough organisation, which evaluates innovation across the most competitive areas of technology, including IoT, AI, cybersecurity, fintech, digital health and mobile. Winners are selected based on innovation, performance, ease of use, functionality, and overall impact on the travel and hospitality ecosystem.

TripWorks’ recognition places it alongside leading global travel brands honoured across other categories this year, including Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia Group, SAP Concur and Mews.

About TripWorks
Founded in 2019, TripWorks is an AI-driven, enterprise-grade booking, automation, and business intelligence platform for tour, activity, attractions, and experience operators.

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It involves collaboration between Indonesia’s Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) and China’s leading payment ecosystems, enabled by Alipay+, the unified wallet gateway of Ant International, and UnionPay International.

A milestone in regional connectivity, the initiative opens a new bridge for commerce between China’s 1.4 billion people and Indonesia’s 280 million citizens. Consumers from both countries can now make seamless and secure QR code payments using their home e-wallets.  

At the launch, users of Alipay, an Alipay+ wallet partner, and the UnionPay App can pay at more than 40 million QRIS merchants across Indonesia, mostly MSMEs. On the other hand, QRIS-supported e-wallets and bank apps will be able to scan more than 80 million Alipay and UnionPay QR codes in China. 

The implementation of QR payments between Indonesia and China strengthens the commitment to using local currencies in cross-border transactions, enhances exchange rate visibility and travel convenience, and promotes more efficient tourism and trade flows.

Driving growth for local merchants

This linkage significantly expands access for local businesses — especially micro and small enterprises—to international customers across two major Asian economies. For local Indonesian merchants, the launch requires no new hardware or integration: an existing merchant QRIS code is all that’s needed to accept payments from Chinese travellers, unlocking new revenue streams from inbound tourism and cross-border consumption.

In 2025, Chinese arrivals to Indonesia reached a six-year high, with more than 1.34 million visitors. Enabling frictionless payment for these visitors has a direct impact on merchant revenues, particularly for the MSMEs, who account for over 99% of all businesses in Indonesia.

The QRIS–China linkage reflects a broader push toward interoperable, real-time payment connectivity across Asia. The cross-border QR payment linkage is a government-to-government initiative supported by industry partners like Ant International. Alipay+ provides the technical layer that connects both ecosystems, enabling interoperability between payment systems and allowing users to pay with their home wallets. At the same time, merchants receive funds through their existing domestic infrastructure. 

This collaboration is part of ongoing efforts to create an open, inclusive payments ecosystem that supports regional trade, travel, and digital economic growth. It also builds on efforts to expand QRIS cross-border connectivity across ASEAN and beyond. 

Cross-border QRIS transactions via Alipay showed strong growth momentum during the pilot phase, reflecting growing awareness and engagement with cross-border QR transactions. It also emphasises the importance of strengthening innovation and digital readiness to ensure that digital transformation adds value to the national economy.

As merchant adoption and wallet connections expand, the initiative is expected to accelerate digital payment usage further, strengthen financial inclusion, and deepen economic connectivity among Indonesia, China, and the broader region.

The Indonesia-China launch reflects Alipay+’s commitment to connecting with national payment schemes. As a unified wallet gateway, Alipay+ partners with 50 international e-wallets and bank apps, connecting their more than 2 billion user accounts to more than 150 million merchants, including over 10 national payment schemes across Asia and beyond.

Ant International is a leading global digital payment, digitisation, and financial technology provider. It offers a unified techfin platform that helps financial institutions and merchants of all sizes achieve inclusive growth. Its unified wallet gateway, Alipay+, provides cross-border payment and digital services that help connect global merchants to consumers. 

 (Source: Ant International)

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