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Marriott debuts City Express in Osaka

SINGAPORE, 12 May 2026: City Express by Marriott has announced the opening of City Express by Marriott Shin-Imamiya and City Express by Marriott Osaka Namba South. 

The simultaneous launch of both properties introduces the brand to Osaka, a city renowned for its culinary innovation, energy, and vibrant urban character.

Photo credit: Marriott International.

City Express by Marriott Shin-Imamiya

The 100-room City Express by Marriott Shin-Imamiya is located in Minami, one of Osaka’s most dynamic neighbourhoods, offering access to the city’s commercial districts and iconic landmarks. Surrounded by a mix of retail, residential, and commercial developments, the hotel provides both convenience and immersion in local urban life.

The hotel is located directly adjacent to Shin-Imamiya Station, one of Osaka’s key transport interchanges. With access to the JR Osaka Loop Line, Nankai Main Line, and Osaka Metro, the hotel offers connectivity across the city and the wider Kansai region. Travellers arriving via Kansai International Airport benefit from direct train access on the Nankai Main Line, with a journey time of approximately 50 minutes.

Guests can explore nearby attractions, including Tsutenkaku Tower, Tennoji Zoo, and Kuromon Market, all within proximity. 

City Express by Marriott Osaka Namba South

The 143-room City Express by Marriott Osaka Namba South is located in Hanazono-kita, Nishinari-ku, set within a neighbourhood that reflects the authentic rhythm of Osaka’s urban landscape. The hotel is adjacent to Hanazonochō Station on the Osaka Metro Yotsubashi Line, providing direct and convenient access to central Osaka.

Guests can easily explore nearby attractions, including Abeno Harukas and Tennoji (seven minutes), Namba (10 minutes), Dotonbori (12 minutes), and Shinsaibashi (15 minutes). Osaka Dome and Osaka Castle Park are also accessible from the hotel. Kansai International Airport is approximately 45 minutes away via direct train on the Nankai Line, ensuring smooth access for international and regional travellers.

The hotels will be operated by Shin‑Imamiya Hospitality GK, a subsidiary of Pacifica Hotels GK, under a franchise agreement with Marriott International.

(Source: Marriott International)

Oceania opens sales for 2028/2029 world sailings

SINGAPORE, 12 May 2026: Oceania Cruises has unveiled the inaugural sailings for Oceania Aurelia, set to debut in late 2027, which include the launch of two 180-day Around the World voyages for 2028 and 2029 and two Grand Voyages of more than 70 days each.

Now available for online preview, with reservations opening on 13 May 2026, this is the first time Oceania Cruises has released two world cruises simultaneously. 

Photo credit: Oceania Cruises.

Hosting fewer than 500 guests and served by 400 officers and crew, the ship offers a residential ambience as it sails across the globe.

Among the highlights of the two Around the World voyages is a series of overnight port stays that allow for more time ashore for deeper exploration in destinations including Papeete, Bora Bora, Sydney, Bali, Tokyo, Singapore, Mumbai, Seville and Bordeaux.

Across each circumnavigation, nearly 100 UNESCO World Heritage sites are within reach, offering rare access to the world’s most treasured landmarks.

Alongside these two 180-day odysseys, Oceania Aurelia will also sail two 70-plus-day Grand Voyages: one through the Nordic and Baltic seas; the other spanning the Americas, linking the Caribbean, South America, and the Pacific.

Two Around-the-World Voyages

2028 Around-the-World Voyage: 180 days, Miami to New York, departing 18 January, 2028

2029 Around-the-World Voyage: 180 days, Los Angeles to New York, departing 6 January, 2029

Two Grand Voyages

Grand Nordic & Baltic Discovery: 78 days from New York to Boston, departing 18 July, 2028

Grand South America Adventure: 71 days from Miami to Los Angeles, departing 27 October 2028 – Holiday Voyage

(Source: Oceania Cruises)

Outrigger Phi Phi Island Resort opens:

BANGKOK, 12 May 2026: Outrigger Hospitality Group has announced the opening of Outrigger Phi Phi Island Resort in Thailand, joining the group’s Thailand portfolio of properties in Koh Samui, Khao Lak and Phuket. 

Located in the protected boundaries of Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, the resort offers 63 suites and villas on a stretch of coastline where limestone cliffs rise from white-sand beaches on the Andaman Sea coast.  

Photo credit: Outrigger Phi Phi.

Accessible only by boat, the resort sits inside a national park where development is tightly controlled, and the natural environment remains largely untouched. 

The national park that surrounds the resort is one of the most biodiverse marine environments in Southeast Asia. PADI-certified diving excursions reach coral formations where sea turtles, manta rays and reef sharks are regular sightings. Eco-sensitive boat rides access islands and coves that see limited visitor traffic. 

The resort was constructed using local, organic materials and designed to work with its environment — maximising natural light and ventilation, minimising waste and protecting the ecosystem it sits within. 

Outrigger Phi Phi Island Resort is now live on GHA Discovery, connecting the property to more than 35 million loyalty members across 1,000 hotels in 100 countries.

Indonesia-China QR connectivity launches in Jakarta

JAKARTA, 12 May 2026: Under the guidance of Bank Indonesia and the People’s Bank of China, the China-Indonesia cross-border QR payment linkage was launched at a recent event in Jakarta.

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.

The launch of the Indonesia-China QR connectivity was announced at an event at Bank Indonesia in Jakarta.

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)

Adelaide hosts the 46th ATE

SINGAPORE, 12 May 2026: Australia’s largest tourism tradeshow, the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE26), opens this week at the Adelaide Convention Centre, with a strong turnout from global travel Buyers.

More than 2,700 attendees, including 730 buyers and travel agents from 32 countries, will converge in Adelaide for ATE26. They will meet with 1,400 Australian industry representatives from 674 tourism organisations.

Photo credit: Tourism Australia

There are more than 55,000 appointments scheduled over the next four days, with many more expected on the fringes of the event. Each of these meetings will contribute to new and strengthened relationships and partnerships that drive sustained growth in the tourism sector, and economic opportunity for all Australians.

Tourism Australia Managing Director Robin Mack said: “This year will see 74 new products offered, and 131 new buyer organisations attending for the first time, highlighting strong demand in the sector and in Australia in particular. 

“We acknowledge the impact of global shocks on the sector at this time. It makes Tourism Australia’s role more important than ever in shaping international demand and to lift sustainable yield and support dispersal, directing tourism revenues into Australia and across its regions.”

Tourism contributes significantly to Australia’s economy, supporting more than 700,000 jobs, attracting visitors to regional communities and sustaining around 300,000 businesses across the country.

ATE26 is being delivered in partnership with the South Australia Tourism Commission, which has provided support to ensure extraordinary experiences for attendees.

ATE26 should contribute an estimated AUD13.6 million to the local Adelaide economy. The last time the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) was held in Adelaide was in 2018. 

(Source: Tourism Australia)

Singapore’s resilient tourism faces challenges

SINGAPORE, 12 May 2026: In 2025, Singapore achieved a record of SGD32.8 billion in tourism receipts and welcomed 16.9 million visitors, the Singapore Tourism Board Chief Executive Melissa Ow reported during last week’s Tourism Industry Conference 2026. 

“Last year, I spoke about Tourism 2040, STB’s roadmap for the next chapter of quality tourism growth for Singapore,” she told a packed house of tourism leaders attending the annual gathering. “It sets out how we will respond to rising global competition, shifting demographics, and emerging opportunities, to reach our goal of SGD47 to SGD50 billion in tourism receipts by 2040. I am pleased to share that we are making good progress towards this long-term ambition.”

STB Chief Executive Melissa Ow speaking at the Tourism Industry Conference on 8 May.

STB CEO: Speech standouts 

Changi Airport welcomed an all-time high of nearly 70 million passenger movements, while Singapore welcomed 375 ship calls and over 2 million passengers in passenger throughput.

The completion of the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore expansion further reinforces Singapore’s status as Asia’s leading cruise hub.

The Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2025 attracted the second-highest crowd since its first race, with over 300,000 attendees across three days.

Singapore’s  MICE industry continues to demonstrate robust growth.

In 2025, MICE tourism receipts grew by more than 35% from 2024, reaching SGD2.3 billion.

This year, STB projects SGD31 to SGD32.5 billion in tourism receipts and 17 to 18 million in international visitor arrivals, while recognising that the ongoing tensions in the Middle East pose unprecedented challenges to the tourism industry.

“Our tourism businesses are under strain from the crisis, and global uncertainty will persist. While visitor arrivals held up in the first quarter with a 3% year- on-year growth, we expect muted demand in the months ahead,” the STB CEO cautioned. 

In the year ahead, STB will intensify efforts to strengthen sector performance and resilience through the three pillars of Tourism 2040:

  • Cultivating future Demand to seize high-growth opportunities;
  • Creating an attractive Destination, as we push ahead with new initiatives to strengthen tourism products and experiences;
  • Advance the development of a future-ready tourism sector.

She noted: “The SGD740 million tranche of the Tourism Development Fund will enable industry partners to pursue opportunities under these three pillars.”

Cultivating future demand

Singapore remains a vital air hub, maintaining strong connectivity to key visitor markets, including China, Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, India, and beyond.

“Market diversification is a priority. We are establishing new flight connections to Palembang and Belitung in Indonesia; West Sydney, Newcastle and Sunshine Coast in Australia; and Dalian in China.” Ow noted

In 2026, Singapore’s hotel landscape welcomes new additions and transformations.

TUI Hotels & Resorts will debut in Singapore with Asia’s first The Mora property. Other new hotel openings include Asia’s largest Mövenpick hotel; Varel  Singapore, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel; and the newly rejuvenated Frasers House, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Singapore. 

(Source: Singapore Tourism Board)

SQ boosts flights to Europe

SINGAPORE, 12 May 2026: Singapore Airlines will increase flights between Singapore and Manchester, Milan, Munich, and London Gatwick in the coming months to meet the strong demand on these routes, and enhance connectivity options at its Singapore hub.

The airline will also launch five-times-weekly services to Madrid via Barcelona on 26 October 2026, subject to regulatory approvals.

It will restructure its current twice-weekly Singapore-Barcelona services, SQ388 and SQ387, to operate on the route, making Madrid SIA’s 15th destination in Europe and its second in Spain. 

Photo credit: Singapore Airlines.

Singapore Airlines, Senior Vice President Marketing Planning Dai Haoyu said: “Europe is an important market for Singapore Airlines, and these adjustments reflect our commitment to it. We are seeing strong demand for travel to Europe, and increasing frequencies to key destinations such as Manchester, Milan, Munich, and London Gatwick in response. Madrid is also an increasingly popular tourist destination and a financial and business hub. These new services will give our customers more choice and greater value when planning their travel.”

From 13 July 2026, SIA’s Singapore-Manchester services, SQ302 and SQ301, will increase from five-times weekly to daily. SIA’s current three-times-weekly Singapore-London Gatwick services, SQ314 and SQ313, will increase to daily from 25 October 2026. This will give SIA two daily services to the airport and six flights a day to London, including the four daily services to London Heathrow. 

The airline’s Singapore-Milan services, SQ356 and SQ355, will increase from four-times weekly to daily from 25 October 2026. The three-times-weekly Singapore-Milan-Barcelona services, SQ378 and SQ377, will be cancelled from 27 October 2026, following the launch of the new Singapore-Barcelona-Madrid service. 

SIA will launch a new three-times weekly Singapore-Munich service, SQ340 and SQ339, from 26 October 2026, bringing its total to 10 weekly services to the German city.

The inaugural flight to Madrid, SQ388, is scheduled to depart Singapore at 2330 (local time) on 26 October 2026, arrive in Barcelona at 0640 (local time) on 27 October 2026, depart Barcelona at 0740 (local time), and arrive in Madrid at 0850 (local time) the same day. 

The return flight, SQ387, is scheduled to depart Madrid at 1000 (local time) on 27 October 2026, arrive in Barcelona at 1115 (local time), depart Barcelona at 1235 (local time) the same day, and arrive in Singapore at 0825 (local time) the next day. 

SIA will operate its Airbus A350-900 long-haul variant with 253 seats (42 in Business Class, 24 in Premium Economy Class, and 187 in Economy Class) on the Singapore-Barcelona-Madrid route. 

Spain’s capital is known for its vibrant culture, world-class museums, and landmarks like the Royal Palace of Madrid. It is also a business and financial hub for both the region and South America.

Tickets for the new Madrid service will go on sale from June 2026 via SIA’s distribution channels, while tickets for the additional services to Manchester, Milan, Munich, and London Gatwick will be released progressively. 

BARCELONA AND MADRID, SPAIN

SIA will restructure its current twice-weekly Singapore-Barcelona services into five-times-weekly Singapore-Barcelona-Madrid services.

LONDON GATWICK, UK

SIA will step up its second London Gatwick tranche to a daily operation during the Northern Winter 2026 operating season. This will complement SIA’s existing daily services, SQ312 and SQ309, to London Gatwick, and SIA’s four daily services to London Heathrow, bringing

SIA’s total London services to up to six times daily.

MANCHESTER, UK

SIA will increase its Singapore-Manchester services from five times weekly to daily.

MILAN, ITALY

SIA will increase its Singapore-Milan services from four times weekly to daily.

MUNICH, GERMANY 
SIA will launch a new three-times weekly service between Singapore and Munich. This will complement SIA’s existing services, SQ328 and SQ327, to Munich, bringing the total to 10 weekly services.

Dusit executive wins leadership award 

BANGKOK, 11 May 2026: Prachoom Tantiprasertsuk, Vice President – Operations (Central & Southern Thailand) and Government & Business Relations at Dusit International, and President of the Thailand Incentive and Convention Association (TICA), has received the prestigious Thailand Meetings Leadership Award at the inaugural Thailand MICE Legacy Awards 2026, organised by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB).

Presented during MICE Day 2026 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok on 29 April 2026, the award recognises individuals who have played a significant role in advancing Thailand’s meetings sector and strengthening the country’s position as a leading international MICE destination.

Photo Caption – Prachoom Tantiprasertsuk (right) received the Thailand Meetings Leadership Award from Mr Napintorn Srisunpang, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister’s Office (left), who presided over the Thailand MICE Legacy Awards 2026 ceremony.

Prachoom was recognised for her contribution to Thailand’s MICE sector over more than three decades, including her long-standing role in supporting industry collaboration, strengthening Thailand’s international profile, and helping drive the development of TICA, where she has been involved since its early years and currently serves as President for the 2025–2026 term.

Drawing on extensive experience in the international hospitality industry, she has played an active role in supporting the growth of Thailand’s meetings sector and the continued evolution of TICA as a leading professional organisation within the country’s business events landscape.

While the recognition honours individual achievement, it also reflects the increasingly important role that hospitality leaders play in advancing Thailand’s tourism and business events ecosystem through collaboration, mentorship, and long-term industry engagement.

“This recognition is deeply meaningful because it reflects the collective efforts of so many people who have helped shape Thailand’s MICE sector over many years,” said Ms Tantiprasertsuk. “I’ve been fortunate to work alongside dedicated colleagues and partners across hospitality, tourism, government, and business events, all of whom share the same goal of strengthening Thailand’s position on the global stage. This commitment is also closely aligned with Dusit’s long-standing vision and values.”

Commenting on the recognition, Dusit International Group CEO and Acting Chairman of the Board of Directors Chanin Donavanik (a long-time supporter of Thailand’s tourism and hospitality industry through leadership and industry engagement) said: “Thailand’s tourism and MICE sectors have always progressed through strong collaboration between passionate individuals across both the public and private sectors. Leaders who contribute beyond their own organisations play an important role in strengthening the industry for the future, and we believe supporting that kind of contribution remains essential to the long-term development of Thailand’s hospitality ecosystem.”

Established by TCEB, the Thailand MICE Legacy Awards honour leaders, pioneers, and industry figures whose dedication and vision have helped shape Thailand’s MICE industry over several decades, recognising contributions across meetings, exhibitions, conventions, and the broader development of the country’s MICE industry.

(Source: Your Stories — Dusit International)

STB floats AI Playbook and Tcube Centre

SINGAPORE, 11 May 2026: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has launched two key initiatives – the AI Playbook for Tourism and the Tcube Centre of Excellence – to drive new data and technological capabilities in tourism. 

These initiatives will guide the industry in accelerating AI and data integration, enhancing productivity and visitor experience, and positioning Singapore to lead in the next era of travel.

AI Playbook for Tourism

One of STB’s priorities in tech transformation is to accelerate GenAI adoption to help the sector increase productivity, expand global visibility, and reduce operating costs.

The AI Playbook for Tourism includes a roadmap that defines four key phases for tourism businesses to get started on their AI journey:

• Nascent stage: Businesses start with easy-to-adopt AI technologies, like GenAI, which is built into existing tools.

• Optimised stage: Businesses use GenAI or Agentic AI to streamline backend processes.

• Connected stage: AI technologies are integrated to coordinate services in various industries, from hospitality and attractions, so that multiple AI agents across different businesses interact with each other.

• Transformational stage: AI agents can plan, execute, and optimise end-to-end operations without human initiation.

Through the AI Playbook for Tourism, businesses can also access a list of support measures to accelerate adoption, spanning capability development and workforce training programmes, innovation programmes, and grants to de-risk digital investment.

Additionally, in the second half of 2026, STB will continue building industry capabilities through curated workshops with leading industry partners to cover topics such as prompt engineering and generative engine optimisation.

Tcube Centre of Excellence (CoE)

Tcube has been refreshed as the Tcube Centre of Excellence (CoE). In this one-stop resource hub, tourism businesses can access practical tools, data resources, and industry knowledge to drive digital transformation. The CoE is designed to help tourism companies improve productivity and deliver better visitor experiences through technology and data.

Since its launch in 2021, Tcube’s “Learn-Test-Build” framework has helped tourism businesses identify gaps in their digital transformation capabilities and gain insight from tourism use cases (“Learn”), experiment with promising new startup and scaleup technology (“Test”), and tap into data and industry-wide shared content to guide their business decisions (“Build”).

Tcube has engaged hundreds of tourism companies through its initiatives:

• 426 companies for knowledge-sharing initiatives (i.e.Tcube events and workshops)

• 247 companies for data programmes

• 146 companies for tech and data pilots

• 550 companies on The Singapore Tourism Analytics Network (Stan)

Tcube has also seen successful use case adoptions:

• Mount Faber Leisure Group piloted an AI platform and Extended Reality (XR) simulation to enhance cable car troubleshooting by optimising training cycles and accelerating fault diagnosis, with the potential to save more than 200 overtime person-hours annually. For technicians and engineers, this means reducing the time spent on manual diagnostics and enabling faster troubleshooting resolution.

• Conrad Centennial Singapore leveraged local tech startup Inside. The software’s AI-powered smart scheduling tool provides predictive forecasting of labour demand and creates a unified management hub for all workers. This led to over 90% in time savings.

Tcube is evolving its approach from a “Learn-Test-Build” to a new “Learn-Test-Scale” user journey. The emphasis is now on helping businesses adopt and scale technologies that have already been proven to work. This means tourism companies can move faster by

implementing tried-and-tested solutions, such as electronic check-in systems for hotels or travel management platforms for travel agents.

Tcube CoE will also support the industry in leveraging data to unlock new growth opportunities.

The upcoming refresh of the Singapore Tourism Analytics Network (Stan) will give Singapore tourism companies access to refreshed dashboards and new insight reports, along with:

• Data partnerships with industry stakeholders and other government agencies, to foster a cohesive data ecosystem that enables richer insights, promotes industry-wide alignment, and strengthens the collective impact of marketing and product development efforts.

• Data pilots to tackle business problem statements alongside industry stakeholders. These pilots derive actionable insights that can sharpen marketing strategies and guide the development of tourism products.

• Data products to improve data accessibility, through user-friendly dashboards with integrated GenAI capabilities.

For more information on the destination and tourism: www.stb.gov.sg  or www.visitsingapore.com 

(Source: Singapore Tourism Board)

Amadeus reports strong Q1 performance

SINGAPORE, 11 May 2026: Amadeus opened 2026 with solid growth and profitability, following the strong momentum evident in Q4 2025. 

In March, the situation in the Middle East moderated growth, which slowed our performance for the quarter.

In Q1 2026, group revenue grew by 3.1%, or 7.9% at constant currency, and adjusted EBIT[1] increased by 6.6% at constant currency. 

Photo credit: Amadeus.

Additionally, adjusted diluted EPS[1] expanded by 8.8% at constant currency. In Q1 2026, the group generated free cash flow[1] of EUR273.6 million, up 4.5% from Q1 2025. Free cash flow generation resulted in net financial debt of EUR2,586.0 million at 31 March 2026 (equal to 1.0 times last-twelve-month EBITDA). The group will continue to execute its EUR500 million share repurchase programme announced in late February 2026.

Amadeus, President & CEO, Luis Maroto, commented: “Amadeus reported solid revenue and profit growth in the first quarter. While volumes moderated in March, following the geopolitical situation in the Middle East, we continue to demonstrate strong commercial momentum. We are closely monitoring the uncertain macro context, with the range of potential impacts making it difficult to predict in the short term. We expect to deliver within our 2026 guidance, and we will update the market if this changes.

“We are positive about the future and firmly focused on long‑term growth. We continue to expand our reach across the travel ecosystem, increase the number of customers adopting our solutions, broaden the range of solutions our customers use, expand our AI capabilities, and demonstrate the strength of our portfolio.

“At the same time, we continue to invest in the future by pursuing the planned acquisition of leading biometrics and identity services provider IDEMIA Public Security (IPS). This deal fits naturally into Amadeus’ strategy and will improve the traveller experience by reducing friction and enabling more integrated travel journeys. It will also reinforce our commitment to investing in transformative technology such as biometrics as part of our platform strategy, supporting our broader ambition to become an orchestrator of an AI-enabled travel ecosystem.”

Business evolution

The group’s Air IT Solutions segment delivered 7.5% revenue growth in Q1 2026, or 12.0% at constant currency. Air IT Solutions’ revenue growth in the first quarter resulted from a 3.1% increase in passengers boarded and an 8.6% increase in revenue per passenger boarded (at constant currency). Revenue per passenger boarded grew in Q4 2025, supported by positive pricing and revenue dynamics, primarily due to customers buying more solutions from the group and incremental revenue from the Amadeus Nevio offering. Amadeus continued to see airline professional services grow rapidly. Revenue growth driven by rebooking activity related to the Middle East geopolitical situation demonstrated resilience.

In Q1 2026, Hospitality and Other Solutions revenue increased by 3.2% (9.8% at constant currency). This revenue growth in the quarter was driven by new customer implementations and higher transactions across our Hospitality and Payments businesses, relative to the prior year.

Air distribution

In air distribution, revenue grew 0.1% in Q1 2026, or by 4.6% at constant currency. The growth in air distribution was driven by a very strong start to the year, with both volumes and average revenue per booking rising. However, booking growth was affected by the geopolitical situation in the Middle East in March, leading to a spike in cancellations. This effect on volumes muted commercial success across regions, while commercial success remained strong throughout the quarter. Revenue per booking continued to grow healthily, expanding 4.8% at constant currency, in line with the prior quarter and FY 2025, driven by positive pricing dynamics.

For more information about the group’s operating and financial performance during the first quarter of 2026, please visit https://amadeus.com/en/investors

[1] See APM definitions and reconciliations to IFRS figures in section 5.2 of the Q1 2026 Management Review.

[2]Change versus prior year at constant currency. See additional information on foreign exchange effects and constant currency calculations in section 3 of the Q1 2026 Management Review.

(Source: Amadeus)