Hugo Pellegrin

🏠 In April 2023, Airbnb paused adding new experiences to focus on core accommodations. By the fall of 2024, Airbnb discreetly reopened its platform for hosts to add new experiences without an official announcement. Mitch Batch, CEO of Tripschool, noticed the change browsing properties in Tuscany. Airbnb aims to offer a diverse selection of experiences reflecting the culture of global cities.

🌍 - An Opodo study found that 33% of French people are influenced by social media for their travel destinations. The impact is greater among younger demographics, with 58% of individuals aged 25-34 and 52% of those aged 18-24 being influenced. In contrast, only 13% of those aged 55-64 are affected. Additionally, 47% share travel content online to keep memories, while 41% of 25-34 and 36% of 18-24 year-olds have experienced disappointment from social media-influenced trips. Social media's influence extends to other European countries, with 49% of Spanish and Portuguese and 47% of Italians acknowledging its impact, compared to 32% of Germans.

🏠 Reiwa Travel, a Japanese digital travel agency, raised €30,595,200 (about $33 million or 4.8 billion yen) for their recent funding round led by SMBC-GB Growth No. 1 Investment Limited Partnership, with participation from PKSHA Technology and existing investors. To date, the company has secured a total of €44,618,000 in financing. This capital boost will fund AI integration into their travel search engine, development of a smart travel concierge, and optimization of dynamic pricing. A joint AI project with PKSHA Technology is set to launch in October.