Fusion & Acquisition

🚀 In 2025, venture capital funding in travel startups may fall below $5 billion, with 2023 and 2024 being the decade's lowest years. By May 2024, funding was $1.1 billion, down from $1.7 billion the previous year. Jetblue Ventures' sale raised concerns, while Lufthansa's TNMT Investment Tracker identified 2025 as a poor year for investments since 2015. Notably, European startups received more venture capital than those in North America for the first time. IAGi Ventures launched with €200 million, hinting at future innovation funding.

📈 Sébastien Bazin, CEO, was reappointed during Accor's Shareholders' General Meeting on May 28, 2025, held at the company's headquarters. The quorum reached 71.73% of shares. All resolutions were adopted, including the reappointment of Isabelle Simon and the appointment of Katherine E. Fleming. A dividend of €1.26 per share was approved, with detachment on June 2, 2025, and payment on June 4, 2025. Accor operates in over 110 countries with 5,600+ hotels.

📈 Cybevasion, launched in 1999, was acquired by Holidu, an international German platform. The acquisition includes cybevasion.fr, gites.fr, and chambres-hotes.fr. The transformation of Cybevasion to a simplified joint-stock company is set for mid-April 2025. Initially focused on hotels, it pivoted to guest houses and tourist rentals. The acquisition was reported by Jérôme Forget. Currently, bookings are affiliated with Booking.com. No official announcement has been made, and the founder remains the sole director.

📅 Le 22 mai 2025, Tambourine, leader mondial en technologie marketing hôtelière, a acquis ReservHotel, une plateforme de réservation opérant dans la région Caraïbes-Amérique latine. Cette acquisition vise à introduire cette technologie avancée sur le marché nord-américain. Tambourine est réputée pour avoir transformé les standards des sites hôteliers, et ce nouveau partenariat permettra de repenser entièrement le parcours d'achat des clients, selon Rafael Cardozo, PDG de Tambourine.

🛩️ Electra conducted successful wind tunnel tests on a 1/5th scale model of the EL9, proving its capability for ultra-short takeoffs—just 150 feet (45.72 meters), ten times less than current similar-sized aircraft. The EL9's lift coefficient of 20, aided by electric propulsion, allows flight at just 40 km/h. 2200 units are promised to 50 clients worldwide, aiming for pre-series flights by 2027 and commercial service by 2029.

🗺 Amadeus, a tech giant, has acquired ForwardKeys, a Spanish firm specializing in tourist and air traffic data. The acquisition, part of Amadeus's aggressive strategy to become a "one-stop-shop" for tech solutions, aims to enhance their tourist intelligence business. The deal's financial details remain confidential. Earlier acquisitions include Vision-Box, a biometric tech specialist, in January, and Voxel, a B2B payment expert, in March of the previous year.

✈️ Fly Fairly acquires travel platform LFG in May 2025 to tap into Gen Z (born 1995-2009). Based in Kuala Lumpur, LFG allows creating "Placelists" for young travelers. Fly Fairly, founded in Singapore in 2024, partners with over 650 airlines offering 100+ payment options, including cryptocurrencies. LFG co-founders Darryl Han and Foo Shi Hong join Fly Fairly's leadership. This move aims to combine travel discovery with flexible booking for the next generation.

🌐 Prosus acquires Despegar, a major Latin American OTA, enhancing its digital services ecosystem. The deal, approved by Despegar's board and shareholders, was finalized with regulatory clearances. Prosus aims to serve over 100 million clients across various sectors. This acquisition offers Despegar access to Amsterdam-based Prosus's AI expertise. CEO Damián Scokin highlights accelerated growth and innovation. In March 2024, Despegar introduced Sofia, an AI travel agent, to streamline trip planning.

🚀 Waymo recalls 1,200 robotaxis after minor collisions from December 2022 to April 2024, affecting a fleet of 1,500 vehicles. United Airlines starts installing Starlink Wi-Fi on Embraer E175 jets, aiming for 250 Mbps speeds on regional aircraft by 2025. Hong Kong partners with Wego to attract MENA tourists. HBX Group acquires Civitfun, enhancing hotel operations for 3,500 clients. Bryan Batista becomes Skyscanner's CEO on June 1, 2025, succeeding John Mangelaars.

🎬 European leisure parks have transformed from day trip destinations to full-fledged tourist attractions. Giants like Disneyland Paris and Europa Park, now rebranded as resorts, have extended visitor stays beyond the traditional day visit. European households spend an average of €3,000 annually on leisure, ranking it fourth in expenses after rent and food, according to Eurostat data. These parks contribute significantly to the attractiveness and revenue of their regions.