Innovation

✈️ flydubai partners with Amperity to unify customer data in real-time. The Dubai-based airline aims to enhance personalized experiences across over 135 destinations in 58 countries using a fleet of 97 Boeing 737s. Since 2009, it has served 120 million passengers. The collaboration focuses on customer engagement through AI-driven identity resolution, aligning with flydubai's "Modern Airline Retailing" strategy for improved marketing and service personalization. Data security adheres to international and Dubai Electronic Security Centre standards.

📚 Musa Guide, co-founded by Christoph Renschler, launched on March 25, 2025, in London, focuses on enhancing museum experiences using AI. The software integrates museum data in days, creating personalized visitor paths. It debuted at a Maya museum in Guatemala, increasing guide usage fivefold to 45 minutes on average. Plans for a 2026 fundraising aim to expand beyond the current two-person team. Revenue sharing and visitor-based pricing models are in place, with upcoming launches in Canada and Quebec.

💻 En 2026, les entreprises investiront dans le bien-être et la formation des collaborateurs, soutenues par les nouvelles technologies. Le travail flexible et hybride, piloté par l’IA et les données, deviendra la norme. Les espaces de travail seront plus locaux, avec des abonnements à des espaces flexibles dans des villes moyennes ou des hubs périurbains, optimisant la productivité et l'engagement des équipes.

💸 Depuis près de 20 ans, les hôtels luttent pour augmenter les ventes directes malgré de nombreux outils technologiques et marketing. Le manque de synchronisation entre le marketing et le revenue management est le problème clé. Les deux doivent s'harmoniser pour maximiser le remplissage des chambres au meilleur coût. Le parcours client doit être cohérent à chaque étape, du rêve à la réservation. Un guide global est essentiel pour intégrer ces efforts dans une stratégie unique.

📖 Cornell University researchers affirm nearly all hotel demand starts on Google. Free listings boost visibility, but paid ads significantly increase direct bookings in low-competition areas with high availability. Paid visibility enhances brand recognition and bookings, but isn't always necessary for high-exposure hotels. Optimal strategy: use paid ads when demand is low or availability is high. Key takeaway: visibility on Google, whether free or paid, is crucial for sustaining a competitive presence.

🤖Booking.com and Expedia face strategic dilemmas as agentic AI disrupts travel planning. Mirai highlights AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini that handle complex user intentions and actions. This evolution impacts sectors globally, especially hospitality, a transactional and economically significant market. For AI to become the travel entry point, real-time access to hotel inventories, pricing, and availability is crucial. The challenge for OTAs is integrating into this new AI layer or risking their relevance in the distribution model's future.

✈️ Joby Aviation, en janvier 2026, à Marina, Californie. Le premier simulateur de vol eVTOL est installé, avec une capacité de formation pour 250 pilotes annuellement. Joby Aviation vise des vols commerciaux en 2026. Laurent Briquet, le 23 décembre 2025, devient DG de Theta Travel Technology pour booster la performance touristique via la technologie. Lighthouse nomme Georg Beyschlag CFO pour structurer sa croissance, avec 900 employés et un marché de 15 milliards de dollars. Haïti lance la carte numérique iKat pour ses voyageurs. RateGain et Aztech déploient l’agent vocal IA UNO VIVA en Grèce et Chypre, réduisant les coûts de 60% et augmentant les revenus de 40%.

🛫 John Hughes, VP Marketing at AB Tasty, leverages over 20 years in SaaS, focusing on digital transformation. In 2024, IATA highlighted the shift in passenger experience due to digital demand, emphasizing trust, emotion, and conversion as key factors. Google Travel Report 2023 underscored the fragmented inspiration sources for travel. Continuous testing and rapid iteration, rather than complete digital overhauls, are crucial. AI accelerates experimentation, aiding decision-making and enhancing the user journey.

📈 Milan, 2026: The Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo deploys Affluences’ real-time visitor tracking at the Duomo di Milano, the first in Italy. This system, using 3D and AI counters, optimizes visitor experiences and mitigates overtourism effects. A dozen counters cover the cathedral, terraces, and ticketing areas, informing online and on-site decisions. Affluences, founded in 2014, partners with over 1,000 cultural institutions, enhancing sustainable tourism through technology.