Edition #71, July 21

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Dear ,

This summer, airports have been characterised by one thing: chaos. Delayed flights, crazy queues and trips cancelled altogether - travellers are facing a frenzy of disruptions. So how are airports responding? Well, Heathrow has implemented a controversial flight cap. Although it was originally planned to end mid-September, it’s now expected to last until the end of October.

Schiphol did the same, and now, Frankfurt’s Airport has announced they will be restricting flights to allow it to cope with increased passenger numbers. I do my best to keep an optimistic view in this newsletter, but we can’t be naive: these are challenging times for travellers flying around Europe.

Putting that aside, it’s been a quieter week than normal in the travel space when it comes to innovation, trends and startups. But here is what we found:

• A software company has just raised $25m to help airline companies to upsell. The solution offered by Gordian Software enables travel sites, including Hopper, Trip.com and Priceline, to sell ancillaries such as baggage and premium seat selection for their airline partners. Travellers can pack their bags and get ready for the upselling upswing. The startup experienced revenue growth of 350% in the past 6 months and is also looking to triple its headcount by the end of 2022 - clearly there’s lots of appetite for upselling!

• A lot of financial institutions have joined forces with travel tech companies to provide a quick way to incorporate new travel solutions into their offerings. It's a collaborative energy we like to see. The latest news is a new partnership between GetYourGuide and American Express. They’re bringing a new exclusive booking site for card members, giving access to an inventory of tours and activities as well as experiences and discounts.

• Summer is a busy season for the attractions industry. And it’s been amazing to see that the trends we identified in the industry are at full bloom also across different sectors. If you’re curious to find out what’s influencing attractions and experiences, make sure you check out the report we did in collaboration with IAAPA. Want more insight and takeaways? You should also take a look at the upcoming IAAPA EXPO Europe taking place this September.

• So, the ongoing job shortage in travel and tourism is turning even more dramatic, and to be honest, it’s blowing our minds. The impact of this can’t really be understated and getting these vacancies is turning into a major challenge for the industry. If you are currently hiring, do let me know and we’ll be happy to provide you with our rate card to promote your open positions on this newsletter - maybe your next hire is among our FutureTravel audience? 👀

• Last week we announced the launch of the FutureTravel Pitch Competition. Awesome to see the applications coming in! We are looking for exciting early-stage startups from all across the world who are bringing innovation to the travel and tourism industry. We will select 10 finalists to pitch on stage during this year’s FutureTravel Summit, and the winner will get a prize package worth $56,000! This is in addition to valuable insights and feedback from our amazing jury members. If you know someone who is building something new in this space, feel free to forward this newsletter to them :)

See you next week,Ana

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The content of this newsletter is curated and published by Ana Metz, innovation expert, passionate about technology and excited about the future of travel.

If you are looking for the most disruptive startups in the travel industry right now, make sure to check out our Premium Report: “Top 100 Travel Startups” which might be relevant for you.

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