FutureTravel Newsletter 20 / June 10th

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Hi ,

I'm still getting used to the fact that half of the year is already gone and it’s already June! It feels like I’m still trying to catch my breath from the pandemic-chaos and figuring out how to get back to life as we know it. Well, I am also very excited for what’s ahead.

In this week’s edition of the FutureTravel newsletter, I’m excited to share with you that we started a partnership with TravelPerk, who - just like us - are thrilled to see the travel industry catching up again and ready to see in-person business events slowly coming back as well.As a result of this partnership today we are publishing a free report about the Top 30 Travel Events Around the World. This document is exclusively for FutureTravel subscribers and provides a curation of the top travel industry events happening around the globe between June and December of 2021.And, well, if you are considering to attend any of these events (or have other business travel plans) you should totally plan your business trip with the help of TravelPerk ;)At FutureTravel our goal is to provide you with a weekly update about the travel industry, delivering right into your inbox the top news, trends and startups innovating in the travel sector.And here comes your weekly roundup of top travel news:✈ While we get used to the big and small changes that this pandemic brought to our lives, some contactless solutions (for example related to payments) seem to be here to stay - and it seems like we will keep scanning QR codes before making our order.✈ Although UK's travel restrictions have been a wobbly topic lately, I’m not sure how effective it can really be when 2/3 of British people seem to ignore the Government’s advice - oops. ✈ It is amazing to see different players from the travel sector collaborating when they have a shared goal. Two good examples of this in the past week: First story is that Airbnb, EaseMyTrip, OYO and Yatra are launching an industry association (CHATT). And the 2nd story that arrived on my inbox this week is that a global alliance of Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance are calling for governments to have aligned travel measures.  Ain't nothing like having a common goarl or enemy, right? ;)✈ For the curious ones out there (like me!) here is more info about the vaccination certificate that will open Summer for Europeans.✈ United is partnering up with an American aerospace company to bring supersonic speed to aviation. Although 15 aircrafts will be purchased, it doesn’t seem like it will be flying passengers until 2029 - but then we can expect going from NYC to London in 3.5 hours and from San Francisco to Tokyo in 6 hours. I mean… wow! ✈ The German company FlixMobility (FlixBus), has closed more than $650 million in its latest funding round. According to the CEO, the plan is to use the funds to expand its network in the US and Europe. The fast-growing company is now valued at over $3 billion.✈ Singapore-based startup Nium (backed by Visa) is now entering the travel industry with the acquisition of Ixaris. As the CEO says “This is probably the best time to make an acquisition because travel is coming” I couldn’t agree more, Prajit. See you next Thursday,Ana