FutureTravel Newsletter 38 / October 22

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Hi ,

I usually reach your inbox on Thursdays but this week we are trying something new :) You’re probably looking forward for a weekend without meetings on your schedule and quality time to be with your family and friends. What are your plans for this weekend, ? I'm really looking forward for meeting friends in a plaza and keeping my phone in airplane for most of the time. Such a good feeling.

On another note: we have a first draft of our agenda for the FutureTravel Summit, so you can check who will be joining us on the virtual stage. The event is pretty much in one month from now I caaaan’t wait to meet you online. Make sure to secure your ticket for the FutureTravel Summit.

Before we head off for the weekend, let’s dive into this week’s overview of the top news on travel innovation, trends and startups. Here we go:

- FlixMobility has acquired US-based Greyhound, the largest provider of long-distance bus transportation in the US. Great to see the growth and expansion- Australia-based Rezdy landed $5.6 million in funding this week. The startup is specialised in tours and activities booking technology and will be using the money to grow, specially in North America.- The long hours wearing a mask while traveling are still a down side for many people, but now it seems like it won’t be a requirement anymore in some flights - at least within Scandinavia. Amen.- Interesting see this white paper published by Numa exploring the current state and possible future of tourism recovery for European cities. The document brings some of the pre-pandemic travel numbers for Business, International and European travel, comparing them to the current status along with emerging trends in the industry.- Zeus Living, the short term San Francisco-based rental company, raised $55 million in their latest funding round. Their plan is to use the money to grow its portfolio and add new features and services.- The Swedish travel technology platform Sembo has just secured a $12m investment from its parent company Stena Line. With the daring ambition to disrupt how package holidays are produced, booked, marketed and distributed in the future, Sembo has developed their own booking technology and now plans to use the money to hire tech talent to fast pace their expansion.- What a debut: with the acquisition of the experiences platform PlacePass, Hopper is entering the tours, activities and experiences sector.- Founded in 2017, the OTA CuddlyNest offers a big variety of listings in more than 200 countries and territories. This week, the accommodation platform reached a new milestone, raising $3.5 million to grow.

This is for this week, . If you enjoyed this edition, please consider passing it forward to someone who is also interested in what's new on the travel industry. And if there is anything you'd like to see in our next edition, hit reply and let me know.See you next Thursday,Ana