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- ”Since when is life about happiness, Dara?” 👀
”Since when is life about happiness, Dara?” 👀
A few travel stories that made me think, so sharing them with you too :)
Hi there,
I’ve had a few messages asking about next year’s travel tech events: where to go, what to skip. I’m tempted to pull everything into one simple overview, but… would you actually use it? 🤔
Do you want a guide to the key travel tech events in 2026?should I go ahead and make it? would you use it? |
And now to the stories that called my attention this week…
It was great to see that UN Tourism and France are teaming up again to spotlight tourism-tech startups working on efficiency, sustainability, and destination resilience.
I like this because it feels that governments and institutions are seeing tech as part of the structure of tourism’s future. But tbh these programmes are only as strong as what happens after the press release. Let’s say that if they turn visibility into actionable outcomes (with pilots and real adoption) the impact could be big.
For now, it’s promising, but still early days…
AIRLINES + INNOVATION
Nice to see 2 announcements about airlines actively investing further in innovation:
🦘 Qantas will be opening a product innovation centre in Australia, a physical space dedicated to new cabin experiences, loyalty products, and future concepts, which tells me they want to keep design, testing, and iteration closer to home rather than treating it as a side project.
🇪🇸 Meanwhile, easyJet is opening a new digital hub in Barcelona next year. A team of specialists will focus on digital operations and product work. Interesting for a low-cost, where margins are tight and tech decisions are usually very… pragmatic.
Airlines seem to be gearing up for a more intentional year of product and digital work. If you’ve come across other examples (small or big) let me know. I’m mapping out the ones that matter for next year :)
FROM OUR RADAR 📡
Evolve is acquiring GuestWorks from Vacasa - the short-term rental tech world keeps moving around…
Pangea acquired social app Overlap, which feels like another step in the “travel x community” play we’ve been talking about: platforms trying to own not just transactions, but relationships.
FRESH & HIDDEN TRENDS
If you need a little break from the never ending heavy end-of-year reports, GetYourGuide just shared its take on “Hidden Travel Trends for 2026” ... and it’s actually a fun read?
It feels refreshing to see something a bit more creative, instead of yet-another-data-dump. Not the usual buzzwords, no trying too hard. More like a simple peek into what people are actually doing… and yes, what they’re offering too.
Honestly, it goes straight onto my wishlist for 2026: more creativity ✨
Before checking out
Not funding rounds. Not product launches. Not deals. Just things we saw this week that made us think twice…
🎧 ”Since when is life about happiness, Dara?”
Highly recommend this chat with Dara Khosrowshahi, where he goes deep into what it means to lead Uber right now, with pleeenty of nods to what he learned back in his Expedia days.
🎥 Quarter-zips as a recession indicator?
I wouldn’t build a strategy around it, but it’s a quirky take on how culture reacts to downturns. Maybe there’s something there or maybe it’s just a funny observation. Either way, worth the 60 seconds :)
See you next week,
Ana
Thank you for reading until the end.
The content of this newsletter is curated and published by Ana Metz, an innovation expert, passionate about technology and excited about the future of travel.
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FutureTravel is a weekly newsletter about the future of travel, featuring the most exciting news about innovation, trends and startups in the industry. |  |