Lotte’s Travel+Fintech app. China tops Japan in trends. Technoheaven’s bed bank. HotelBank x TA Network. SEO is out, AI is in

China tops Japan as Singaporeans spend strategically this June

YouTrip’s June Holiday Travel Trends Report reveals that despite economic pressures, Singaporeans are still embracing travelwith more intention and financial strategy. One in four travellers visited multiple destinations during the month-long school break. China surpassed Japan in popularity for the first time, seeing a 58% surge in visitor numbers. Shorter flights, affordable airfares, and strong cultural appeal made destinations like China, Thailand, and Malaysia top picks, especially for Millennials and Gen X families seeking value-packed trips.

According to YouTrip, travel spending was closely tied to destination priorities. Southeast Asia drew food lovers hunting for local flavours, while North Asia became a retail paradise, with Singaporeans spending 300% more there than in Southeast Asia. Popular Asian brands like Pop Mart and Miniso were big hits, while convenience store meals and fast food helped balance the budget. Meanwhile, travellers to Western countries like the US, UK, and Australia focused more on nature, culture, and DIY meals to manage costs. Uniqlo, McDonald’s, and Starbucks emerged as familiar staples across all geographies. The trend reflects a growing desire to stretch the dollar while still enjoying meaningful travel experiences.

Technoheaven unveils next-gen bed bank platform with 600M daily search power

Technoheaven has launched a new global bed bank platform designed to support hotel inventory booking and distribution, with the capacity to handle over 600 million daily searches and direct connections to more than 1 million hotel properties worldwide. Thanks to partnerships with over 80 suppliers and 15+ channel managers, and a dynamic API that enables real-time updates, Technoheaven says that users can respond to market changes instantly. The plug-and-play modular architecture makes it easy to onboard or remove suppliers based on seasonal or regional demand, while a single dashboard manages pricing and availability per supplier.

The platform also features an AI-powered hotel mapping tool that eliminates duplicate listings and standardises fragmented hotel data, resulting in accurate search results, faster bookings, and better price comparisons. The bed bank system opens up multiple revenue streams – allowing resellers to set margins, earn commissions, and adjust rates dynamically based on region and demand.

Lotte Card and HTS launch DiGi LOCA Travel

Lotte Card has launched DiGi LOCA Travel, a new travel portal within its DiGi LOCA app, in partnership with Hopper Technology Solutions (HTS), the B2B arm of global travel platform Hopper. The portal enables users to search and book flights, hotels, and car rentals, enhanced by HTS’s smart fintech tools like Best Price Guarantee, Price Prediction, Price Watch, and Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR). Customers paying with the newly introduced DiGi LOCA Travel co-branded credit cards – Premium and Standard – can earn up to 5% in Travel Miles, which can be redeemed at full value within the app.

Upcoming features like Price Freeze and Delay & Cancellation Support aim to further improve booking flexibility, allowing users to lock in fares or get rebooked (or refunded) during travel disruptions. The partnership combines HTS’s AI-powered travel technology with Lotte Card’s customer base.

Trip Affiliates Network and HotelBank Taiwan focus on hotel distribution

Trip Affiliates Network (TA Network) has partnered with HotelBank Taiwan in a strategic alliance aimed at accelerating digital transformation and hotel distribution innovation. As international travel rebounds with over 760 million arrivals expected in 2025, the collaboration will leverage TA Network’s tech to automate real-time room availability and pricing across B2B and B2C channels. This integration enables hotels to boost rate parity, occupancy, and responsiveness to market trends. Both companies say the partnership will empower hoteliers with scalable, data-driven tools to stay competitive in an increasingly complex distribution landscape.

SEO is out; AI is in as marketers rethink online travel playbook

(via Phocuswire)

With AI rapidly transforming how people search and interact online, traditional SEO is losing its dominance in travel marketing. At Phocuswright Europe, Mario Gavira, VP of Growth and Brand at Kiwi.com, said he believes the industry must brace for a fundamental shift. “Our content strategy, linking strategy has to change,” he said, noting that AI agents could potentially replace search engines as key acquisition channels. The future remains uncertain – will these agents merely assist in discovery or manage full transactions? While organic traffic may decline, Gavira points out that AI answer engines will still highlight certain brands, making it crucial for companies to optimize for visibility in this new environment.

Amanda Moore, VP of Performance Marketing at Preferred Travel Group, said the decline of SEO brings a renewed focus on personas and public relations, with the future of paid search still taking shape. Gavira highlighted the financial interests behind platforms like Google, suggesting that sponsored links will remain central – just repositioned within AI-generated content. “You might target personas. You might target the intent of individual users,” he said, indicating a shift from keyword-based strategies to more nuanced, intent-driven approaches. Both agreed that marketers need to adapt quickly, rethink campaign strategies, and embrace the evolving commercial model shaped by AI.