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<h3>Here's your Q3/25 update on the AI tools reshaping how the travel industry books, personalizes, and sells.</h3>Travel’s usability just leveled up. These AI tools are no longer prototypes. They are actively reshaping how trips are searched, booked, visualized, and rebooked. If you're in DMC, OTA, or tour operations, these shifts are already in play.This isn’t about future potential. It’s about competitive models being redefined now across the entire trip lifecycle.Below is a BGS-curated list of five strategic AI rollouts from Q3 2025 that are driving immediate impact.<h3>1. Google Flights: Natural Language Search</h3>Launch: August 2025 Travelers now use everyday prompts like “3-night warm getaway under $600 in October” and receive curated flight and destination results.Why it matters<ul><li>Removes complexity from early-stage planning</li><li>Encourages discovery beyond typical destinations</li><li>Shifts the UX model for OTAs and metasearch </li></ul>Core benefit: Smarter inspiration with minimal friction.<h3>2. Agoda: AI-Curated Property Visuals</h3>Launch: August 2025 Agoda now upgrades over 450 million property images using AI. It enhances clarity, removes duplicates, improves load time, and ranks the most relevant visuals.Why it matters<ul><li>Users spend more time on listings and explore more room types</li><li>Improves mobile performance and visual confidence</li><li>Reduces manual work for property partners </li></ul>Core benefit: Visual trust delivered at scale, driving higher conversion.<h3>3. Booking Holdings: Connected Trip via GenAI</h3>Rollout: Ongoing since mid-2025 Booking is building a unified AI layer that connects flights, stays, transport, and activities into one personalized journey.Why it matters<ul><li>Transforms personalization from single-point to journey-wide</li><li>Increases upsell and loyalty through seamless integration</li><li>Moves from transaction platform to ecosystem control</li></ul>Core benefit: End-to-end relevance across every traveler touchpoint.<h3>4. Virgin Atlantic x TCS: AI-Driven Airline Infrastructure</h3>Launch: June 2025 Virgin has embedded AI platforms like Cognix and WisdomNext into its core infrastructure for real-time ops, customer comms, and analytics.Why it matters<ul><li>Improves forecasting and disruption management</li><li>Enhances personalization beyond front-end features</li><li>Strengthens operational resilience for airlines</li></ul>Core benefit: AI becomes foundational, not just a customer-facing tool.<h3>5. OneAir Elite: Automated Price Drop Rebooking</h3>Launch: August 2025 OneAir tracks hotel and flight prices after booking. If prices fall, the system rebooks automatically at the lower rate with no user input.Why it matters<ul><li>Average savings range between $50 and $150 per trip</li><li>Increases perceived traveler value post-purchase</li><li>Disrupts loyalty by offering tangible ROI</li></ul>Core benefit: Passive value gain. Loyalty through automation.<h3>BGS Perspective</h3>The edge no longer lies in simply using AI. It lies in how quickly operators embed it into real-world workflows. These tools reduce friction, boost trust, and collapse the decision cycle-all in real time.For DMCs, agents, and regional operators, the opportunity is clear: either plug into these intelligent systems or design leaner models that can respond just as fast.At BGS, we're actively mapping AI use cases against direct contracting, itinerary logic, and supply chain visibility.What This Means for You<ul><li>DMCs: Prioritize clean and structured content. AI-curated platforms will favor clarity.</li><li>Agents: Travelers expect personalization and price agility, even post-booking.</li><li>Tour Operators: Consider GenAI pilots for itinerary generation, pricing logic, and response workflows. &nbsp; Need support evaluating your AI options or competitive position? Let’s talk.</li></ul>

Travel Tech Just Leveled Up

<h3>- The New Normal for Travel Business -</h3>What if your company posted record profits and still reduced staff?That is exactly what Booking.com is doing in 2025. The company is growing, but it is also restructuring, because the way travel businesses operate is changing fast. Artificial intelligence is no longer a support tool. It is becoming the core of how operations, content, and communication are handled.This shift is already underway across the largest travel platforms. The real question is whether smaller companies are prepared to adapt safely and strategically.<h3>Booking.com Is Profitable, Yet Reducing Roles</h3>n the first quarter of 2025, Booking Holdings reported strong financial performance. Revenue reached 4.76 billion USD, up 8% compared to the same period in 2024. Adjusted EBITDA grew 21%, totaling 1.1 billion USD. (Source: PhocusWire, Reuters)Despite this success, the company announced a global restructuring that may impact up to 1,000 employees. The goal is to reduce operational costs and increase long-term efficiency. (Source: Skift, Hospitality Today)Booking also shared plans to save between 400 and 450 million USD per year by 2028. Much of this is tied to the integration of AI, restructuring internal teams, and shifting operations to new tech-driven hubs.<h3>AI Is Replacing Workflows, Not Just Assisting Them </h3>Booking.com has expanded its AI operations in Romania, India, and Israel. These new hubs are taking over tasks that were once handled in offices like Amsterdam.&nbsp;AI is now used across:<ul><li>Travel itinerary planning</li><li>Customer support responses</li><li>Translation and localization</li><li>Real-time pricing</li><li>Dynamic content generation&nbsp;</li></ul> This is more than automation. It is a rethinking of how the company is structured.<h3>Expedia, Airbnb and Tripadvisor Are Making Similar Moves </h3>Expedia Group announced a reorganization in early 2025 that affected approximately 500 roles, which is about 3% of its workforce. Teams in product, editorial, and marketing were most impacted. AI tools have since been adopted across Hotels.com and Vrbo. (Source: PhocusWire, TechStory)Airbnb is testing AI for translation and support tasks. One internal AI migration project converted over 3,000 test files in just six weeks using LLMs, a process that used to take 18 months. While large-scale job cuts are not confirmed, the shift toward automation is well underway. (Source: Analytics India Magazine)Tripadvisor laid off 75 employees and 90 contractors in early 2025. Analysts expect more content and communications work to shift toward automation in the coming year. (Source: Skift, TechCrunch)Other platforms like GetYourGuide and Despegar are also exploring centralized automation strategies, although few have made public statements.<h3>What This Means for Smaller Travel Companies </h3>At BGS, we support small and mid-sized travel businesses. Many of these companies still believe automation is only relevant to large OTAs or tech-driven platforms. That belief is shifting quickly. Here's what we are seeing across the industry:<ul><li>Companies are evaluating roles based on how easily they can be automated, not just how well they perform</li><li>Functions such as customer support, translation, content creation, and admin are the most at risk</li><li>Teams are becoming more distributed, moving from centralized offices to cost-efficient, tech-enabled hubs</li></ul> Even if your company is not reducing headcount, the structure of your team will likely need to evolve soon.<h3>What to Expect in the Next 12 to 24 Months </h3>We expect the following trends as automation becomes more common:<ul><li>New roles will emerge in AI supervision, data validation, and quality control</li><li>Customer service, translation, and content teams will shrink or shift to hybrid formats</li><li>Legal frameworks may begin including automation clauses, especially in Europe</li><li>Companies that automate without planning risk damaging team trust and brand reputation&nbsp;</li></ul>This is no longer a future trend. It is becoming a standard business move.<h3>BGS Guidance for Smart Preparation </h3>We advise travel operators to take a structured and gradual approach to automation. Based on our client work, here are four starting points:1. Identify automatable tasks - Focus on workflows that are repetitive, rule-based, or time-consuming.2. Redesign how work gets done - Start with hybrid models, use AI where it adds value, but keep human oversight.3. Train your team - Equip your current staff with the skills to work with AI tools and manage hybrid processes.4. Communicate openly - People are less afraid of AI than of being left out of decisions. Clear communication builds trust and reduces resistance.You don’t need to automate everything, but you do need to start with a plan, before the pressure forces action.<h3>Final Insight from BGS </h3>This transformation will reach every travel company. It is only a matter of time, and it has already begun with the big platforms.Companies like Booking.com and Expedia can move quickly because they have structure, systems, and financial stability. For smaller firms, rushing into automation without a solid foundation, such as reliable IT infrastructure, clear organizational structure, and well-managed operations, can turn a potential advantage into a major risk.At BGS, we help companies navigate this transition step by step. We start with a practical company assessment and guide each next phase with a clear, scalable plan. Our focus is long-term value, stable teams, and smart growth.<h3>Let’s Take This Further </h3>Are your current workflows starting to feel inefficient or outdated? Do you have a roadmap for how automation might affect your sales, support, or content teams?We help travel businesses evaluate their current state, map out risks and opportunities, and redesign for the next phase.Send us a message if you'd like to benchmark your current structure. Or follow BGS for monthly insights into travel operations, automation strategy, and building resilient teams.

Booking.com is Growing - So Why is it Cutting Jobs?

Many travel businesses have established a strong position in their home markets. FIT and group segments are stable, brand visibility is solid, and demand from Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas is steadily increasing. But momentum eventually hits a ceiling.Europe is booming. In 2024, international tourist spending rose by 7.8% to €705 billion, with arrivals exceeding pre-pandemic levels by over 6% (European Travel Commission 2024). Demand isn’t just back, it’s accelerating. Clients are asking for it. You know your business can deliver, as some of your direct competitors already have. But expansion without structure isn’t growth. It’s risk.Entering the European market demands more than loyal clients and brand strength. Even with investor capital or government-backed grants, the lack of a clear operational and commercial framework turns opportunity into exposure.Without legal clarity, financial control, cultural alignment, structured organization, and trusted local leadership, most DMC expansion efforts in Europe stall or quietly fail.This is what separates investor-grade networks from improvised, short-lived ventures.<h3>1. Legal Foundation: Presence Drives Credibility</h3>Investor-grade expansion into Europe requires local grounding. Without a registered entity and operational base in the region, even well-established businesses face trust barriers with suppliers, clients, and institutional partners.Why legal presence matters:<ul><li>EU-based suppliers, DMOs, and institutional partners increasingly prioritize local operators when allocating availability, negotiating rates, or formalizing cooperation. Without a registered EU entity, or preferably a Swiss-based presence that signals financial stability, your position weakens. Suppliers may require stricter guarantees such as prepayments, shorter terms, or higher rates, and tend to favor well-established local competitors.</li><li>B2B clients also respond to visibility. The absence of local staff or representation creates credibility gaps that erode trust, limiting engagement and making long-term conversion more difficult.</li><li>A well-structured DMC network can unlock tax advantages, reduce cross-border friction, and often qualify for regional grants or financial incentives.</li></ul>Establishing a legal entity without aligning it to commercial and operational strategy turns it into a passive cost center, not a viable market entry point.<h3>2. Operational Backbone: Systems Over Staffing</h3>Operational scale is not a headcount game. Sustainable DMCs are built on replicable systems that eliminate dependence on reactive processes and informal coordination.What defines a scalable operation:<ul><li>A structured organization supported by a tailored IT system</li><li>A centralized supplier database with rates, blackout periods, and delivery rules</li><li>Quotation logic that enables real-time pricing and modular tour configurations</li><li>CRM frameworks built for delegation, follow-through, and auditability</li><li>SOPs covering key business aspects</li><li>Clearly defined sourcing and operations roles, mapped to supplier geography and regional workload, aligned with itinerary logic and delivery patterns</li></ul>Scalability means growing volume without proportional increases in cost or personnel, an economy-of-scale advantage that is particularly critical for group business.<h3>3. Cultural and Market Fit: Europe Requires Adaptation</h3>Europe is not a unified market. It is a high-density patchwork of regulatory jurisdictions, supplier ecosystems, and cultural expectations. Copy-paste models built outside the region rarely survive the transition.Where non-EU strategies fall short:<ul><li>Viewing Europe as a single, unified market, often underestimating its complexity, scale, and regulatory fragmentation</li><li>Misapplication of home-country rules and business logic to the EU market</li><li>Misaligned supplier usage, including poor assignment by destination and unfamiliarity with regional contracting norms</li><li>Failure to comply with country-specific legislation and local enforcement practices</li><li>Lack of adaptation to seasonal pricing volatility and payment expectations</li><li>Underestimating lead times required for EU-based operational confirmations, especially during peak periods</li><li>Neglecting cultural and language nuances that affect guest experience, escalation protocols, and crisis response</li><li>Inability to manage fragmented policies and constraints across Schengen, UK, Balkans, and Eastern Europe</li></ul>Success in Europe is not about brute force expansion. It is about smart leadership, market fluency, local presence, and structural agility.<h3>4. Financial and Tax Architecture: Margin Stability Requires Structure</h3>Cross-border travel operations encounter friction from the first invoice. Multi-currency exposure, inconsistent VAT handling, and opaque money flows all undermine investor confidence and compromise long-term margin control.What must be in place from day one<ul><li>Clearly defined invoicing flows between EU and non-EU entities</li><li>Optimization of profit taxation, VAT structure, invoicing logic, entity type, and cross-border tax treaty leverage</li><li>Transfer pricing models aligned with commercial substance and operational reality</li><li>Transparent handling of capex allocation, DMC margins, deposits, refunds, commissions, advance payments, and revenue recognition in sales</li><li>Banking and currency infrastructure that limits transaction costs and cross-border inefficiencies</li></ul>Investors prioritize financial structure before booking volume. Strong demand without financial clarity leads to valuation erosion and compliance risk.<h3>5. BGS Services for Europe DMC Expansion</h3>Business Gateway Solutions supports international travel companies in building legally sound, operationally scalable, and financially intelligent DMC frameworks across Europe.Our services include<ul><li>Entry readiness assessment and market pathway design</li><li>Legal entity setup and optimized tax structure with cross-border compliance</li><li>Legal executive representation for Switzerland and EU countries&nbsp;</li><li>Strategic roadmap design covering commercial, operational, and financial rollout, executed in phased implementation cycles</li><li>On-ground recruitment for key operational and commercial roles</li><li>CRM and SOP system deployment, plus advisory on operational tech architecture</li><li>Supplier network mapping, quotation logic, and service flow integration</li><li>Transfer pricing alignment and VAT-compliant invoicing structures</li><li>Full launch coordination, strategic oversight, and post-entry stabilization</li></ul>We operate exclusively. No conflicting clients. No diluted attention.<h3>Conclusion: Scale with Confidence or Don’t Scale at All</h3>The next phase of growth in B2B tourism belongs to those who treat infrastructure as core strategy. In Europe, brand reputation and operational execution are inseparable. Without integrated infrastructure, expansion often creates more risk than return.Whether you are entering the market for the first time or stabilizing a fragmented presence, now is the time to build it properly.Business Gateway Solutions helps you get it right from the beginning, or repair what was rushed.Request a private assessment and structure your expansion with clarity. Contact us !

Making a DMC Investor-Ready: The Legal, Operational, and Financial Blueprint

abstract blur night sky line and city background view from airplane window with symbol virtual interface of air traffic control (ai) and journey icon , advance development technology of air transport concept

<h3>Fast-Evolving Travel Markets Demand More Than Just Good Tech</h3>In today’s digital-first, post-pandemic travel landscape, Destination Management Companies (DMCs) are under increasing pressure to operate leaner, respond faster, and deliver seamless, multi-service experiences across multiple markets. Yet many still rely on disconnected tools and manual workflows. These outdated systems lead to delays, inconsistencies, and missed opportunities that directly impact competitiveness.Despite a growing number of technology options, the real challenge is not choosing tools. It is aligning them with operations, integrating them smoothly, and ensuring adoption without wasting time, budget, or momentum. Success starts with a company structure that is ready for change. DMCs manage complex itineraries, extensive supplier networks, multi-currency payments, regulatory differences, and data security requirements. Generic, off-the-shelf platforms rarely meet this level of complexity and often create new operational risks instead of solving them.According to the 2023 Skift &amp; AWS Digital Transformation Report, 45 percent of travel executives cite poor system integration as the top barrier to improving customer experience and operational performance.This article outlines seven key principles for building smart, scalable IT systems tailored to the needs of modern DMCs.&nbsp;<h3>1. Diagnose the Real Challenges First</h3>Before designing or purchasing any solution, assess your current process from enquiry to reconciliation. Typical issues include:<ul><li>Manual steps that limit speed and flexibility</li><li>Delayed or inaccurate quotations, especially for group requests</li><li>Fragmented tools across sourcing, sales, operations, and accounting</li><li>Limited visibility on supplier performance, client updates, and payments</li><li>Over-reliance on staff for routine tasks that could be automated</li></ul>Best Practice: Conduct a full operational audit to identify friction points. Define clear priorities before approaching developers or platforms.<h3>2. Align Structure Before Automating</h3>Technology cannot fix unclear workflows, undefined roles, or slow internal communication. Without structural readiness, even the best systems will fail. Ask yourself:<ul><li>Are roles and processes clearly defined across teams?</li><li>Can departments scale efficiently without constant hand-holding?</li><li>Are decisions made quickly and consistently?</li></ul>Best Practice: Ensure your internal setup supports scalable execution. Technology amplifies whatever structure it is built on.<h3>3. Build with Ownership and Integration in Mind</h3>If your business depends on incoming, multi-country operations, then owning your system is no longer a luxury. It is a strategic requirement. Custom platforms allow DMCs to:<ul><li>Build sales tour quotations with speed and accuracy, for higher conversion&nbsp;</li><li>Optimize full sourcing control through direct contracts and smart tech platforms</li><li>Respond in real time to service or itinerary updates</li><li>Integrate local tax rules, regulatory requirements, accounting processes, and invoicing workflows</li></ul>Best Practice: Use white-label tools for short-term stabilization only. Start your custom journey early with modular phases. Prioritize ownership of data, logic, and workflows.<h3>4. Time Change Management Intelligently</h3>System implementation is not just technical. It affects culture, behavior, and habits. Key questions include:<ul><li>Are staff prepared to adopt new tools and processes?</li><li>Are you launching during a manageable season, not peak operations?</li><li>Do you have internal champions driving adoption?</li></ul>Best Practice: Prepare users early, communicate expectations clearly, and launch in phases with feedback loops. Avoid rushing deployment without team readiness.<h3>5. Build Agile, Stay Focused</h3>Agile does not mean unstructured. It means delivering in focused iterations without losing the big picture. To stay on track:<ul><li>Appoint a project owner or steering team</li><li>Define clear milestones and success metrics</li><li>Adjust based on real usage data, not assumptions</li></ul>Best Practice: Build one or two modules at a time. Measure performance, refine, and expand. Keep your long-term roadmap visible and stable.<h3>6. Monitor, Benchmark, Improve</h3>Going live is just the beginning. Travel markets evolve quickly. So should your systems. Ongoing priorities include:<ul><li>Collecting feedback from users</li><li>Benchmarking against client expectations and peer platforms</li><li>Monitoring regulatory and supplier changes</li><li>Updating key modules regularly</li></ul>Best Practice: Maintain a review cycle every quarter or six months. Continuous improvement avoids falling behind and protects ROI.<h3>7. Be Open to Innovation, But Stay Strategic</h3>Innovation should not be reactive or trend-driven. It should serve your long-term vision.By 2025, 97 percent of airlines and a growing number of travel companies will adopt AI-powered tools to automate pricing, booking, and service delivery (SITA Air Transport IT Insights 2024). DMCs are next in line, facing rising expectations from clients and suppliers alike. What to expect:<ul><li>Growing use of real-time digital identity and secure client verification</li><li>Increased demand for modular, API-connected systems</li><li>Emphasis on sustainable, tracFast-Evolving Travel Markets Demand More Than Just Good Techkable itinerary components</li></ul>Best Practice: Focus on tools that improve scalability, reduce human error, and fit your service promise. Innovation should drive meaningful progress, not just novelty.<h3>Ready to Build Smarter IT Solutions for Your DMC?</h3>As travel grows more complex, generic platforms no longer meet the demands of DMC operations. The right IT strategy can streamline quotations, sourcing, automate workflows, and control across destinations. But it must be designed around your structure, not imposed on it.At BGS Strategic Advisory, we specialize in helping Travel Operators and DMCs align internal operations with long-term technology goals. From internal structure assessments and digital audits to system architecture, vendor selection, and phased rollouts, we ensure every tech investment is built for long-term value and scalability.Schedule a free consultation to explore smarter, scalable IT solutions for your business. Contact Us📧contact@bgsadvisory.com 🌐<a data-mce-href="https://www.bgsadvisory.com/" href="https://www.bgsadvisory.com/">www.bgsadvisory.com</a>

Avoid These 7 Pitfalls When Building DMC IT Systems That Actually Scale

<h3>Global Overview: Record-Breaking Projections for 2025</h3>The global travel and tourism sector is on track for a historic year. According to the World Travel &amp; Tourism Council (WTTC, May 2025 ), it is projected to generate $11.7 trillion in economic value, making up 10.3% of global GDP. International visitor spending is expected to reach $2.1 trillion, surpassing the previous record of $1.9 trillion set in 2019 (pre-pandemic). Employment in the sector is also set to grow, with an anticipated 14 million new jobs, bringing the total to 371 million globally.<h3>Europe's Inbound Tourism: Q1 2025 Performance</h3>In the first quarter of 2025, Europe recorded a 4.9% year-on-year increase in international tourist arrivals, with overnight stays rising by 2.2% (ETC, May 2025). This growth is especially notable given the current geopolitical and economic uncertainties.The steady uptick in overnight stays underscores a broader recovery trend in European tourism, reflecting a growing preference for authentic and off-peak travel experiences (ETC, May 2025).<h3>Key Trends in European Inbound Tourism</h3><ul><li>Emerging Destinations: Countries such as Latvia (+27.8%), Lithuania (+28.4%), Norway (+13.2%), Cyprus (+15%), and Malta (+13%) reported significant growth in visitor numbers in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2024, driven by cultural events and improved connectivity (ETC, May 2025).</li><li>Long-Haul Markets: There was a notable increase in visitors from long-haul markets in Q1 2025. For example, Indian arrivals to Switzerland increased by 25%, while Chinese and Brazilian travelers boosted numbers in Norway, Central Europe, and Southern Europe (ETC, May 2025).</li><li>Spending Patterns: The ETC projects a 14% increase in tourist spending across Europe for 2025, outpacing the global average of 10%. Travelers are prioritizing premium experiences and longer stays.</li><li>Sustainability Focus: Looking ahead, the ETC projects a 14% increase in tourist spending across Europe for the full year 2025, outpacing the global average of 10%. Travelers are prioritizing premium experiences and longer stays (ETC, May 2025).</li></ul><h3> Conclusion</h3> The first quarter of 2025 indicates a robust recovery for the global travel and tourism sector, with Europe showing notable resilience and growth in inbound tourism. Emerging destinations and long-haul markets are contributing to this positive trend, supported by increased spending and a focus on sustainability.&nbsp; Research and analysis provided by <a data-mce-href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkedin-company-theglobexp/?viewAsMember=true" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkedin-company-theglobexp/?viewAsMember=true" target="_blank" data-mce-selected="inline-boundary">The Globexp</a> for BGS Strategic Advisory.

Insights

Travel Tech Just Leveled Up

Booking.com is Growing - So Why is it Cutting Jobs?

Making a DMC Investor-Ready: The Legal, Operational, and ...

Avoid These 7 Pitfalls When Building DMC IT Systems That ...

Q1 2025 Travel & Tourism Review: Global Momentum and Euro...