This extends Booking.com’s long standing association with UEFA’s national team football following its partnership with UEFA EURO 2020 and 2024, and UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 and 2025.

As part of the renewed partnership, Booking.com will be integrated into the fan ticketing journey for UEFA Nations League Finals, UEFA EURO and UEFA Women’s EURO, helping supporters plan their tournament experience. This includes visibility during the ticket-purchase process and contributions to the Event Guide, offering travelling fans useful information as they prepare for the tournament.

Booking.com will also activate the partnership through two digital content-based sponsorship and engagement programmes, alongside a range of partnership rights, including on-site and LED visibility.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA executive director of marketing, said: "We are delighted to renew our partnership with Booking.com, a long-standing partner of UEFA and a global leader in the travel industry. Building on the success of our collaboration at UEFA EURO 2024 and UEFA Women's EURO 2025, this partnership now expands across a broader range of UEFA national team competitions, reflecting the strength of our relationship and creating more opportunities to connect with football audiences. Together, we look forward to further enhance the experience of fans travelling to our tournaments"

Paul Hennessy, Chief Marketing Officer, Booking.com said: “Through our renewed partnership with UEFA, we’re helping fans turn the excitement of an international tournament into memorable travel experiences. From finding a place to stay and discovering local attractions to planning the wider journey, we want to make it easier for everyone to follow their team and experience more of the destinations hosting these tournaments. We look forward to supporting fans across UEFA EURO 2028 and UEFA Women’s EURO 2029.”

UEFA EURO 2028 will take place across nine stadiums in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, and UEFA Women’s EURO 2029 will be hosted in Germany.

The co-branded platform offers Air India customers access to Booking.com’s extensive global inventory of over 31 million reported listings in 45 languages, including 8.6 million listings in homes, villas and other unique places to stay, backed by its 24/7 customer support.

Air India’s Maharaja Club members can earn 5 Maharaja Points for every INR 100 spent on stays booked through the dedicated platform. These points can be redeemed for award flights and cabin upgrades. Customers will also benefit from exclusive discounts of up to 15% on participating properties for a limited period, from June 22 to July 21, 2026.

“Our partnership with Booking.com is another step in our efforts to build a comprehensive travel ecosystem for our customers. By combining Air India’s growing global network with Booking.com’s vast portfolio, we are offering our guests greater convenience, choice and added value across journeys,” said Abhijit Menon, Divisional Vice President & Head of Revenue Management, Air India.

Laura Houldsworth, Managing Director and Vice President, Asia Pacific at Booking.com, said “As travellers increasingly seek integrated, digital-first travel experiences, we are excited to partner with Air India. This collaboration reflects our Connected Trip vision of making travel planning simpler and more seamless. By combining our diverse global accommodation inventory with Air India’s growing international network, we are helping to make it easier for travellers to book their flights and stay in one place. This partnership also reinforces our commitment to India, delivering greater value, rewarding loyalty and creating a more seamless, end-to-end travel experience.”

Industry data indicates that travellers increasingly prefer planning multiple parts of their journey through a single platform. Research shows that leisure travellers opt for bundled travel offerings combining flights, accommodation or other services. The partnership reflects Air India’s and Booking.com’s continued focus on supporting this shift towards more seamless, end-to-end travel planning by offering integrated accommodation options.

As a member of Star Alliance, Air India offers Maharaja Club members global recognition and benefits across the alliance’s extensive network. Over the last two years, more than 100 brands across categories have entered partnerships with Air India for Maharaja Club, thus significantly enhancing the benefits for travellers.

For bookings, Air India guests can visit this dedicated booking page to unlock the discount offered as part of this partnership.

About Air India Group
The Air India Group – comprising full-service global airline, Air India, and value carrier, Air India Express – is spearheading a new era of Indian aviation. The Air India story began in 1932 when JRD Tata piloted the airline’s inaugural flight and opened the skies for aviation in India. Today, Air India Group employs more than 30,000 people, operates over 300 aircraft and carries travellers to 60 domestic and 51 international destinations across five continents.

Returning to Tata Sons in 2022 following 70 years under Government ownership, Air India Group is in the midst of a five-year transformation programme, Vihaan.AI. As part of the transformation, Air India has placed orders for 600 new aircraft. In addition to taking new aircraft deliveries, Air India is progressively retrofitting all its legacy aircraft.

The Air India Group operates South Asia’s largest aviation training academy in Gurugram, India. The construction of a new flying school and a greenfield maintenance base is in progress.

With transformation underway across all facets of the business and India’s rich legacy of hospitality, Air India is committed to being a world class global airline with an Indian heart.

For more stories on Air India, visit http://www.airindia.com/newsroom.

About Booking.com
Part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), Booking.com’s mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. By investing in the technology that helps take the friction out of travel, Booking.com’s marketplace seamlessly connects millions of travellers with memorable experiences every day. For more information, follow @bookingcom on social media or visit news.booking.com.

PRESS CONTACTS
Air India
Ronit Baugh: ronit.baugh@airindia.com

Air India Press Office
Anuj Bakshi/ Apoorva Bansal : airindia@adfactorspr.com

Booking.com

Urvi Thakkar : urvi.thakkar@booking.com

Booking.com Press Office

Sonali Priyambada: in-booking.com@alkimyxglobal.com

Rental cars will soon hit the open road en masse, with 1 in 4 (26%) planning to take a road trip, drawn to the spontaneity and flexibility (79%), and better cost (39%).

But the journey does not always run smoothly: confusing terms and conditions, unclear pick-up requirements and unwanted surprises have made car rentals a common source of friction for travelers.

With the help of AI, Booking.com is making the process easier, from discovery and booking to car reservation management and support.

Car Rentals with Booking.com app in ChatGPT
The Booking.com app in ChatGPT now lets travelers browse and find the perfect rental car.

The app lets ChatGPT users, globally, describe what they’re looking for (e.g. “an automatic SUV in Mallorca”), and receive relevant options to browse. When they’ve made their choice, they are seamlessly redirected to Booking.com to complete their reservation.

AI Car Rental Helper
Beyond search, Booking.com's latest innovations are designed to simplify every stage of the car rental experience from booking to trip management.

Data shows a high number of car rental bookings result in follow-up customer service calls. To simplify the process – and avoid surprises – Booking.com’s AI Car Rental Helper helps instantly answer common questions about their rental booking. Payment methods, pick up checklists, insurance information and more, the tool provides key information, 24/7, for a smooth and simple pick up and drop off. Early testing led to fewer customer support calls, reservation changes and disrupted pickups

From today, the AI Car Rental Helper is available to French, Spanish (including Catalan), German, Dutch and Italian-speaking customers globally, as well as English speakers in the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

AI Car Rental Review Summaries
AI-generated review summaries on Booking.com make it easier for travelers to understand what to expect from a rental supplier to help inform their booking decision. Drawing on recent reviews from travelers, they highlight relevant themes (e.g. service, cleanliness, location, parking and amenities) without the need to endlessly browse through hundreds of individual entries.

These summaries provide a faster, more transparent way to compare options and make confident bookings. Currently available in English to travellers in the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, with more languages coming soon.

Smart Search
Smart Search introduces more specific filter options to car rental search, making it easier for travelers to quickly find vehicles that match their specific needs. Travelers can now filter by preferences such as number of seats, automatic transmission and unlimited mileage, reducing the time spent browsing through less relevant options and helping them make faster, more informed booking decisions. Now available in English globally.

“Car rentals remain an important part of many travel journeys.” said Eve Henrikson, SVP of Trips at Booking.com. “With these latest AI-powered features, we aim to make it even easier for customers to both search and book car rentals and ensure they have a seamless experience when they pick up their car - so they can hit the road faster this peak season.”

These latest innovations reflect how Booking.com’s AI tools are continuing to evolve to support travelers at the most relevant moments throughout their booking and travel journey.

*Travel Trends research was commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a sample of adults who had taken a leisure trip in the last 12 months with an overnight stay and plan to travel in 2026. The sample comprised 32,800 respondents across 34 markets surveyed in January 2026.

**Travel Predictions 2026 research commissioned by Booking.com and conducted among a sample of adults who plan to travel for business or leisure in the next 12-24 months. In total, 29,733 respondents across 33 countries and territories were polled (including 1,009 from Argentina, 1,005 from Australia, 500 from Austria, 1,013 from Belgium, 1,008 from Brazil, 1,018 from Canada, 1,009 from China, 1,005 from Colombia, 508 from Croatia, 501 from Denmark, 1,010 from France, 1,003 from Germany, 1,004 from Hong Kong, 1,007 from India, 509 from Ireland, 507 from Israel, 1,005 from Italy, 1,003 from Japan, 1,003 from Mexico, 1,019 from The Netherlands, 1,033 from New Zealand, 1,006 from Portugal, 500 from Singapore, 1,003 from South Korea, 1,009 from Spain, 511 from Sweden, 501 from Switzerland, 504 from Taiwan, 1,001 from Thailand, 501 from the UAE, 2,003 from the UK, 2,010 from the US and 505 from Vietnam). Respondents completed an online survey in July-August 2025.

“We are pleased the Amsterdam Court has upheld many of our key arguments in this interim ruling today,” said Maria Barros, Chief Legal and Public Affairs Officer at Booking.com. “We maintain that our past use of parity clauses, which we have not used in Germany since 2016, did not infringe competition law - and the court has found the hotels in this case have yet to provide evidence proving otherwise. We are also incredibly pleased that the European Court of Justice’s 2024 ruling relating to market definition is being taken into account, with the full substitutability of all sales channels on both sides of our marketplace being considered.”

“We remain proud of our role enabling a vibrant European tourism sector. With our headquarters in the Netherlands, we help support millions of jobs across Europe by connecting our more than 2.3 million accommodation partners in the region with global demand that drives growth in local economies across the continent.”

The decision from the Amsterdam Court today is limited to legal questions about Booking.com’s past parity clauses’ compliance with competition law and the specific counterclaims from German hotels in this case. With regards to any question around damages, if the hotels fail to prove that Booking.com’s past parity clauses restricted competition, there can be no question of damage being suffered.

Growing together with the industry

As one of Europe’s most successful home-grown digital innovators, Booking.com has continuously leveraged technology over the past three decades to help the travel industry grow and thrive. Through its strong, long-standing partnerships, the company plays a meaningful role in the continued success of Europe’s tourism sector. Millions of hospitality entrepreneurs — from major hotel groups to independent bed-and-breakfasts — use the platform every day to promote and grow their businesses.

By connecting them with a global audience, accommodations of all sizes benefit from the visibility the Booking.com platform offers, improving their chances of succeeding in an increasingly competitive market. This includes:

• Increased Visibility and Transparency: With Europe attracting a large share of international travellers, 52% in fact, Booking.com enables even the smallest providers to reach global audiences through advanced technology and multilingual customer service.
• Stronger Business Performance: 74%² of hoteliers say Booking.com makes their business more profitable, with many reporting higher occupancy rates and lower customer acquisition costs.
• Risk-Free, Flexible Model: Partners only pay a fee when a booking is made and a guest has stayed at their accommodation. They retain control over prices, availability, and terms they set, and can decide how and when to use the platform.
• Tools for Growth: Beyond bookings, partners benefit from access to additional insights, analytics, and online training — helping them operate more efficiently and grow sustainably.

Find out more about how accommodations succeed by partnering with Booking.com.

Read more about the facts on legal claims, class actions, Booking.com and parity.

¹UN 2025 World Tourism Barometer

²Statista 2024 Study of EU Accommodation Businesses

Booking.com’s 2026 Travel Predictions highlight that 77% of travelers are drawn to road trips that allow them to meet new people. Route 66 delivers on that promise. Stretching 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica, the historic route winds through eight states and iconic towns including Tulsa, Amarillo, Albuquerque, and Flagstaff, each offering authentic opportunities for connection during the Great American Road Trip.

Booking.com features over thousands of accommodation options along Route 66, from nostalgic motels to retro-inspired stays. With access to thousands of car rental options, flexible booking features, free cancellation on many properties, and the ability to plan an entire trip in one place, Booking.com makes it easy to build a custom trip from start to finish. The user-friendly app and wide selection of travel and attraction options help ensure that planning a road trip is just as enjoyable as taking one.

“Celebrating 100 years of Route 66 is a once-in-a-lifetime moment that invites travelers to rediscover the spirit of the open road,” said Ben Harrell, Managing Director, U.S., Booking.com. “We’re proud to support the communities and small businesses that have made the Mother Road such an iconic part of American culture. With thousands of accommodations, rental cars, and unique experiences available along the route, Booking.com is helping travelers plan unforgettable road trips and explore the stories, landmarks, and people that make Route 66 so special.”

The Route 66 Centennial will feature numerous events and celebrations throughout the year, with Booking.com integrated across digital platforms and on-site at key moments. As the official travel partner, Booking.com ensures travelers have access to flexible bookings and transportation options to experience the route in any style.

Where to Hit the Road in 2026

From car shows to foodie fests, the Route 66 Centennial is packed with iconic and unexpected events. Booking.com makes it easy to stay close to the action with many worth planning a trip around:

• Albuquerque, NM – April 18–19: Roads & Rails Festival
  • Where train travel meets Route 66 energy. Book Hotel Albuquerque in the heart of Old Town for walkable access and authentic Southwestern charm.
• Springfield, MO – April 30–May 2: National Kick-Off Event
  • The official launch of the Centennial celebration will feature concerts, car culture, and historic walking tours. Book a boutique stay at Hotel Vandivort, a local favorite that fuses history and modern style.
• Amarillo, TX – June 4–13: Texas Route 66 Festival
  • This multi-town, 10-day celebration brings food trucks, vintage car parades, and interactive art to life. Roadtrippers can rest up at The Big Texan Motel, a kitschy roadside gem with a big personality.
• Tulsa, OK – June 27–28: AAA Route 66 Road Fest
  • Classic cars, live music, and a retro revival in Tulsa’s Art Deco downtown. Stay at The Mayo Hotel, a glamorous 1925 landmark with rooftop views and vintage flair.
• Springfield, IL – September 25–27: Mother Road Festival
  • 1,000+ classic cars, live music, and a huge downtown block party. Stay at the Inn at 835 Boutique Hotel, a vintage mansion just steps from the action.
• Santa Monica, CA – The Route’s End
  • Wrap your journey at the Pacific Coast with beachside sunsets, local eats, and surf-town vibes. Book a room at The Georgian Hotel, an iconic Art Deco property steps from the Santa Monica Pier.

Whether joining a Centennial event or simply chasing the open road, Booking.com is here to help turn a once-in-a-century trip into reality. Visit Booking.com to start planning your Route 66 adventure and make the drive even more rewarding by using the Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature® Card. You'll unlock instant Genius Level 3 status for discounts and room upgrades, plus earn substantial Travel Credits on every mile to help fund your next great American road trip.

Methodology:

*Travel Predictions 2026 research commissioned by Booking.com and conducted among a sample of adults who plan to travel for business or leisure in the next 12-24 months. In total, 29,733 respondents across 33 countries and territories were polled (including 2,010 from the US). Respondents completed an online survey in July-August 2025.

Press Contact

For media inquiries, please contact Booking.com’s U.S. Press Office at booking.com@allisonworldwide.com or reach out to Gemma Long, Media Coordinator for the Route 66 Centennial, at gemma@gemprmedia.com or 217-210-1589.

About Booking.com

Part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), Booking.com’s mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. By investing in the technology that helps take the friction out of travel, Booking.com’s marketplace seamlessly connects millions of travelers with memorable experiences every day. For more information, follow @bookingcom on social media or visit globalnews.booking.com.

About the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership:

Established in 2016 with the support of the National Park Service and the World Monuments Fund, the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership’s mission is to revitalize and sustain Route 66 as a national and international icon through partnerships focused on promotion, preservation, research, education, and economic development. Only In Your State is the official Publishing Partner to the Route 66 Centennial. Founding Sponsors of the Route 66 Centennial include the Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission, American Express, AAA Route 66 Road Fest, Cruise America, Harley Davidson, Rand McNally Publishing, and Booking.com. For more information, visit route66centennial.org.

In 2026, 1.81 million travel partners across 221 countries and territories will be recognized with a Traveller Review Award, reflecting the growing scale and diversity of global travel. The honorees include 1,817,848 accommodation providers, 1,977 rental car companies, and 137 airport transfer suppliers.

Italy leads for the ninth consecutive year with 214,666 award-winning partners, followed by France (170,596) and Spain (152,292). Germany (111,685) and the United Kingdom (93,989) round out the top five. Brazil jumps up two spots to number six (80,791), while the United States (77,949) and Poland (72,619) sit at seventh and eighth spots respectively. Greece (71,230) and Croatia (58,707) complete the top ten.

Award-Winning Hospitality in 2026

At a time when travelers are seeking authenticity more than ever, the Traveller Review Awards shine a light on the partners who consistently deliver memorable and trustworthy hospitality, and accommodations continue to take center stage. Apartments remain the most awarded property type for the ninth consecutive year with 901,481 awards, followed by holiday homes (287,464), and hotels (197,658). Meanwhile, camping and villas saw the highest year-over-year increase in award recipients, each at 15%, followed by ryokans at 13%. These patterns highlight travelers’ continued interest in unique, character-rich stays that offer a sense of place.

Rental car companies receiving an award increased to 1,977, a 49% increase from 2025, reflecting high levels of service across local and international fleets. Among them, the United States stands out with the largest number of recognized providers (203), with the United Kingdom climbing to second place (174) and Spain completing the top three (155). Airport transfer providers also made impressive gains with 137 awardees, representing an 11% year-over-year increase. These milestones underscore the expanding role of transport in ensuring seamless in-trip journeys and exceptional service at every stage of a traveler’s trip.

“From welcoming hosts who go above and beyond for guest stays to expert taxi drivers sharing ‘local-only’ tips, these personal touches can make a trip truly special for travelers,” said James Waters, Chief Business Officer at Booking.com. “The Traveller Review Awards continue to shine a well-deserved spotlight on our partners who help create lifelong memories for travelers. It’s one of our ways of saying ‘thank you’ from all of us at Booking.com and the hundreds of millions of travelers around the world."

Countries experiencing the most growth

While the countries historically receiving large numbers of awards continue to shine, some of the year’s most exciting stories come from countries that saw significant increases in the number of award recipients. Bulgaria leads the charge with a staggering 68% increase compared to 2025, followed by South Korea (46%) and China (39%). Japan (29%) and Norway (19%) also make the top five, reflecting the dedication of local hosts to delivering memorable and genuine guest experiences.

2026 List of Most Welcoming Places on Earth

Determined by the share of accommodation partners receiving a Traveller Review Award in 2026, this year’s Most Welcoming Places on Earth highlights destinations where the guest experience feels personal, authentic, and genuinely cared for. From historic hilltop towns in Italy to coastal cities in Taiwan and laid-back beach communities in Australia, these destinations offer hospitality that leaves a lasting impression with thoughtful touches, warm interactions, and hosts who go the extra mile, helping to make a trip truly memorable.

2026’s Most Welcoming Cities on Earth:

• Montepulciano, Italy
• Magong, Taiwan
• San Martín de los Andes, Argentina
• Harrogate, United Kingdom
• Fredericksburg, Texas, United States
• Pirenópolis, Brazil
• Swakopmund, Namibia
• Takayama, Japan
• Noosa Heads, Australia
• Klaipeda, Lithuania

Read more about what the above unique places have to offer in this destination guide.

2026’s Most Welcoming Regions on Earth:

• Hidalgo, Mexico
• Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
• Navarra, Spain
• Idaho, United States
• Himachal Pradesh, India
• Sachsen, Germany
• Phang Nga, Thailand
• Overijssel, Netherlands
• Epirus, Greece
• Chiriquí, Panamá

Note to Editors:

To be recognized with an award, accommodation partners had to have an average review score of 8.0 (out of 10) or higher based on at least 3 reviews, as of 11:59pm (CET) on November 30, 2025. Car rental partners had to have an average review score of 8.0 (out of 10) or higher based on at least 10 reviews, as of 11:59pm (CET) on November 30, 2025. To be recognized with an award, taxi providers had to have an average review score of 4.6 (out of 5) or higher and completed 2,000 rides as of 11:59pm (CET) on November 30, 2025.

Only guests who have booked stays through our platform, rented a car or rode in a taxi can leave a review of their experience on Booking.com. As these reviews are never edited or adjusted in any way, travelers can reference them for an authentic account of what the real traveler experience is like at every place to stay or with every ground transport provider on Booking.com.

*Destinations were sorted by the total share of Traveller Review Award 2026 recipients when compared to the total amount of eligible properties in that city or region (accommodation only). Destinations also had to have an above-average amount of winners to be included on this list (200 award recipients or higher for cities and regions) and were curated for geographic spread.

About Booking.com:
Part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), Booking.com’s mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. By investing in the technology that helps take the friction out of travel, Booking.com’s marketplace seamlessly connects millions of travelers with memorable experiences every day. For more information, follow @bookingcom on social media or visit news.booking.com.

Building on the company’s expanding suite of GenAI-powered solutions, the new features are seamlessly integrated in the platform to elevate the booking experience on both sides of the leading online travel platform’s marketplace.

With intelligent response generation and automated workflows, Smart Messenger gathers relevant partner, property, and reservation information to autonomously take action – knowing when and what to suggest to support accommodation partners in their communication to guests. With Auto-Reply, the personalization is taken a level further, with partners able to define custom reply topics, allowing for instant responses to both common and unique guest questions relevant to their accommodation. The agent is continuously learning from past interactions and user feedback, adapting responses for accuracy and relevance.

Early experiments yielded a 73% increase in partner satisfaction compared to previous messaging tools, and the products are now live in the Extranet with Auto-Reply available globally and Smart Messenger for all partners based in the US, UK, New Zealand and Australia along with those who have selected EN as their preferred language setting.

With 89% of consumers saying they want to use AI in future travel planning (Global AI Sentiment Report), Booking.com is also making significant inroads in how it meets this demand. The company is embedding AI across key moments of the end-to-end booking journey – offering more contextual, intelligent support when and where it’s needed most.

Instant Support with GenAI: Acting as a first point of contact for travelers, the AI Trip Support tool offers 24/7 guidance on key customer service topics, making it easier to find information about a property and make any potential reservation changes quickly and independently. For example, a traveler with a car might ask, “Is parking available at the hotel?” The tool then gathers relevant information from the property to provide an answer in seconds so they can plan accordingly. For more complex questions, the tool facilitates a smooth handover to an informed customer service representative. AI Trip Support is live in the US, UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

Conversational Trip Control: Booking.com has also introduced AI Voice Support, which provides voice-powered trip management for travelers. When connected, customers can ask questions in their own words (e.g. “I need to cancel my reservation”), and the tool pulls their booking details to provide further assistance. This reduces resolution and wait times, making it easier for travelers to manage their trip. If needed, the feature also connects to a human agent, streamlining support by providing the agent with all necessary information. AI Voice Support is currently available in English-speaking and German-speaking phone lines, with testing underway with Italian and Spanish phone lines.

A Smoother Car Rental: To simplify the car rental experience – and the often lengthy terms and conditions that come with it – the AI Rental Helper helps instantly answer common customer questions about their rental booking. With topics including payment methods, pick up checklists, insurance information and more, the tool provides key information for a smooth and simple pick up and drop off. AI Rental Helper is available in all English language settings, with plans to expand to users in French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch languages later this year.

Enabling The Right Choices: Travelers no longer need to sift through countless flight options to find the best deal. With AI-powered Flight Search Summaries, key trade-offs, like how the number of stops affects price and travel time, are instantly highlighted in a convenient, automated summary, streamlining the search process to make it easier to choose the right flight. The feature is available for users with English language settings, with additional markets and languages coming in 2026.

“Bringing our first in-house Agentic AI solutions to market is an exciting milestone and, together with our latest GenAI innovations, we’re making strides on delivering new levels of personalization and a faster, more seamless platform,” said James Waters, Chief Business Officer at Booking.com. “As we continue to develop travel solutions powered by AI, our focus remains squarely on making it easier for our customers to experience the world and empowering our partners so they can focus on delivering those incredible experiences.”

These tools are part of how Booking.com's AI features are evolving from a standalone AI Trip Planner to an embedded AI powered companion that travelers can access at the most relevant stages of their booking journey. This news also follows the recent announcement of Booking.com as one of the first apps launched in ChatGPT, which allows users to browse listed accommodations directly within ChatGPT, with seamless access to the Booking.com platform once they are ready to select and book their room.

Booking.com's The Global AI Sentiment Report can be accessed here.

Through this collaboration, more than 150,000 new attractions will incrementally be added via the FareHarbor Distribution Network, across thousands of new destinations, significantly expanding Booking.com’s U.S. offering over time and giving travelers greater access to unique experiences worldwide.

The partnership strengthens Booking.com’s Attractions offering while giving FareHarbor’s network of operators direct reach to millions of travelers. FareHarbor now joins Musement, Viator, and Klook as a key partner, helping Booking.com deliver an unrivaled selection of high-quality attractions in more than 5,000 cities and 115 countries. From iconic landmarks to local adventures and outdoor activities, there is something to suit every interest.

Some new attractions include: Montserrat Hiking Tour , Spain, Whitby and Yorkshire Steam Rail, UK, Volcanoes and Hot Springs , Greece and Prague Christmas Market tour.

Booking attractions also enables travelers to level up their Genius status. The Genius loyalty program rewards customers not just for accommodation stays, but also for booking flights, attractions, car rentals, and taxis, unlocking greater value for travelers who can enjoy a more connected and rewarding trip experience.

To assist travelers navigate the growing number of attractions options, Booking.com is leveraging its AI capabilities to help travelers book the perfect experience. By grouping similar activities, or using conversational AI tools, travelers can refine their search and quickly find experiences that match their interests and needs.

Eve Henrikson, SVP of Booking.com’s Trips division, commented, "Seeing attractions and experiencing activities brings a destination to life. They transform a trip from a simple visit into a memorable experience. That’s why we’re excited to work in closer collaboration with FareHarbor to expand our offering with an even wider variety of great things to do in more of the destinations that our customers know and love."

Andrea Carini, CEO of FareHarbor, commented “We’re proud to partner even more closely with Booking.com to give our operators even more ways to grow. This integration unlocks new visibility and demand for experiences on a truly global scale. It’s an exciting step forward in our mission to support local businesses by connecting them to the travelers already booking their trips in their area”.

To browse the growing variety of great things to do around the world as travel and destinations start to open up again, travelers can visit the Attractions tab on Booking.com.

About Booking.com
Part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), Booking.com’s mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. By investing in the technology that helps take the friction out of travel, Booking.com’s marketplace seamlessly connects millions of travelers with memorable experiences every day. For more information, follow @bookingcom on social media or visit news.booking.com.

About FareHarbor
FareHarbor, a Booking Holdings company, is the leading software provider for the tours and activities sector. Its robust and intuitive reservation system powers over 24,000 businesses around the world, helping them grow and manage their operations with ease. Learn more at www.fareharbor.com.

Travel rewards made easy

In today’s world, credit card rewards have become a highly valued currency, with the large majority (82%) of American cardholders saying they check their credit card rewards more than their 401(k) or retirement accounts.¹ Yet despite that interest, only 28% of Americans feel confident that they’re making the most of them.¹ Booking.com is closing that gap with a straightforward solution. Instead of complicated points systems or hard-to-track miles that are often devalued and tied to a single airline or hotel chain, Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature® Credit Card cardholders earn Booking.com Travel Credits – easy to access and easy to spend. One dollar in Travel Credits is worth one dollar on Booking.com, and they are easily redeemed across the platform for everything from accommodations and attractions to rental cars and flights – all in one place, with no minimums to redeem or blackout dates.

The desire to travel is strong, and deeply personal

According to new research from Booking.com, more than half (54%) of American travelers who own a credit card would give up alcohol for a year if it meant they could travel for free.¹ Nearly half (45%) said they’d even give up sex or dating for a year for the same reward.¹ And in a sign of just how far people will go for meaningful perks, a staggering 97% of traveling credit card holders said they’d delete at least one social media account if it meant scoring free accommodations for a year. That level of passion underscores why real, flexible travel rewards matter and what sets this card apart.

“In a world where 81% of cardholders expect brands to enhance their travel experiences, we saw an opportunity to raise the bar,” said Ben Harrell, Managing Director, U.S. at Booking.com. “Today’s travelers want flexibility and transparency in how they earn and redeem rewards, and they want it all in one place. This card is about making it easier to access and utilize incredible travel benefits, without having to pay hundreds of dollars a year to do so like other cards, and reflects our broader commitment to removing friction from travel and unlocking more possibilities for American cardholders to be rewarded for their loyalty.”

Earn More on What Matters Most²:

• 6% in Travel Credits on stays booked through the Booking.com app
• 5% on all other travel booked on Booking.com
• 3% on purchases made at the destination during a stay booked on Booking.com
• 3% on dining, gas, and groceries
• 2% on all other purchases

Top Perks & Benefits Include²:

• No annual fee
• $150 in Travel Credits after spending $1,500 on the card in the first 90 days
• $100 in bonus Travel Credits each year after spending $15,000 or more on the card
• Genius Level 3 status instantly upon signup — Booking.com's highest loyalty tier
• No foreign transaction fees
• Protection benefits including auto rental, trip cancellation, and travel accident insurance as well as extended warranty protection

Instant benefits with Genius Level 3²:

Nearly 3 in 4 American cardholders (72%) say they’d skip their birthday if it meant scoring a hotel upgrade and that’s exactly the kind of instant reward the Genius Rewards Visa Signature® Card delivers. Every cardholder automatically unlocks Genius Level 3, Booking.com’s highest loyalty tier, offering elevated treatment from the very first booking, including:

• 10-20% off select stays worldwide
• 10–15% off on select rental cars
• Free breakfast and room upgrades at participating properties
• Priority customer support
• Flight price alerts to track flight deals and pricing changes

This loyalty boost isn’t just about better stays, it’s meaningful value. In fact, three-quarters (74%) of cardholders say these types of benefits improve their lives¹, highlighting the growing demand for perks that go beyond traditional point systems. Whether it’s a spontaneous weekend trip or a long-awaited bucket-list dream vacation, this card makes it easier for travelers to turn everyday spending into meaningful travel experiences.

“Booking.com has redefined the modern travel experience, and Imprint is thrilled to partner with the company to build on this legacy of innovation by introducing a card designed to enhance every step of the travel journey,“ said Daragh Murphy, CEO of Imprint.

“Americans count on their rewards to unlock meaningful travel experiences,” said Kirk Stuart, Senior Vice President, Head of North America Merchant, Acquiring & Enablement at Visa. “We’re proud to join together with partners like Booking.com to make those moments easier for travelers to earn and enjoy.”

(1) To explore more insights into how Americans are thinking about travel rewards and what they’re willing to trade for unforgettable experiences, visit (https://news.booking.com/travel-more-by-earning-more/).

(2) To learn more or apply for the Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature® Credit Card, visit booking.imprint.co.

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Methodology

Based on survey results conducted by Booking.com. Survey participants comprised of 1,000 U.S. respondents, ages 18 or older who travel and own a credit card.

Press Contact

For media inquiries, please contact Booking.com’s US Press Office: booking.com@allisonworldwide.com

About Booking.com
Part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), Booking.com’s mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. By investing in the technology that helps take the friction out of travel, Booking.com’s marketplace seamlessly connects millions of travelers with memorable experiences every day. For more information, follow @bookingcom on social media or visit globalnews.booking.com.

About Imprint

Imprint is a financial technology company that partners with iconic global brands to design, launch, and service co-branded credit card programs that significantly increase customer engagement, loyalty, and value. Imprint’s digital cardholder experience and purposefully designed technology stack deliver bespoke programs and customized rewards for each brand. Imprint tailors the level of program integration to each brand’s needs. For more information about Imprint, please visit www.imprint.co.

The Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature® Credit Card is issued by First Electronic Bank, pursuant to a license from Visa USA Inc. The Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature® Credit Card is serviced by Imprint Payments, Inc.

The partnership, which underscores Booking.com's commitment to connecting fans with unforgettable travel experiences, will go into effect for the 2025 WNBA season that tips off on Friday, May 16, followed by the NBA 2025-26 season that begins this October. Booking.com will be integrated across the leagues’ social, digital and broadcast platforms, along with high-visibility media exposure on court at various games throughout the regular season and postseason. 

“Our mission at Booking.com is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world - and that includes bringing fans closer to the sports they love,” said Ben Harrell, Managing Director, U.S. at Booking.com. “Through our official partnership with the WNBA and NBA, we’re looking forward to engaging with basketball enthusiasts in the U.S. and other key travel markets in helping them find their perfect place to stay, wherever the game or season takes them. With the broadest selection of hotels to vacation rentals and a quick and easy booking experience, we’re making sure Booking.com is present where fans are most inspired to create memorable travel experiences.”

“We look forward to collaborating with Booking.com, one of the world’s leading digital travel companies, as we help bring NBA fans around the world closer to their favorite players and teams,” said Julie Morris, Head of Commercial Development and Media at the NBA.  “Booking.com’s seamless travel platform will make it easy for our fans traveling to experience the game in person, no matter where it unfolds.”

Booking.com’s collaboration with the WNBA marks its first partnership with a U.S. women’s sports league, as the brand deepens its investment in women’s sports.

“As the WNBA continues to reach new heights, we are thrilled to work with Booking.com as our official online travel partner,” said Colie Edison, Chief Growth Officer at the WNBA.  “With a league that is reaching more people than ever before, this partnership underscores our continued commitment to elevating the player and fan experience – and to connect our loyal and growing fan base to supportive brands.”

Throughout the partnership, Booking.com will collaborate closely with the WNBA and NBA to develop integrated marketing campaigns surrounding how the leagues’ fans can make the most of their basketball-inspired travels. 

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Press Contacts

For media inquiries, please contact: 

Booking.com’s US Press Office: booking.com@allisonworldwide.com

Stuart Bryan at sbryan@nba.com

About Booking.com: 

Part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), Booking.com’s mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. By investing in the technology that helps take the friction out of travel, Booking.com’s marketplace seamlessly connects millions of travelers with memorable experiences every day. For more information, follow @bookingcom on social media or visit globalnews.booking.com.

About the NBA

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. Built around five professional sports leagues: the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 214 countries and territories in 60 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2024-25 season featured a record-tying 125 international players from a record-tying 43 countries. NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than 2.5 billion likes and followers globally across all leagues, team and player platforms. NBA Cares, the NBA’s global social responsibility platform, partners with renowned community-based organizations around the world to address important social issues in the areas of education, inclusion, youth and family development, and health and wellness. 

About the WNBA

Tipping off its 29th season in 2025, the WNBA celebrates and elevates the game of basketball and the culture around it.  The league was ranked by Morning Consult as the fastest-growing brand in 2024, and No. 4 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2025, on its way to setting records for engagement on social and digital platforms, attendance, merchandise sales and unique viewers across its broadcast partners.  The WNBA’s commitment to societal impact is supported by the first-of-its-kind WNBA Changemaker Collective, a group of purpose-driven companies that have partnered with the WNBA to enhance the player experience, build the brand of the league and players, inspire innovation and connectivity, increase media coverage and visibility, and help drive the league’s business transformation.  Ally, AT&T, Carmax, Deloitte, Google, and Nike are part of the WNBA Changemaker Collective.  

Building on its playful and optimistic creative strategy, the new campaign features a colorful cast of characters - spanning from relatable everyday travelers to beloved cultural icons, The Muppets. Whether it’s Kermit the Frog lounging at a beachfront vacation rental, Miss Piggy booking a high-end boutique hotel, a family finding the perfect resort with a waterpark, or a bachelorette party enjoying a classic Vegas hotel experience, Booking.com makes it easier for everyone to find and book their perfect stay with features such as the easy-to-use app and free cancellation.

“With this campaign, we’re putting the spotlight on the incredible choice, ease and value that Booking.com offers, making it easier for travelers to find exactly what they’re booking for,” said Arjan Dijk, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Booking.com. “This year’s creative celebrates the relatable humor and playful moments of travel planning, showing how Booking.com can meet the needs of every traveler. By blending nostalgia, modern storytelling, and a bit of playful imagination, we’re thrilled to share this with viewers during one of the year’s biggest cultural moments in the U.S., inspiring Americans to plan their next trip with confidence and excitement, whatever their travel need may be.”

With creative developed by Zulu Alpha Kilo, and Mindshare managing the media strategy and planning, the integrated campaign will run across TV (including prime time), streaming, online video, audio, paid social and owned channels. It features the 30-second Big Game spot and a variety of 15-second spots, all of which can be viewed on YouTube.com/@bookingcom, as well as creative assets that will run across social channels. 

In 2025, American travelers are feeling more confident and adventurous than ever, with nearly two-thirds (62%)* planning to leverage technology to create more personalized travel experiences in 2025. Whether it’s a stay in a boutique hotel, waterpark resort or a family-friendly beachfront escape, Booking.com makes it easier for travelers to embrace their unique preferences and book the trip that’s ridiculously right for them every time, with free cancellation, verified reviews and smart filters that make searching simple. To help get it ridiculously right, travelers in the US have access to Booking.com’s AI Trip Planner, the perfect tool to help scope out potential destinations and places to stay, create itineraries for a particular city, country or region, or even identify the best attractions options.

For more information on the best value in travel offerings, including Early 2025 Deals with discounts starting at 15%, visit Booking.com or download the Booking.com app.

*Travel Predictions 2025 research commissioned by Booking.com and conducted among a sample of adults who plan to travel for business or leisure in the next 12-24 months. In total, 27,713 respondents across 33 countries and territories were polled (including 1,006 from the US). Respondents completed an online survey in July-August 2024.

For the eighth year in a row, Italy is home to the largest number of award recipients (207,730), followed by France (155,203), Spain (147,700), Germany (102,031), and the United Kingdom (88,209). Rounding out the top ten list is the United States (70,259) at number six, followed by Poland (69,709), Brazil (67,876), Greece (66,994), and Croatia (56,648).

Apartments and holiday homes continue leading the way for accommodation
 

Apartments continue leading as the most-awarded accommodation type for the eighth consecutive year (847,627 awards). Holiday homes  (259,105) maintain their second place, outperforming hotels (190,670) for a third year running. Notably, capsule hotels saw a 35% increase in awards year over year, the highest growth among accommodation types, followed by villas (25%) and cabins (21%). Overall, awards for vacation rentals and other unique properties increased by 17%, reflecting travelers' continued enthusiasm for a variety of stays that offer distinctive hospitality and memorable experiences.

Since 2010, Booking.com has facilitated over 4.5 billion guest arrivals, of which over 1 billion have been in alternative accommodations, or non-hotel properties. Today, travelers can browse more than 30 types of accommodations, including everything from cozy country homes, funky city apartments, and elegant villas to charming B&Bs, spacious farm accommodations and beachfront bungalows. For the adventurous traveler, there are even boats, igloos and treehouses.

In-trip transport providers recognized for excellent service and hospitality 

Booking.com's rental car and taxi offering is integral to providing travelers with a seamless and frictionless travel experience, supporting the mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. This year, 1,329 car rental partners from 100 countries are receiving a Traveller Review Award, a 196% increase compared to the 2024 edition of the Awards. The United States takes the top spot for the first time with most car rental companies being recognized (181), followed by Spain, (113), the United Kingdom (106), Germany (92), and France (88). In addition, a total of 124 taxi suppliers around the world are being recognized for their seamless pick-ups. 

“Whether it's a taxi driver giving tips on where to find the best local food, or an apartment owner surprising a couple with champagne and roses to help them celebrate their anniversary, our partners go above and beyond every day to create incredible experiences for travelers," said James Waters, Chief Business Officer at Booking.com.

“Our annual Traveller Review Awards are one way we shine a spotlight on these hospitality heroes and say thank you to them not only from all of us at Booking.com, but on behalf of hundreds of millions of travelers from all over the world."

Most Welcoming Places on Earth
 

Determined by the share of accommodation partners receiving a Traveller Review Award in a certain city, this year’s Most Welcoming Places on Earth list highlights a diverse array of destinations from around the globe. Whether it’s coffee farms and pristine beaches or medieval hideaways and jungle towns, these destinations showcase the world’s diverse charm and hospitality, inspiring unforgettable adventures in the year ahead.

2025’s Most Welcoming Cities on Earth
 

• Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
• Cazorla, Spain
• Urubici, Brazil
• Taupo, New Zealand
• St. Augustine, United States
• Orvieto, Italy
• Manizales, Colombia
• Quedlinburg, Germany
• Ko Lanta, Thailand
• Chester, United Kingdom 

Learn more about what these memorable locations have to offer in this destination guide.

2025’s Most Welcoming Regions on Earth
 

• Osijek-Baranja, Croatia
• Kakheti, Georgia
• Madeira, Portugal
• Misiones, Argentina
• Graubünden, Switzerland
• South Australia, Australia
• Bretagne, France
• Baja California Sur, Mexico
• Kien Giang, Vietnam
• Drenthe, Netherlands 

To be recognized with an award, accommodation partners had to have an average review score of 8.0 (out of 10) or higher based on at least 3 reviews, as of 11:59pm (CET) on November 30, 2024. Car rental partners had to have an average review score of 8.0 (out of 10) or higher based on at least 10 reviews, as of 11:59pm (CET) on October 31, 2024. To be recognized with an award, taxi providers had to have an average review score of 4.6 (out of 5) or higher and completed 2,000 rides as of 11:59pm (CET) on November 30, 2024. 

Only guests who have booked stays through our platform, rented a car or rode in a taxi can leave a review of their experience on Booking.com. As these reviews are never edited or adjusted in any way, travelers can reference them for an authentic account of what the real traveler experience is like at every place to stay or with every ground transport provider on Booking.com. 

*Destinations were sorted by the total share of Traveller Review Award 2025 recipients when compared to the total amount of eligible properties in that city or region (accommodation only). Destinations also had to have an above-average amount of winners to be included on this list (200 award recipients or higher for cities and regions) and were curated for geographic spread. 

The AI Tech Stack Advisor leverages GenAI to deliver personalized assessments to hoteliers based on their current tech infrastructure and particular property characteristics. It draws on HotelTechReport’s extensive review database to identify the technologies and resources that could deliver the greatest impact on their business performance - from channel managers and revenue management tools to upsell solutions and Customer Relationship Management tools.

Hoteliers are able to connect directly with potential vendors, enabling faster, informed decision-making. For Booking.com’s connectivity partners, the tool reciprocally opens the door to a vast network of hotels that are just starting to enter the hospitality technology market, or are in need of support to take their tech stack to the next level.

In addition to spotlighting helpful technologies, as well as identifying possible gaps, the tool offers hotels a ‘Digital Transformation Score’, providing a tech stack benchmark comparison against a potential competitor set, and allows users to track their performance and digital transformation progress over time. 

“As technology rapidly evolves, hoteliers are keen to leverage the latest tools to help them sustain growth,” said Eddy Veldhuizen, Senior Director of Travel Technology Ecosystems at Booking.com. “However, the task of identifying, investing in and implementing new tools can be daunting. The AI Tech Stack Advisor helps lower that barriers for hoteliers – both large and small – providing invaluable insights to help optimize their businesses, drive value and ultimately better serve their guests.”

“The AI Tech Stack Advisor has been purpose-built to help hoteliers accelerate the pace of digital transformation in hospitality and grow their business. During this project it became clear to us that the Booking.com team feels a deep sense of responsibility for the success of properties far beyond the bookings that come through its website,” said HotelTechReport.com CEO, Jordan Hollander.

The AI Stack Advisor is currently available for hoteliers, with homes and other accommodation types planned for rollout in 2025. New users can run the audit for one property during the initial roll out, with access to additional hotels upon request to HotelTechReport.com.

This announcement comes on the heels of Booking.com’s own broad range of AI-powered solutions recently developed, as it continues to invest in technology to improve the travel experience for both travelers and partners. These innovations include the expansion of the company’s AI Trip Planner tool, the launch of AI smart search filters, property Q&As, and more.

Search Made Simple: Travelers can use the Smart Filter tool to describe their ideal property in their own words. For instance, a couple traveling to Amsterdam for their honeymoon might type, "Hotels in Amsterdam with a great gym, a rooftop bar, and canal views from the room." GenAI then scans Booking.com’s entire inventory to automatically apply the most relevant filters, saving time and effort while delivering a tailored list of properties that match their preferences. This feature removes the need for manual filtering, making it easier for travelers to find the perfect stay.

Answers at Your Fingertips: With Property Q&A*, travelers can ask specific questions about a property, like “Are there charging stations for electric vehicles onsite?" or "Does the hotel’s pet policy accept large dogs?" GenAI instantly retrieves relevant information from the property listing, traveler reviews, and photos. By gathering curated, concise, answers in one place, this feature empowers customers to quickly evaluate if a property meets their needs, enabling confident booking decisions. 

GenAI Reviews: To help travelers make even more informed decisions, Booking.com is testing Review Summaries, designed to provide key insights about a property without the need to browse through numerous reviews. After further optimization, the tool will further distill reviews into tailored summaries to highlight what matters most to them, whether that is parking availability or wheelchair accessibility.

The Smart Filter and Property Q&A  features are currently live and available to customers in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore via mobile app, while Review Summaries will be rolled out following further experimentation. 

“Our journey with AI for over a decade has always been about leveraging technology to make travel more intuitive and personalized, helping us fulfill our mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world,” said Joe Futty, VP of Product Marketplace at Booking.com. “With GenAI, we’re not just enhancing the trip planning process—we’re facilitating more tailored experiences that adapt and respond to travelers’ needs faster than ever before. Looking ahead, we’re excited about our future plans, where GenAI will play a proactive role in managing trips, helping travelers navigate disruptions like flight cancellations with real-time solutions, making the entire travel experience smoother and more seamless."

Booking.com’s AI Trip Planner sees Expanded Reach 

Since the launch of the AI Trip Planner in the United States in June 2023, the tool is now available to customers, via the mobile app, in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and most recently, Singapore. In the coming months, it will roll out across Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Poland, and the Netherlands in the countries’ local languages. A desktop version of the tool will also follow soon.

The continued extension of the AI Trip Planner reflects the rising demand for AI tools in travel planning with 41% of all travelers stating they would be interested in using a personalized, curated itinerary driven by AI**. Travelers can ask the AI Trip Planner both general and specific travel-related questions to support any stage of their trip planning process. This includes scoping out potential destination or accommodation options, creating itineraries for a particular city, country or region, or even identifying the best attractions options while being in-trip. 

*Currently available through the AI Trip Planner with roll-out to property pages in the near term.

**Travel Predictions 2025 research commissioned by Booking.com and conducted among a sample of adults who plan to travel for business or leisure in the next 12-24 months. In total, 27,713 respondents across 33 countries and territories were polled (including 1,016 from Argentina, 1,002 from Australia, 502 from Austria, 1,003 from Belgium, 1002 from Brazil, 1,006 from Canada, 1,007 from China, 1,005 from Colombia, 501 from Croatia, 501 from Denmark, 1,011 from France, 1,009 from Germany, 1,004 from Hong Kong, 1,002 from India, 506 from Ireland, 501 from Israel, 1,014 from Italy, 1008 from Japan, 1,013 from Mexico, 1011 from The Netherlands, 1003 from New Zealand, 504 from Portugal, 508 from Singapore, 1004 from South Korea, 1,008 from Spain, 509 from Sweden, 500 from Switzerland, 507 from Taiwan, 1,009 from Thailand, 503 from the UAE, 1,012 from the UK, 1,006 from the US and 1,016 from Vietnam). Respondents completed an online survey in July-August 2024.

Sustainability now plays a core role in business operations across the travel and tourism industry, and substantiating these efforts through third-party certifications is increasingly critical. At the same time, global travelers are seeking new levels of clarity and consistency with almost half (45%)* sharing that coming across an accommodation labeled as more sustainable is increasingly appealing and more than two-thirds (67%)* agreeing that all travel booking sites should use the same sustainable certifications or labels. However, certifications are not yet widespread across global accommodation supply; 63%** of Booking.com partners surveyed shared they would like to know which third-party certifications are available in their region, while 75%** would like to know which practices to implement. The new program sets out to address these questions.

From today, via their individual Booking.com extranet, partners will be able to access tailored insights that guide them towards third-party certifications best suited to their property’s profile, needs and operations. During the early testing phase, a subset of third-party certifications will feature, with sustainability software provider BeCause making it easier for both accommodation partners and certification providers to share their data at scale.  In parallel, partners will also receive targeted tips and resources related to the actions they could start taking across categories including water, food waste, energy, plastic and local community. The guidance is generated based on their responses to a detailed survey that gathers the accommodation's characteristics, location and existing sustainability efforts and credentials.

With almost a quarter (24%)** of partners sharing concerns that the cost of third-party certification is too high, Booking.com will also provide information on organizations that provide funding, discounts on certifications and reduced fees for ongoing subscription. In addition, partners will maintain access to educational resources, from a wide variety of materials on the company’s Partner Hub, including a handbook on more sustainable hospitality, to online courses developed in partnership with UN Tourism. 

Accommodations that have achieved a third-party certification will continue to have that information clearly displayed on Booking.com which, coupled with the ability to filter searches accordingly, further helps travelers easily identify corresponding properties. To date, more than 18.000 accommodations have a third-party certification displayed on the platform.

“A resounding 83%* of travelers surveyed shared that traveling more sustainably matters to them. Our commitment to support accommodations in their individual journeys to operate more sustainably and in turn, make it easier for travelers to make those more mindful choices, remains unwavering.” said Danielle D’Silva, Director of Sustainability at Booking.com. “While many of our partners are already making great strides in their journey, for others it can be challenging knowing where to start or what certification may be best suited to their needs. In empowering partners to make more informed decisions and accelerate their progress, our ultimate goal is to help bridge the gap between the number of accommodations with third-party certifications and the breadth of choice available in the market.” 

Booking.com’s approach continues to be developed in consultation with independent experts and organizations such as the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), UN Tourism and Travalyst, with industry-wide collaboration playing a vital role in how best to address some of the challenges travelers face in making more sustainable choices and the operational barriers faced by accommodations and beyond. As the program rolls out, Booking.com will further explore the most impactful role it can play in this space, maintaining its support of its partners, customers and the broader industry as they mutually strive to make more sustainable travel the way everyone can experience the world.

*Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a sample of 31,550 respondents across 34 countries and territories (1,000 from USA, 1,000 from Canada, 1,000 from Mexico, 1,000 from Colombia, 1,000 from Brazil, 1,000 from Argentina, 1,000 from Australia, 500 from New Zealand, 1,000 from Spain, 1,000 from Italy, 1,000 from France, 500 from Switzerland, 1,000 from the UK, 1,000 from Ireland, 1,000 from Germany, 1,000 from the Netherlands, 1,000 from Belgium, 1,000 from Denmark, 1,000 from Sweden, 950 from Croatia, 500 from UAE, 1,000 from India, 1,000 from China, 800 from Hong Kong, 1,000 from Thailand, 1,000 from Singapore, 1,000 from Taiwan, 1,000 from Vietnam, 1,000 from Indonesia, 1,000 from Philippines, 1,000 from South Korea, 1,000 from Japan, 1,000 from South Africa and 300 from Kenya ). In order to participate in this survey, respondents had to be 18 years of age or older, had to have traveled at least once in the past 12 months and must be planning to travel in 2024, and be either the primary decision maker or involved in the decision making of their travel. The survey was taken online and took place in February 2024.

**Research conducted by Booking.com with a sample of 5,340 accommodation providers from 18 countries (USA, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Portugal, Austria, Croatia, Greece, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Indonesia, China, Australia, Thailand and India). The survey was taken online in January / February 2024.

Booking.com will now introduce a label to acknowledge when a property has achieved a third-party sustainability certification coupled with the ability to filter searches accordingly. To date, over 16,500 properties have a third-party sustainability certification displayed on the platform. Moving forward, the Travel Sustainable name, logo and levels will no longer be displayed. 

Sustainability is a core component of Booking.com’s mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, and over the past decade the company has been shaping its work in this space. Booking.com’s approach continues to be developed in consultation with independent experts and organizations such as the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and UN Tourism, striving to explore how best to address some of the challenges travelers face in making more sustainable choices. The goal is to find new ways to help bridge the gap between the number of accommodations with third-party certifications and the breadth of choice available in the market, encouraging accommodation partners to progress towards third-party certification. 

Partners will continue to be supported as they progress with tailored educational resources, from a wealth of informative materials on the company’s Partner Hub, including a handbook on more sustainable hospitality, to online courses developed in partnership with UN Tourism. On their individual property listings, partners will also be able to indicate practices they have adopted across categories including water, food waste, energy, plastic and local community, helping travelers understand the efforts underway.

The broader sustainability space has developed significantly in recent years, particularly the regulatory environment, which has been evolving to reflect the central role that sustainability now has in business operations across all industries, alongside growing consumer expectations around the clarity, availability and veracity of information they receive on sustainability. 

In the context of those shifts and in anticipation of relevant legislation coming into place, the updates introduced today represent an evolution in how Booking.com recognizes more sustainable choices - but its commitment to making it easier for travelers to make more sustainable travel choices by supporting accommodations to operate more sustainably remains unwavering. Booking.com will continue to explore the most impactful role it can play in this space, maintaining its support of its partners, customers and the broader industry as they collaboratively strive to make more sustainable travel the way everyone can experience the world.

The brand’s new ad campaign with Tina Fey focuses on the evolving desires of travelers to explore the diverse personas within themselves and choose who they want to be every time they travel, encouraging them to discover the millions of places to stay that Booking.com has to offer, with just a touch of a button. Comedic cameos from actors and icons Glenn Close, Jane Krakowski and Jack McBrayer help showcase the variety of properties on Booking.com - from hotels and vacation rentals to unique properties and more - while highlighting that the joy of booking extends beyond choosing a place, rather imagining the person you could become once you get there.

With creative developed by Zulu Alpha Kilo, and Mindshare managing the media strategy and planning, the integrated campaign will run across TV - including prime time - audio streaming, online and social channels. The campaign includes a mix of :30 and :15 second commercials, including the "big game" spot - "Tina Fey books whoever she wants to be'" - as well as "Sasquatch Tina Fey books a cabin," and "Influencer Tina Fey books a boutique hotel” and a :90 extended version of the “big game” spot. All of the ads can be viewed on YouTube.com/Bookingcom.

"Booking.com is on a mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world," says Arjan Dijk, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Booking.com. "This year's Booking.yeah campaign shows that travelers can book whoever they want to be by using our seamless app, with a wide range of unique places to stay across the U.S. and the globe. The talented Tina Fey and surprising cameos by Glenn Close, Jane Krakowski and Jack McBrayer helped bring the creative to life in a fun, optimistic, comedic way that resonates with American travelers.” 

Americans are feeling empowered to be the stars of their own life when traveling in 2024, with 64%* of travelers feeling more ‘main character energy’ while on vacation than when at home and 50% saying they have a travel alter-ego. With Booking.com's vast array of trip possibilities and places to stay - from sleek city hotels and beach houses, to cabins and treehouses, to apartments, tiny homes and more - travelers can embrace a new persona every time they book a new adventure for the ultimate Booking.yeah experience.

For more information on travel offerings, including Early 2024 Deals with discounts starting at 15%, visit Booking.com or download the Booking.com app.

*Travel Predictions 2024 research commissioned by Booking.com and conducted among a sample of adults who plan to travel for business or leisure in the next 12-24 months. In total, 27,730 respondents across 33 countries and territories were polled (including 1008 from Argentina, 1012 from Australia, 505 from Austria, 1001 from Belgium, 1002 from Brazil, 1009 from Canada, 1009 from China, 1002 from Colombia, 508 from Croatia, 504 from Denmark, 1011 from France, 1011 from Germany, 1016 from Hong Kong, 1004 from India, 510 from Ireland, 504 from Israel, 1014 from Italy, 1004 from Japan, 1009 from Mexico, 1014 from The Netherlands, 1015 from New Zealand, 500 from Portugal, 502 from Singapore, 1010 from South Korea, 1009 from Spain, 502 from Sweden, 507 from Switzerland, 504 from Taiwan, 1003 from Thailand, 502 from the UAE, 1007 from the UK, 1005 from the US and 1007 from Vietnam). Respondents completed an online survey in July 2023.

For the seventh year in a row, Italy is home again to the largest number of award recipients (181,012), followed by Spain (125,611), France (124,361), Germany (86,910), and the United Kingdom (74,754) jumping two spots to the fifth position. Poland (61,693), Brazil (58,788), the United States (56,014), Croatia (53,971), and Portugal (32,910) round out the top 10. 

Apartments and holiday homes lead the way for accommodation
 

Travelers continue to favorably review the home-away-from-home experience, with apartments dominating as the most-awarded accommodation type (710,687) for the seventh year running in 2024. For the second year in a row, holiday homes (213,824) have edged out hotels (179,357) for the number two spot, while guest houses (84,715) and B&Bs (71,514) round out the top five most-awarded accommodation types globally. Villas saw the greatest increase in award recipients year over year at 23%, followed by holiday homes (20%) and campsites (14%). Overall, there was a 10% increase in awards granted to vacation rentals and other unique properties that offer an alternative to the traditional hotel experience, demonstrating continued traveler appreciation for a broad range of different kinds of stays and the unique hospitality they can provide.
 

Transportation providers start the trip with a smile
 

For the fifth year, Booking.com is recognizing its ground transportation partners for their consistently great service and hospitality. Beyond the basics of just getting around, rental cars make it easier for travelers to explore off the beaten path and taxis frequently provide visitors with their first interactions with local people and culture. These welcoming first impressions often set the tone for the rest of the trip. This year, 449 car rental partners from 26 countries are receiving a Traveller Review Award. Spain (84) tops the list again with the most car rental companies being recognized, followed by Italy (74), Portugal (47), Greece (42) and the US (28). In gratitude for all the warm welcomes and seamless pick-ups, 129 taxi partners are also receiving an award with Italy (17) and Spain (12) leading the pack.

“Whether it’s a tip on hidden local gems to explore at the car rental counter or a personalized welcome note from an apartment owner with recommendations for the best spots in the neighborhood to grab a bite, our partners make trips more memorable and enjoyable for our customers each and every day,” commented Arjan Dijk, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer for Booking.com. 

“The Traveller Review Awards are our way of thanking and publicly acknowledging the top notch service our partners provide to travelers and the critical role they play in our mission of making it easier for everyone to experience the world. To everyone receiving an award this year, we salute your dedication and passion - we couldn’t do what we do without you!”

Most Welcoming Places on Earth
 

Identified based on the share of accommodation providers receiving a Traveller Review Award 2024*, this year’s lists of the Most Welcoming Places on Earth showcase a vast range of destinations from across the globe. From enchanting coastal towns to alpine retreats and even rustic desert gems, all of these locations are sure to ignite a sense of wanderlust for the year ahead. 
 

2024’s Most Welcoming Cities on Earth:

1. Arraial d'Ajuda, Brazil
2. Ermoupoli, Greece
3. Viana do Castelo, Portugal
4. Daylesford, Australia
5. Grindelwald, Switzerland
6. Moab, United States
7. Uzès, France
8. Mazatlán, Mexico
9. Jaisalmer, India
10. Fujikawaguchiko, Japan

Check out this destination guide to learn more about what these welcoming cities have to offer. 

2024’s Most Welcoming Regions on Earth

1. Perthshire, United Kingdom
2. Penghu, Taiwan
3. Boyacá, Colombia
4. Trentino - Alto Adige, Italy
5. Los Lagos, Chile
6. Erongo, Namibia
7. Otago, New Zealand
8. Lapland, Finland
9. Asturias, Spain
10. Friesland, Netherlands

To be recognized with an award, accommodation partners had to have an average review score of 8.0 (out of 10) or higher based on at least 3 reviews, as of 11:59pm (CET) on November 30, 2023. Car rental partners had to have an average review score of 7.5 (out of 10) or higher based on at least 100 reviews, as of 11:59pm (CET) on November 30, 2023. To be recognized with an award, taxi providers had to have an average review score of 4.6 (out of 5) or higher and completed 2,000 rides as of 11:59pm (CET) on November 30, 2023. 

Only customers that have actually stayed at an accommodation, rented a car or rode in a taxi can leave a review of their experience on Booking.com. As these reviews are never edited or adjusted in any way, travelers can reference them for an authentic account of what the real traveler experience is like at every place to stay or with every ground transport provider on Booking.com. 

*Destinations were sorted by the total share of Traveller Review Award 2024 recipients when compared to the total amount of eligible properties in that city or region (accommodation only). Destinations also had to have an above-average amount of winners to be included on this list (200 award recipients or higher for cities and regions) and were curated for geographic spread. 
 

“We are excited to expand our longstanding relationship with UNWTO and deliver this new educational series which responds to the desire of accommodation providers for resources on how to implement more sustainable practices,” said Danielle D’Silva, Head of Sustainability at Booking.com. “Supporting partners, and the wider industry, to integrate more sustainability practices into their operations is a core component of our mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. By increasing the supply of more sustainable accommodation options, we are also enabling travelers to make more mindful travel choices. This ultimately benefits the places we visit, the people who live there and the planet.”

The development of these courses reaffirms Booking.com’s long-term commitment to enabling ongoing education for its accommodation partners and the advancement of the broader travel industry towards a more sustainable future. In fact, in the third European Accommodation Barometer, published by Booking.com and Statista, European hoteliers indicated better access to knowledge (27%) and additional training (25%) as key elements that would facilitate the adoption of a more sustainable operating model. 

“Education and skills development are the foundations for building a more sustainable tourism sector,” said UNWTO Executive Director Natalia Bayona. “UNWTO looks forward to working with Booking.com to enable accommodations everywhere to benefit from the wide range of resources available through the UNWTO Tourism Online Academy.”

In 2021, Booking.com launched its Travel Sustainable program to support its accommodation partners in taking the next steps to become more sustainable. Since then, more than 1.4 million properties have shared sustainability related data with Booking.com. The four online courses announced today form part of a larger initiative to raise awareness for accommodations on why adopting more sustainable practices is beneficial for their business, guests, environment and local community. 

About Booking.com:
Part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), Booking.com’s mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. By investing in the technology that helps take the friction out of travel, Booking.com’s marketplace seamlessly connects millions of travelers with memorable experiences every day. For more information, follow @bookingcom on social media or visit globalnews.booking.com. 

About UNWTO:
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations specialized agency fostering tourism as a vehicle for equal, inclusive and sustainable development. Working with its 160 Member States, international organizations and the private sector, UNWTO promotes safe and seamless travel for all. UNWTO also works to make tourism the foundation of trust and international cooperation and a central pillar of growth and opportunity. As part of the wider UN system, UNWTO is at the forefront of global efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including through its ability to create decent jobs, promote equality and preserve natural and cultural heritage.

 With UEFA Euros taking place during the summer, when travelers are most inspired to travel and discover new destinations, and with many of the host cities often ranking among Booking.com’s top travel destinations in Europe, the partnership is an excellent opportunity to assist fans embarking on an unforgettable journey at a time when they are most enthusiastic about exploring the world. 

Booking.com will have a digital and on-site presence through sole and exclusive programmes for all 51 UEFA EURO 2024 matches and all 31 matches for UEFA Women’s EURO 2025. 

A sponsor of the historic UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, Booking.com will continue to champion their commitment to supporting women’s football by sponsoring UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, taking place across eight host cities in Switzerland. The qualifying competition for the final tournament will begin next April. 

Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA marketing director, said: "We are thrilled to renew the partnership with Booking.com, a market leader in the travel industry, for UEFA Euro 2024 and UEFA Women’s Euro 2025. Building on the successes of the previous tournaments, UEFA and Booking.com remain dedicated to enhancing the fan’s journey. For all the fans travelling to attend the matches, Booking.com will offer a seamless travel and accommodation experience. Together, we unite the passion of football and the joy of travelling.” 

Natalie Wills, VP Brand Marketing, Booking.com, said: “We are delighted to again be partnering with the UEFA European Football Championships. We know at Booking.com that passions inspire travel, and with our mission to help everyone experience the world, going to see your team play is the perfect reason to visit new destinations and to try new experiences, all while being part of some iconic football moments. This opportunity also means that we can be part of UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, supporting gender diversity and inclusivity in sport and travel.” 

UEFA EURO 2024 will take place in 10 host cities across Germany from 14 June to 14 July. The draw for the final tournament will take place in Hamburg on 2 December. 

Booking.com joins adidas, Alipay, Atos, Coca-Cola, Engelbert Strauss, Hisense, Lidl and Vivo as official global sponsors of UEFA EURO 2024 and adidas, Amazon, EA Sports, Euronics, Grifols, Heineken, Hublot, Just Eat Takeaway.com, Lay’s, PlayStation and Visa as official global sponsors of UEFA Women’s EURO 2025. 

CAA Eleven is the exclusive marketing agency of UEFA appointed to manage commercial rights to UEFA national team football competitions, including the UEFA European Football Championship, the UEFA Nations League, the European Qualifiers, the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and the UEFA European Futsal Championship.

• Breadth of choice: Travelers can immediately access more than 10,000 sailings on over 30 cruise lines, including the largest and best-in-class cruise lines in the world, from more than 55 departure ports across the globe. Whether a 3-night budget-friendly cruise to the Bahamas, 7-nights island hopping around the Caribbean, a river cruise through Europe or a 2-week luxury expedition sailing in Antarctica, Booking.com Cruises offers a voyage for every traveler.
   
• Always-on deals: Understanding the importance of competitive pricing and added value, customers will have access to always-on deals throughout the year, including up to $50, $100, $500 or even $1,000 to spend at sea via on-board credits depending on the total amount spent. In celebration of the launch of Cruises, and just ahead of Black Friday this November, Booking.com will be doubling the exclusive spend at sea reward. Additional exclusive spend at sea deals will also be offered on select cruise lines including Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian, Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International and several others**. 
   
• Greater ease: Cruise customers can also tap into Booking.com’s marketplace to arrange every element of their trip in one place whether that involves booking transportation to a departure port, reserving accommodations before or after the cruise, or organizing in-trip experiences at designated port locations. Customers also have the option to book their cruise online or via phone with the help of US-based cruise experts 24/7, and live chat is available to all cruise site visitors. A 110% Best Price Guarantee is also offered on every cruise booking, providing customers who find a lower price on another website within 48 hours of booking with Booking.com Cruises a 110% refund of the difference.
   

“At Booking.com, we are committed to making it easier for everyone to experience the world and with the United States being the largest market for cruises globally, it is important for us to meet and service this demand through our platform, said Ben Harrell, Managing Director, US at Booking.com.” “We are excited to roll out Booking.com Cruises, in partnership with World Travel Holdings, and further expand our offerings for travelers in the United States.”

Industry reports show that 85% of people who have cruised, will cruise again, marking a 6% increase compared to pre-pandemic seasons***. In fact, Booking.com’s Traveler Predictions 2024 revealed that 75% of US travelers agree that being close to water instantly makes them feel more relaxed, and over a third demonstrating interest in water-centric vacations for 2024. While the Caribbean, Europe and Alaska continue to be the top destination regions for sailings, travelers can tap into the vast inventory of cruises on Booking.com around the world and choose from more mainstream cruises on larger ships with varying itineraries, luxury cruises offering an upscale experience and river sailings on smaller ships for a more niche experience.

As of November 9, Cruises will become available to a growing percentage of Booking.com users in the United States over the coming weeks. US travelers will have access to the product offering via a dedicated page on Booking.com’s desktop and mobile versions. 

* CLIA, 2022 Global Market Report

**Black Friday 2023 deals will be available from November 16 to November 29, 2023. Select cruise line offers will be live from November 20 to November 30, 2023.

*** CLIA, 2023 State of the Cruise Industry Report

About World Travel Holdings:

World Travel Holdings is the nation’s largest cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company with a portfolio of nearly 40 diverse brands. In addition to owning some of the largest brands distributing cruises, villas, resort vacations, car rentals, resort day passes and luxury travel services, World Travel Holdings has a vast portfolio of private-label partnerships comprised of top leisure travel providers, including almost every U.S. airline, leading hotel brands and prominent corporations. The company also operates a top-rated travel agency franchise and is consistently recognized as an industry leader in employee engagement and work-at-home employment. Its global presence includes operating multiple cruise brands in the United Kingdom. World Travel Holdings has offices in Wakefield, Mass.; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; and Chorley, England. For more information, visit WorldTravelHoldings.com.

Booking.com has long been an active ally of the LGBTQ+ community, dedicated to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for all travelers, regardless of where they come from, who they love or how they identify. Through the company’s Travel Proud program, publicly launched in 2021, Booking.com provides free inclusive hospitality training, tailor-made for the company’s accommodation partners together with HospitableMe. The aim of the training is to help accommodations gain a better understanding of the specific challenges faced by LGBTQ+ travelers, as well as what can be done to make every guest feel more welcomed. The training is available in English, Italian, French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and German, and there are now more than 47,000 certified properties globally, offering Travel Proud stays in 120+ countries and territories and over 9,500 cities. 

Booking.com was also an official sponsor for IGLTA’s historic Global Convention in Milan last year, hosting the annual Women in Leadership Networking event. This event allows women attending the convention to have an opportunity to connect with other women entrepreneurs to share ideas, best practices, and discuss the unique challenges that women in business face.

"We are excited to welcome Booking.com as our newest Global Partner and are looking forward to expanding our collaborations with them to support inclusive travel," said IGLTA President/CEO John Tanzella (he/him). "Booking.com has consistently demonstrated incredible support to IGLTA, and their commitment to promoting safe and inclusive travel for all is evident."

“Our mission at Booking.com is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, and with that we really do mean everyone,” said Arjan Dijk (he/him), Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Booking.com. “We are delighted to be deepening our partnership with IGLTA and look forward to exploring additional opportunities for enhanced collaboration with destinations and other companies throughout the travel industry to ensure a future where we can all truly Travel Proud.”

During Booking.com's Click. 2023 event in Miami, IGLTA President/CEO John Tanzella (he/him) participated in a panel discussion focused on sharing best practices for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), as well as the importance of creating diverse spaces. Additionally, IGLTA's VP of Global Partnerships, Clark Massad (he/him), attended Click. 2023 in Amsterdam where he joined a panel discussion on brand authenticity. More content from this annual event can be found here. 

Booking.com is a Presenting Partner for the 40th Anniversary IGLTA Global Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico, including for the exclusive B.O.N. Voyage fundraising event for the IGLTA Foundation. Keep an eye on the website for more information about the lineup of speakers, entertainment and special guests, with more details to be announced over the coming weeks.

Taking place across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand from July 20 to August 20, 2023, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ is set to be the biggest women’s sporting event in the world, with 64 matches that will be played in 10 iconic venues across the two countries. As the Official Online Travel Sponsor, Booking.com makes it easier for everyone to book accommodation, from hotels to vacation homes and apartments and everything in between, during the matches, giving fans the opportunity to experience all that the host cities have to offer.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™ is a celebration of sport and diversity that aims to empower people, places and communities to integrate with local fans and cultures across Australia and New Zealand. Continuing Booking.com’s recent investments into women’s sporting events, Booking.com has continued its commitment to supporting elite women’s sport by partnering with the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™.

“Football is the world’s #1 passion, and when combined with the excitement and adventure of travel, the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™ tournament will create the perfect synergy for memorable experiences that last a lifetime, says Arjan Dijk, CMO and Senior Vice President at Booking.com. “We’re excited to play a role in inspiring travellers and making it easier for everyone to book their accommodation through our user-friendly app that helps turn bucket list dreams into reality.” 

FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer Sarai Bareman, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Booking.com to our family of tournament sponsors and supporters ahead of the greatest FIFA Women’s World Cup™ ever. Fans from over 150 different countries of residence are bound for Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand over the next month to support their team and the tournament, and with Booking.com at their fingertips, many will be able to find great accommodation options throughout their stay.”  

The state-of-the-art SMART building not only leverages sensors throughout to function like an ecosystem, for example regulating the lighting and temperature automatically based on actual occupancy and usage, but it has also been constructed to a BREEAM Excellent standard. Other notable highlights of the unique building: 

• More sustainable materials have been used throughout, with much of the furniture repurposed from the company’s previous offices in the city. 
• There are 832 solar panels on the roof and all of the heating and cooling is managed by cutting edge WKO (‘Warmte Koud Opslag’) technology to store and recover both hot and cold air deep beneath the ground during the summer and winter, using no gas at all.
• There are more than 11,000 plants throughout the building, including seven trees and a dedicated underground parking garage with space for more than 2,500 bicycles, supporting employees to commute with the lowest impact options possible.

The new Campus’s design and layout will be continuously optimized to support the flexible world of hybrid working, with a focus on understanding how people balance their time between home and the office and the different tasks that need to be accomplished. The Booking.com Campus already includes 28 communal breakout spaces, specially designed focus booths and areas to meet a variety of diverse cognitive needs and preferences.

“After years of anticipation, this is a great moment in time for our company and our employees,” said Glenn Fogel, President and CEO of Booking.com. “For everyone in Amsterdam to be back together in one building, and such an inspiring one at that, is truly something to be grateful for. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this brings us all even closer together and accelerates our efforts to make travel easier and more seamless for everyone.”

“We are really thrilled to have moved into this stunning, sustainable and inclusive new building, right in the heart of Amsterdam, the city we have called home for over 25 years,” said Arjan Dijk, Senior Vice President and CMO of Booking.com. “It’s a beautiful spot to continue fostering collaboration and innovation for years to come, as we strive to have a long-lasting positive impact, not just on the tech sector in the Netherlands, but for the city and the communities around us, as well.”

Community and impact

To contribute to Oosterdokseiland becoming an even more vibrant part of the city and simultaneously help create new opportunities for communities that often experience challenges in gaining equal access to the job market, Booking.com also revealed that it will be partnering with Refugee Company and Techgrounds to bring to life plans for the 1,500 m² of open restaurant and leisure space on the ground floor of the building.

Through the hospitality concept of A Beautiful Mess, Refugee Company delivers on its mission of helping people from refugee backgrounds to develop new skills, gain experience and start to build a professional network in the Netherlands through their unique learning and working programs. Later this year, A Beautiful Mess will open a new nearly 900m² restaurant on the ground floor of the Booking.com Campus, focusing on flavors and recipes from the Middle East and Africa and with a menu inspired by the cultural background of the chefs in the kitchen. The restaurant will create new job opportunities for participants in Refugee Company’s programs and be fully open to the public with space for 120 diners, as well as additional meeting rooms for workshops and an event space that will feature community-based programming.

“Scaling up our operations and expanding our impact through this opportunity from Booking.com will be transformative for our organization and the people we serve,” said Fleur Bakker, Director of Refugee Company. “We want to create places of belonging that help integrate the skills and souls of every refugee into our shared society. Having the space and support from Booking.com to make this a reality in the center of Amsterdam, is something truly special for us. Moreover, it enables us to work on a scalable model that can be rolled out in other cities in the future.”

A social impact enterprise with a specific focus on supporting women and people with a culturally diverse background, Techgrounds’ aim is to address the current mismatch in the tech labor market. Expanding on its existing relationship with Booking.com, Techgrounds will create a robust program of workshops, hackathons and mentoring opportunities in the new public portion of the Campus to help connect hidden talent from Amsterdam’s diverse neighborhoods with the many opportunities in the wider Dutch tech ecosystem.

“We’ve had the pleasure of working with the Booking.com team for years and are really enthusiastic about the new synergies that will come from having access to this kind of space at such an impactful tech company,” said Ruben Nieuwenhuis, Founding Partner at Techgrounds. “It is our mission to solve the mismatch in the IT labor market. That is why we have set up a joint programme to build a community  that will connect local hidden IT talents in communities from out the Netherlands, with the Dutch tech ecosystem. Via this community, re-skillers are empowered with tech buddies, Q&As with IT-experts, job application advice from recruiters and other ways to start a new career in IT.” 

To further mark this milestone, Booking.com commissioned KPMG to produce a dedicated report, with the aim of coming to a more holistic understanding of the company’s economic, social and environmental impact on the Netherlands. While the report highlights some strategic areas for improvement when it comes to gender equity and environmental impact through the company’s supply chain, it also highlights the positive economic impact Booking.com makes, contributing €3.6 billion to the Dutch economy over the years 2019 to 2021. This also extends to social impact, particularly when it comes to attracting international talent to the local labor market. In fact, for those former Booking.com employees that moved on to new opportunities between 2019 and 2021, 68% went on to work for other companies in the Netherlands, with 43% remaining in the tech sector.

Read the full report here.

A new way to search and explore on Booking.com

Travelers can ask the AI Trip Planner general travel-related questions, as well as more specific queries to support any stage of their trip planning process, including scoping out potential destinations and accommodation options, providing travel inspiration based on the individual traveler’s needs and requirements, as well as creating itineraries for a particular city, country or region.

More tailored and relevant travel recommendations

Travelers can easily chat with the pilot AI Trip Planner to describe what they’re looking for in broad or specific terms, ask questions and refine their search in real time, with new options surfaced in just a matter of seconds. From looking for inspiration on romantic beach destination options in the Caribbean to zeroing in on a specific list of vacation homes for a family of four, with air conditioning and a pool, the AI Trip Planner makes recommendations in a quick, conversational way.

Integrated travel planning experience

The AI Trip Planner takes the trip planning process one step further by providing travelers with a visual list of destinations and properties, including Booking.com’s pricing information, with deep-links to view more details. Travelers can go back and forth between their chat with the AI Trip Planner and the Booking.com app interface as they consider options for their trip. With just a tap on any accommodation they are interested in, they can complete the reservation, as the AI Trip Planner is directly integrated into the accommodation booking experience in the Booking.com app.

“Our primary aim at Booking.com has always been to leverage technology to make travel easier,” said Glenn Fogel, CEO of Booking.com. “The recent developments with generative AI are accelerating the work we’ve been doing for years with machine learning to enhance and improve every aspect of the customer experience on our platform, whether it’s optimizing the right order to display a hotel’s photos to surfacing the most relevant reviews. Our new AI Trip Planner is simply the next step in our ongoing journey to explore how we can bring even more value, and hopefully enjoyment, to the entire trip planning process.” 

“Our new AI Trip Planner provides us with some really exciting possibilities to help our customers plan and search for travel options in a very natural, human way,” said Rob Francis, CTO of Booking.com. “Oftentimes, people are asked to adapt to the confines of technology to do what they want, but with generative AI, we’re able to start having scalable, one-to-one conversations with our customers on their terms, much like how you would begin to talk about planning a trip with your partner or friends. It’s just the beginning, but we have lots of runway here to explore in order to innovate and connect the travel experience further on Booking.com, all in a safe, ethical and inclusive way.”

Beginning on June 28, the beta AI Trip Planner will become available to a growing percentage of Booking.com Genius members in the United States over the coming weeks. This means that US travelers must be signed in to their Booking.com account in the app and have their language settings set to English to access the new travel planning tool.

Whether you’re celebrating the contest in the heart of Liverpool, or from the comfort of a unique holiday home surrounded by friends and family, Booking.com has a great option for every music lover – with over 28 million listings in hotels, homes, and other unique places to stay. As the Official Travel Partner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, Booking.com is committed to creating the perfect booking for Eurovision fans everywhere - wherever their music-inspired travels may take them.

With such a wide variety of travel experiences on offer, customers can find their next adventure in just a few taps on the Booking.com app. From visiting the iconic Penny Lane and learning about the rich music history that Liverpool has to offer, to embarking on a scenic road trip up the coast and discovering its near-endless dunes and outstanding ocean views – there are tons of great things to do in Liverpool to make new travel memories.

“We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with the European Broadcasting Union and to be the Official Travel Partner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 for yet another year,” said Arjan Dijk,  Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Booking.com. “Booking.com is proud to play a role in making it easier for millions of Eurovision fans to come together and celebrate Europe’s most popular and diverse music event, demonstrating that unity comes in a variety of forms in both music and travel. Booking.com is tapping into this unique moment to spark people’s curiosity and inspire them to discover the people and places that make the Eurovision Song Contest so magical – no matter where they come from, what language they speak, who they love, or how they identify.”

Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, added: “We are delighted to welcome Booking.com back as the Official Travel Partner for the Eurovision Song Contest. With thousands expected to travel to Liverpool for the world’s largest live music event we are looking forward to seeing Booking’s activities for fans on the ground and online.”

A recent survey conducted by Booking.com revealed that almost half (49%) of U.S. baseball fans plan to travel to at least one MLB game this year with (61%) of respondents saying they are willing to travel up to 500 miles to do so. Booking.com, the global travel leader, is committed to helping travelers navigate their baseball trips by offering the widest selection of places to stay - from slick city apartments and vacation rentals in MLB cities to ballpark-adjacent hotels for those looking to stay near their favorite team’s stadium on gameday. Research performed by Booking.com also revealed that an overwhelming majority (81%) of respondents would rather travel to see their MLB team win the World Series, than win a holiday trip to their rival team’s state.

Having been on the forefront of technology for over two decades, MLB offers fans numerous ways to engage with the sport, from the MLB app to MLB.TV and MLB.com, across mobile & connected devices, and through social media platforms. Aligning with MLB’s innovation-friendly approach to support baseball fandom and to lead off the partnership, Booking.com plans to make the process simpler for fans to book trips to games with an easily accessible Booking.com icon across Clubs’ digital schedule pages. These icons will direct fans to search and book properties near Major League stadiums.

The top three deciding factors for Americans booking a trip to attend an MLB game are price (63%) relative to the amount they’d be willing to spend to travel to a game (48% say they would spend under $400) to the location in relation to the stadium (49%) and transportation to and from the property (21%). Booking.com offers something for everyone with great deals and stays at a variety of price points and conveniences such as free cancellation and custom maps that showcase properties in relation to key locations. Booking.com also features filters to find options with transportation, on-site parking and more all making the trip-booking experience with Booking.com more convenient.

“Booking.com continues to invest in the U.S. market with our official sponsorship of Major League Baseball, showcasing our latest commitment to making it easier for Americans to find and book the perfect trip,” says Ben Harrell, Managing Director, U.S. at Booking.com. “With a variety of property options across the country in MLB cities - from hotels to vacation rentals and more - plus a user-friendly app, Booking.com looks forward to bringing baseball trips to life for fans, helping them with their travels as they enjoy America’s favorite pastime with family and friends.”

“We are excited to welcome Booking.com to the MLB family of partners," said Noah Garden, MLB Chief Revenue Officer. “With over 2,000 games across the country every summer, our fans love traveling to experience the incredible Major League atmosphere at our beautiful ballparks. We hope this partnership with Booking.com can make that experience all the more enjoyable.”

Throughout the long-term partnership, Booking.com and MLB hope to develop inspiring and innovative ways for baseball fans across America to make the most of their travels - whether for rivalry games, events like All-Star Week or the National League and American League Division Series presented by Booking.com. As the season gets into full swing, fans can search for properties in MLB cities on Booking.com offering Getaway Deals, saving 15% on stays between April 4 and September 28, 2023.

________

*Research commissioned by Booking.com and conducted among a sample of adult baseball fans across America. In total 1,003 respondents across America were polled, including 254 from the Northeast, 233 from the West, 256 from the Midwest, and 260 from the South. Respondents included 482 men, 517 women, two who identified as other and two who preferred not to say. Those polled included 130 ages 18-24, 178 ages 25-34, 180 ages 35-44, 180 ages 45-54, 161 ages 55-64, and 174 ages 65+. Respondents completed an online survey in March 2023.

With 73%* of U.S. travelers saying they enjoyed the experience of booking their last trip, as well as 73%** of Americans reporting that travel will always be worth it and that they are overwhelmingly optimistic about traveling this year, Booking.com is here to help travelers find and book “Somewhere, Anywhere,” the mantra of the brand’s new ad campaign with Melissa McCarthy. The comedic spots, which include cameos by Melissa’s husband, American actor, comedian and filmmaker Ben Falcone, focus on how Booking.com makes booking a trip easy, reliable and fun, with the widest choice of places to stay. The brand aims for all travelers to truly have the “Booking.yeah” feeling - from the minute they start exploring the array of amazing hotels, homes and unique properties on the site, to hitting the “book” button and then excitedly anticipating their journey ahead, and of course, enjoying the trip itself.

"The joy and excitement we get from traveling and exploring the world, or even taking a short trip close to home, gives us such wonderful memories. Every time my family travels, we come back as a little bit better versions of ourselves and we're immediately inspired to start daydreaming about our next trip. I'm tickled pink to be working with Booking.com as their #1 Travel Fan," said Melissa McCarthy. "The fun of travel starts with a world of possibilities, so I hope the ad gives everybody the inspiration to book their next trip with Booking.com and bring their travel dreams to life. Of course, all of this is to be done while singing “Somewhere, Anywhere.”

To kick off the campaign, Booking.com will give away half a million dollars in vacation funds - 50 winners will receive $10,000 each in travel credits - to explore the amazing “Somewhere, Anywhere” destinations across the U.S. and the world. Just follow @bookingcom on Instagram or TikTok and leave a comment on any Booking.com giveaway post noting the “Somewhere, Anywhere” you want to go using #ShareYourAnywhere along with #Sweepstakes to be entered for a chance to win $10,000 in travel credits to use on Booking.com. The entry period for the giveaway begins on February 7, 2023 at 12:00pm EST, and ends February 19 at 11:59pm EST, with winners chosen at random. For more information on how to enter, visit Booking.com’s social channels (Instagram.com/bookingcom, Tiktok.com/bookingcom) and for the Official Rules, visit www.promoterms.com/shareyouranywhere.

With creative developed by Zulu Alpha Kilo and Mindshare managing the media strategy and planning, the integrated campaign will run across TV - including prime time - audio streaming, online and social channels, through the end of April with a second rollout in the summer. The campaign includes a mix of :30 and :15 second commercials, including the “big game” spot - “Melissa McCarthy in ‘Somewhere, Anywhere’” - as well as “Vacay in the USA,” “Perfect Vacation Rental,” “Room Service,” and “Double Booked.” All of the ads, including a teaser video released earlier this month, as well as a soon-to-be-released extended two minute version of “Melissa McCarthy in Somewhere, Anywhere” (Full Musical) can be viewed on YouTube.com/Bookingcom.

“Booking.com is committed to helping American travelers find and book the perfect trip by offering the widest choice of places to stay - from hotels to homes - as well as a highly intuitive app - the #1 most downloaded online travel app in the U.S. last year*** - making the booking process easy and fun,” says Arjan Dijk, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Booking.com. “This year’s Booking.yeah campaign aims to showcase that Booking.com is the most reliable platform to book a trip, no matter where travelers want to go, with features including instantly bookable vacation rentals, free cancellation on most bookings, verified reviews, great deals and more. The incomparably talented Melissa McCarthy truly helped bring the creative to life with the message that we hope will resonate with Americans - the best way to book your stay in the U.S. is through Booking.com - and we couldn't think of a better time to kick off the campaign than the ‘big game.’”

For travelers looking for some inspiration on where to travel this year across the U.S., Booking.com's 2023 list of 10 top trending global destinations features Santa Fe, New Mexico,**** while other U.S. top trending destinations for 2023 include Anaheim, Honolulu, Seattle, San Francisco, Boston, Nashville, Louisville and more. Travelers have access to the widest choice of places to stay on Booking.com - from sleek city hotels and beach houses, to cabins and treehouses, to apartments, tiny homes and more. Research conducted by Booking.com also shows that while Americans will continue to prioritize and invest in travel in 2023 (57%),** they will also be more mindful on how to make the most of their travel budget, with 70%** of travelers seeking more bang for their buck.

Travelers can have peace of mind when they book “Somewhere, Anywhere” on Booking.com, with access to great places to stay across the U.S. and the globe, free cancellation on most bookings, verified reviews and great deals. For more information on travel offerings, including Early 2023 Deals with discounts starting at 15%, visit Booking.com or download the Booking.com app.

SOURCES /  METHODOLOGY:

*Zulu Alpha Kilo Bookers Study conducted for Booking.com. 547 U.S. primary household travel bookers 18–54 were asked to rate the experience of booking their last vacation on a spectrum from “stressful” to “enjoyable.” Respondents completed an online survey in August 2022.

**Travel Predictions 2023 research commissioned by Booking.com and conducted among a sample of adults who plan to travel for business or leisure in the next 12-24 months. In total 24,179 respondents across 32 countries and territories were polled (including 1014 from Argentina, 1006 from Australia, 505 from Austria, 504 from Belgium, 1009 from Brazil, 503 from Canada, 1009 from China, 1010 from Colombia, 505 from Croatia, 505 from Denmark, 1010 from France, 1001 from Germany, 500 from Hong Kong, 1005 from India, 504 from Ireland, 504 from Israel, 1008 from Italy, 1003 from Japan, 504 from Mexico, 502 from The Netherlands, 1007 from New Zealand, 1009 from Portugal, 507 from Singapore, 1008 from South Korea, 1001 from Spain, 505 from Sweden, 508 from Switzerland, 500 from Taiwan, 504 from Thailand, 1006 from the UK, 1009 from the US and 504 from Vietnam). Respondents completed an online survey in August 2022.

***Apptopia, Worldwide and US Download Leaders 2022 - Booking.com included as the top downloaded OTA app in the U.S.

****Destinations had to be in the top 1,000 most booked on Booking.com between 1 August 2021 and 31 July 2022. The resulting list was sorted by year-over-year increase and destinations with a large decrease in the share of domestic bookings were removed. This was to ensure that the list represents destinations that have managed to maintain domestic interest (as well as international), even in the face of loosening COVID-related travel restrictions.

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With more than 28 million accommodation listings in over 160,000 destinations worldwide, as well as attractions, cars and flights, Booking.com is committed to making it easier for LGBTQIA+ travellers to experience the world 365 days a year, including making the most of their celebratory, pride-inspired travels. 

As an extension of the company's free Travel Proud program, dedicated to helping facilitate more welcoming and inclusive travel experiences for the LGBTQIA+ community, Booking.com will be the major partner and exclusive digital travel provider for two key events at Sydney WorldPride. This includes a dedicated stage at the Pride Villages, where the famous Oxford St and surrounds will be closed to traffic to create a fabulous (and free!) festival hub and a place where travellers from all over the world will celebrate together.

Additionally, Booking.com is sponsoring the three-day Human Rights Conference hosted at Sydney’s International Convention Centre. The conference will be the largest convergence of human rights defenders, community members, government and political representatives, philanthropists and corporate leaders committed to LGBTQIA+ rights ever held in Asia Pacific

“At Booking.com, we believe everyone should be able to experience the world as themselves, always. Travel should ideally be all about positive experiences, adventure and enjoyment. Yet for many LGBTQIA+ travelers, this can often be  a very different reality, as a majority (82%) have experienced less than welcoming, or uncomfortable moments when traveling*,” says Arjan Dijk, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Booking.com.

“There is still much work to do across the industry to make welcoming experiences the norm for everyone – no matter who they love, how they identify or where they come from.

“In addition to celebrating the revitalization of the Australian tourism sector, our sponsorship of Sydney WorldPride is a symbol of our continued investment in supporting rainbow communities everywhere and our commitment to enable truly inclusive travel experiences in even more places around the world.” 

“Sydney WorldPride is proud to partner with one of the world’s most exciting digital travel companies, Booking.com as they continue to ensure inclusive and welcoming properties are available for Rainbow travellers across the globe. Sydney is open and excited to welcome all to our shores!” says Kate Wickett, CEO Sydney WorldPride. 

“The 2023 Festival is going to attract a lot of local and international visitors, so it’s fantastic to have one of the world’s leading digital travel companies on board as a partner. Booking.com is a company that is committed to supporting LGBTQIA+ people. As well as creating a safe and inclusive environment within their own organization, they support our communities in finding inclusive accommodation options when they are planning their next trip away,” says Albert Kruger, CEO Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

Whether it’s a trip to one of Sydney WorldPride’s incredible Pride Village shows, effecting positive change at the Human Rights Conference, or getting immersed in Aussie rainbow culture as travel resumes, Booking.com aims to seamlessly help people discover new places and broaden their horizons.

Recognizing the important role properties play in providing a more inclusive experience, Booking.com began paving the way for everyone to Travel Proud with the launch of its free Proud Hospitality training program in August 2021. More than 15,000 accommodations, including over 1,200 alone across Australia and New Zealand are now being recognised for their inclusive hospitality efforts with a Travel Proud badge on Booking.com.

*Booking.com Travel Proud 2022 Research 

For further information, contact the Booking.com Australia Press Office team; bookingau@redhavas.com  

Aligned to the principle that reputable, third-party certification remains the gold standard in the industry, the new levels to the Travel Sustainable program provide even better visibility and recognition for currently uncertified properties that are taking steps to operate more responsibly with regards to their impact on the environment and their local community. The levels help illustrate a clearer pathway for accommodations to work towards eventual certification, especially those that might be at an earlier stage in their sustainability journey. The aim is to also help encourage and incentivize more accommodations to continue making progress towards that goal. 

For travelers, the new badge levels being introduced to Booking.com’s Travel Sustainable program have been designed to more clearly demonstrate a broader spectrum of where different accommodations are at on their individual sustainability journeys, as well as the specific measures they are implementing. The aim of the enhanced structure is to also more clearly highlight those accommodations that have made outstanding commitments and investments on this front to achieve one of more than 40 recognized ecolabels and certifications.

The new badge levels for Travel Sustainable are as follows:

Level 1: This new entry-level designation for the Travel Sustainable badge indicates that a property has implemented some impactful sustainability practices. This Level 1 badge will soon show up with one leaf and includes a full display of all practices that have been implemented.

Level 2: Accommodations receiving the Level 2 version of the Travel Sustainable badge have made considerable investments and efforts to implement impactful sustainability practices. The Level 2 badge will soon show up with two leaves and includes a full display of all practices that have been implemented.

Level 3: The Level 3 Travel Sustainable badge is reserved for those accommodations that have made large investments and efforts to implement impactful sustainability practices, but have not yet achieved an official third-party certification yet. The Level 3 badge will soon show up with three leaves and includes a full display of all practices that have been implemented.

Certified properties: Accommodations that have made huge commitments towards sustainability, including the additional effort and investment to achieve one of 40+ credible third-party certifications, receive the highest level of recognition as part of the Travel Sustainable program. These accommodations are recognized with a certified badge, including the name of their certification. In addition to those certifications officially approved by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), Green Tourism and the EU Ecolabel, the list of third-party certifications automatically qualified for this highest level of the Travel Sustainable program now also includes Green Seal, Nordic Swan Ecolabel, Green Hospitality Ecolabel, Ibex Fairstay, Fair Trade Tourism, LEED and Edge.

With the introduction of these new levels, 400,000+ accommodations on Booking.com are now being recognized for their efforts to operate more sustainably. The countries leading the way globally in terms of the highest number of accommodations receiving a Travel Sustainable badge on Booking.com are: Italy (46,365), France (27,677), Germany (24,038), Spain (23,650), United States (19,396), Brazil (19,160), India (15,743), United Kingdom (15,366), Greece (12,442) and Poland (10,745).

The new Travel Sustainable badge levels have already been introduced and communicated to Booking.com’s accommodation partners globally and will start to appear on the Booking.com website and app over the course of the coming weeks, with refreshed visuals to clearly distinguish the new levels of the program. The idea is to begin exploring how best to display this information in a way that is helpful to consumers throughout their journey on Booking.com.

More than 1.25 million accommodations globally on Booking.com have shared at least some information about the sustainability practices they have in place. Regardless of whether they have met the minimum impact threshold to receive the entry level version of the Travel Sustainable badge, these practices are transparently displayed on their listing page. For more information on how impact is assessed, as well as how the company is supporting accommodations to level up through educational materials in collaboration with external experts and organizations, visit sustainability.booking.com or refer to the details in the Travel Sustainable Handbook.
 

New filters for hybrid and fully electric rental cars

A new search filter for fully electric and hybrid rental cars is now live across the Booking.com app and website, making it easier for travelers to find more sustainable ground transport options for their next road trip, with hybrid vehicles and fully electric options available in 60 countries. As more rental car providers around the world expand their fleets with these more sustainable alternatives, inventory and availability is expected to increase over the coming year.

Carbon emissions information for accommodations and flights

As part of Booking.com’s new partnership with climate tech company CHOOOSE, carbon emissions data for accommodation bookings in Europe will be displayed for the first time on the platform in an effort to both understand where and how to present this information so it is useful for customers in their decision-making process. The aim is also to explore how to best integrate offsetting options as part of the booking process in an understandable and seamless way. The new features will first go live for accommodation options in Europe, with the intent to expand globally.

Similarly, together with CHOOOSE and in line with the aviation framework developed together with the Travalyst Coalition, Booking.com will also start providing information about the carbon emissions associated with flight options on the platform. The total carbon emissions footprint for a selected flight will start to be shown on the flight details page over the coming weeks. The option to sort flight searches based on this carbon emissions data will be introduced in 2023.

“As we optimize and develop our Travel Sustainable program further, our ambition is to continue making it easier for everyone to make more sustainable choices for their next trip,” said Danielle D’Silva, Head of Sustainability at Booking.com. “We’re examining every part of the trip on our platform and actively looking for ways to provide more information to travelers in a credible and trusted way. Whether it’s an apartment for a weekend getaway, an electric car for their upcoming road trip or carbon emissions data about a flight, our aim is to nudge our customers and partners towards these more responsible options and do our part to ensure a healthier future for our planet and industry.”

Booking.com’s Travel Sustainable Program is a key pillar of the company’s climate action commitments. For more information on Booking.com’s Travel Sustainable program please visit sustainability.booking.com, as well as for more detail on the company’s Climate Action Plan as part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG).

For media enquiries, please contact the Booking.com press office via mediarelations@booking.com.

The key objective of the new global partnership is to increase traveler awareness about the carbon implications of their trips. The partnership will start by exploring how best to provide transparent information about the carbon emissions associated with a booking on the platform, beginning with accommodation and then moving on to other travel products and services, including flights. In time, this will expand to the introduction of carbon offsetting options within the customer journey. The ultimate goal is to eventually provide travelers with the option to easily address the CO2 emissions associated with their trip directly on Booking.com, by supporting a portfolio of certified nature-based solutions aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Danielle D’Silva, Head of Sustainability at Booking.com, commented: “At Booking.com, we want to make it easier for everyone to experience the world in a more sustainable way. To that end, we released our Travel Sustainable program nearly one year ago to help encourage more sustainable practices amongst our partner travel providers and customers.” 

“With half of travelers citing that recent news about climate change has influenced them to make more sustainable travel choices, supporting travelers to make more informed decisions related to the carbon footprint of their trips is a top priority for us,” D’SIlva emphasizes. “Together with CHOOOSE, we can provide information in a more transparent manner, and through trusted climate projects, can offer another way for travelers to make more mindful travel decisions." 

"Recent research by Booking.com shows that sustainable travel is important to more than 4 out of 5 global travellers, with 50% citing the recent news about climate change as having an influence on them wanting to make more sustainable travel decisions. The challenging bit is that many still don’t know exactly where or how to start. That's why we are proud to team up with Booking.com making information about carbon emissions more accessible and ultimately actionable for people worldwide. Through the partnership, we can turn sustainable intentions into more concrete sustainable actions", says Andreas Slettvoll, CEO at CHOOOSE. 

To learn more about Booking.com’s Travel Sustainable program and overarching sustainability efforts, visit sustainability.booking.com.

Worldwide, the new partnership will connect travelers on the go with easy, seamless access to an even greater range of attractions and things to do, all instantly bookable in a couple of taps on Booking.com. 

Klook, the category leader for experiences in Asia, is the latest attractions partner to integrate with  Booking.com. Klook experiences are now live in over 175 cities, across over 30 markets on Booking.com, and the majority of these are available in Asia and Oceania.

Both Musement and Viator already collaborate with Booking.com to give global travelers unrivaled choice in terms of high-quality experiences from trusted providers, particularly in North American and European markets. From tours and theme parks to unique local experiences, Booking.com offers the ‘must-dos’ alongside the more niche and unusual attractions in over 1,100 destinations. 

Matthias Schmid, SVP for the Booking.com Trips Division, commented: “This year was an important year for travel. Borders are opening up, restrictions are easing, and travelers are once again traveling - and showing more enthusiasm and vigor than ever before.

“With everyone keen to get the most out of every opportunity, experiences are more important than ever. They make a trip special, meaningful and above all, memorable.

“What a time to be partnering with Klook, a well-known, highly respected household name for travel and experiences, particularly in the Asia Pacific, where this new partnership will significantly increase our coverage and offering within the region. We’re very excited about this collaboration and all the new attractions and experiences we can now provide.”

Wilfred Fan, Chief Commercial Officer, Klook, commented: “We’re delighted to partner with Booking.com, connecting their user base to the amazing and unique experiences that the Asia Pacific region has to offer. Cross-border travel in Asia Pacific is just taking off, and this partnership will enable our merchants to reach an even larger customer demographic globally and accelerate travel recovery in the region.”

As the renaissance of global travel continues at pace, the Booking.com platform connects millions of customers to a vast number of attractions all around the world. Supporting the recovery of museums, tours and other activities, it’s also helping to support the local communities that so often depend on them.

Travelers can simply visit the Attractions tab on Booking.com to book an attraction or experience. Any tour or activity operator interested in the Klook partnership with Booking.com can reach out to Klook via https://merchant.klook.com/introduction.

On Booking.com, travelers can arrange every element of their trip in one go, from finding the right flight to renting a car, from arranging a local tour to booking the perfect stay whether that’s a holiday home near the beach, a traditional ryokan, a five-star hotel or a city apartment for a weekend getaway. Trip planning has never been easier.

With recent research from Booking.com revealing price as one of the top priorities for travelers when planning a trip (48% of global travelers), the Level 3 expansion of Genius is the travel platform’s latest commitment to making it easier for everyone to experience the world.

Designed to make every trip a better experience, Booking.com’s loyalty program is completely free, easily accessible and membership lasts a lifetime – travelers simply need to create an account to achieve Genius status for life. As Genius members unlock new levels, they get access to larger discounts and more travel rewards that never expire.

18% of global travelers consider discounts or cashback offers as one of the most important factors of a trip, and Genius Level 3 members can enjoy up to 20% off. Never fear, discounts are available to all Genius members at over 390,000 participating properties all around the world, whether it’s up to 15% available on Genius Level 2 or up to 10% on Genius Level 1, leaving travelers of all levels with sweet savings to put towards splurging on other parts of their travel experience.

And in addition to the free breakfasts and free room upgrades at participating properties for Genius Level 2 and Level 3 members, the newest tier promises members priority customer support with a live agent for those times when things don’t go to plan, answering the wishes of 43% of global travelers seeking real-time service support.

Genius members of all Levels can find their next deal by looking for the Genius label on participating properties. To find out more about Booking.com Genius, or receive a lifetime of travel perks, visit: https://www.booking.com/genius.html.

As Official Travel Partner and as part of its mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, Booking.com is committed to helping Eurovision Song Contest fans everywhere make the most of their music-inspired travels, wherever that may take them. Whether it’s living it up like a pop star in a swanky suite or kicking back in a trendy apartment that’s just steps away from all the action, with more than 27 million listings in hotels, homes and other unique places to stay, there is a perfect option for every music lover. 

A world of melodious travel experiences is just a few taps away on the Booking.com app. From a road trip to explore Piemonte’s picturesque landscapes and legendary vineyards to discovering the food, culture and architecture that makes the city special, there are tons of great things to do in Turin to make new memories in between the Eurovision Song Contest’s iconic live shows.

“We are so excited to be coming on board again as the Official Travel Partner for the Eurovision Song Contest,” said Arjan Dijk, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Booking.com. “As access to live performances and travel are opening up again in many parts of the world, Booking.com is looking forward to playing a role in making it easier for millions of Eurovision fans to come together and celebrate the world’s biggest and most beloved live music event, as well as its message of unity and inclusion, whether that’s in-person in Turin, from the comfort of their own home or a unique vacation stay.”

“We are delighted that Booking.com is returning as the Official Travel Partner for the Eurovision Song Contest,” adds Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest. “As the world begins to start travelling again this is a perfect time to partner the world’s largest live music event and one of the world’s leading digital travel companies to help fans experience—in-person—the languages, music, and culture they discover through the Eurovision Song Contest.”

With a theme of ‘The Sound of Beauty’, the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 is poised to continue its 66-year tradition of providing a platform for artists and performances that span a wide spectrum of styles, traditions and storytelling. Demonstrating that beauty comes in a variety of forms in both music and travel, Booking.com is tapping into this unique moment to spark people’s curiosity and inspire them to discover the people and places that make the Eurovision Song Contest so magical - no matter where they come from, what language they speak, who they love or how they identify.

In addition to an integrated brand presence during the live shows on May 10, May 12 and May 14, as the Official Travel Partner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2022  Booking.com will be working closely with the European Broadcast Union on additional broadcast, digital and social activities leading up to and during the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 to engage millions of Eurovision fans throughout Europe and the world with exclusive Eurovision-related travel content and unique, one-of-a-kind experiences.

The Booking.yeah campaign aims to showcase how easy it is for travelers to find and book the perfect trip, something that has been increasingly stressful for travelers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The cheeky ads featuring the charismatic Idris Elba highlight Booking.com products and features including free cancellation options at most properties, customized filters to find properties that perfectly meet traveler’s needs whether it’s having a kitchen or hot tub or being pet-friendly, as well as a wide choice of diverse accommodations - from hotels and homes to cabins and more. While Booking.com may not be “sexy” in the traditional sense, Idris Elba certainly is, and helps the brand make functional the new “sexy” with the goal of the ads being to inspire travelers and provide peace of mind, while having a bit of fun.

“I’m honored that Booking.com chose me to be their newest spokesperson and to have the opportunity to promote something I love - booking trips to different parts of the world,” said Idris Elba. “Booking.com’s sense of humor gels with mine, so I was thrilled to partner with a brand that doesn’t take themselves too seriously and focuses on just getting the job done of helping to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. Filming the ads was a blast and I hope that after two years of a global pandemic, they bring a smile and perhaps a laugh to viewers, and most importantly, peace of mind for travelers looking to get back out there again.”

To celebrate the campaign launch, Booking.com will give away up to half a million dollars in vacations - 100 trips at up to $5,000 each - during the “big game” inspired by any of the amazing destinations featured in this year’s commercials, including Booking.com’s spot. When viewers see a dream destination at any point during the game, all they need to do is tag @bookingcom on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook with #SendMeThere and #Sweepstakes to be entered for a chance to win a vacation bookable on Booking.com. The giveaway begins on February 13, 2022 at 6:30 pm ET, game kickoff, and ends at midnight, with winners chosen at random and ultimately deciding what destination they would like to visit that aligns with the destination spotted in the spot that inspired them. As easy as watching the game and scrolling social media, consumers can enter as many times as they want. For more information on how to enter, visit Booking.com’s social channels (Instagram.com/bookingcom, Twitter.com/bookingcom, Facebook.com/bookingcom) and for the Official Rules, visit Booking.com/sendmethere.

Developed by Horses & Mules, a creative consultancy based in LA, the integrated campaign will run for five weeks following its debut on February 13 across TV, including primetime, audio streaming and online channels, with Mindshare managing the media strategy and planning. The campaign includes a mix of :30 and :15 second spots, including the “big game” spot -”Idris Elba Says Things” - “Idris Says Things (Officially),” “Pretty Perfect” and “Peace Of Mind,” as well as two teaser videos - "Idris Calls His Legendary Spokes-Blokes For Advice" and "Idris Rehearses For His Big Game Debut" - featuring other famous brand spokesmen Isaiah Mustafa and Jonathan Goldsmith. An extended brand story - "Idris Elba Says More Things" - will also be exclusive for online channels. All of the spots can be viewed on YouTube.com/Bookingcom.

“The pandemic has no doubt made it challenging to experience the world over the past few years,” says Arjan Dijk, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Booking.com. “The new Booking.yeah campaign aims to showcase that Booking.com helps make it easier for travelers to book a trip and is the reliable platform to do so, with features from free cancellation to customized filters to the largest selection and choice of accommodations - hotels, homes and everything in between. Powerhouse talent Idris Elba truly helped bring the creative to life that Booking.com isn’t flashy or sexy, but we are really good at one thing - booking travelers the perfect vacation.”

While travelers continue to feel the implications of COVID-19 and navigate through uncertainty, one thing’s for sure - Americans are reclaiming a more positive way of thinking for 2022, with nearly three-quarters (72%)* of U.S. travelers saying they will say yes to any vacation opportunity if budget allows. More than half (58%)* of travelers are more open to different types of vacation than before the pandemic with 63%* saying they don’t mind where they go as long as it’s the type of trip they want. Not only are Americans optimistic about the future of travel, they consider it more important than ever, with 76%* of travelers affirming that travel helps their mental and emotional wellbeing more than other forms of rest and relaxation. As travelers embrace the new normal, flexibility is key, so it’s no surprise that the top three most important priorities when booking a trip are that they won’t lose money (38%)*, the ability to cancel (33%) and ability to reschedule free of charge (34%)*.

For more information on travel offerings, including Early 2022 Deals with discounts starting at 15%, visit Booking.com or download the Booking.com app.

Methodology:

*Travel Predictions 2022 research commissioned by Booking.com and conducted among a sample of adults who plan to travel for business or leisure in the next 12-24 months. In total 24,055 respondents across 31 countries and territories were polled (including 501 from Argentina, 1003 from Australia, 500 from Belgium, 1001 from Brazil, 500 from Canada, 1000 from China, 1007 from Colombia, 1001 from Croatia, 508 from Denmark, 1002 from France, 1000 from Germany, 1005 from Hong Kong, 1000 from India, 502 from Israel, 1003 from Italy, 1002 from Japan, 500 from Mexico, 501 from The Netherlands, 501 from New Zealand, 500 from Peru, 1000 from Russia, 1005 from Singapore, 1002 from South Korea, 1002 from Spain, 501 from Sweden, 501 from Switzerland, 504 from Taiwan, 500 from Thailand, 1000 from the UK, 1002 from the US and 501 from Vietnam). Respondents completed an online survey in August 2021.

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Creative Consultancy: Horses & Mules

CD, writer and other stuff: Ryan Gerber

CD, writer and other stuff: Sam Liu

Agency: In-house Booking.com

Production Company:  Anonymous Content

Managing Director / Executive Producer: Tor Fitzwilliams

Head of Production: Shion Hayasaka

Director: Tim Godsall

DOP: Tim Hudson

Producer: Peter Knowles

Editorial: Final Cut Editorial

Editor “Idris Says Things”: Rick Russell

Executive Producer: Michelle Corney

Producer: Maggie McDermott

VFX: Electric Theatre Collective

Creative Director: Giles Cheetham

VFX Supervisor: David Filipe

Executive Producer: Magda Krimitsou

Colorist: Jason Wallis

Sound Design / Mix: Machine Sound

Music: Barking Owl

Business Affairs/Talent Negotiation: Hailstorm

Photographer: Jan Opdekamp @Initials.LA

Assistants: Christian Jimenez , Louis-Philippe Beauduin , Gartzen Martinez

Retoucher: Patrick @EclipseRetouch

Agent: Karen de Schepper @Initials.LA

Client: Booking.com

Director Brand & Production: Carine van der Heijden

Head of Brand Creative: Diana Agudelo Hernandez

Global Brand Creative Manager: Dannika Coleman

Executive Brand Producer: Nadia Pack

Executive Brand Producer: Andrew Slough

Sr. Project Manager: Anja Roos

Head of Brand Studio: Nick Thiel

Designer, Motion: Giuliana Latte

Designer: Wei Lun Wang

Copywriter: Eric Suesz

Travelers continue to favor apartments and unique stays

For the fifth year in a row, apartments take the top spot in the Traveller Review Awards 2022 as the most-awarded property type globally, with 561,843 partners being recognized for their efforts. Hotels take the second spot with 172,530 properties being honored, followed by holiday homes (148,962), guest houses (98,466) and B&Bs (79,859). When it comes to homes, apartments and other unique places to stay, Italy leads with the most properties being recognized with an award (144,658), with Spain (83,654), France (79,278), Croatia (57,629) and Germany (56,977) rounding out the top five.

Warm and welcoming staff make the difference

When diving into the individual aspects of their stays that guests valued most at the 1,259,594 properties receiving a Traveller Review Award 2022, staff (9.0) cleanliness (8.9) and location (8.9) received the highest average marks globally. This is well above other aspects evaluated, such as facilities (8.6) or value for money (8.5), demonstrating the importance of those welcoming, friendly interactions during the stay, as well as health and hygiene in light of the evolving status of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Transport providers in the spotlight

For the third year in a row, rental car and airport taxi providers are also being recognized for their excellent service and smooth travel experiences, including 1,628 rental car pick-up locations across 160 countries worldwide. Spain leads with 220 rental car pick-up locations receiving a 2022 award, followed by Italy (177), France (141), the United States (108) and Australia (98). This year, 7,091 airport taxi drivers across 51 taxi providers, spanning 1,400 cities globally are also being honored with an award.

Arjan Dijk, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer for Booking.com, commented: “As the travel industry has remained vigilant and flexible in light of the continued uncertainty and travel restrictions we’ve seen over the course of the past year, the passion and dedication of our partners to create safe and welcoming travel experiences for everyone all over the world has continued to shine through. Looking towards the future with renewed optimism and hope, with these awards we recognize the incredible hospitality our partners deliver to travelers each and every day and thank them for their amazing devotion as we continue to rebuild together.”

2022’s Most Welcoming Places On Earth*

From iconic architectural wonders to pristine natural beauty, the 2022 Most Welcoming Places on Earth span the globe and offer travelers a range of memorable travel experiences. As the backdrop for blockbuster films and with its iconic carved cave structures honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the southern Italian marvel of Matera tops this year’s list of the 2022 Most Welcoming Cities in the World. The 2022 list also includes two honorees previously recognized in 2020: Taitung City in Taiwan and Monte Verde in Brazil.

2022's Most Welcoming Cities on Earth

1. Matera, Italy
2. Bled, Slovenia
3. Taitung City, Taiwan
4. Nafplio, Greece
5. Toledo, Spain
6. Monte Verde, Brazil
7. Bruges, Belgium
8. Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia
9. Ponta Delgada (Azores), Portugal
10. Hoi An, Vietnam

To find out more about these destinations, click here.

The 2022 Most Welcoming Regions span six continents and include Taitung County (Taiwan), Tasmania (Australia) and Nova Scotia (Canada) for the second year in a row.

2022's Most Welcoming Regions on Earth

1. Gorenjska (Slovenia)
2. Taitung County (Taiwan)
3. Tasmania (Australia)
4. Burgenland (Austria)
5. Seychelles
6. Canterbury (New Zealand)
7. Santa Cruz (Argentina)
8. Nova Scotia (Canada)
9. Limón (Costa Rica)
10. La Rioja (Spain)

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Note to Editors:

To be recognized with an award, accommodations and car rental pick-up locations had to have an average review score of 8.0 (out of 10) or higher based on at least 3 or 5 reviews respectively, as of 11:59pm (CET) on November 30, 2021. To be recognized with an award, airport taxi providers had to have an average review score of 4.5 (out of 5) or higher and completed 2,000 rides as of 11:59pm (CET) on November 30, 2021. Only customers that have actually stayed at an accommodation, rented a car or rode in a taxi can leave a review of their experience on Booking.com. As these reviews are never edited or adjusted in any way, travelers can reference them for an authentic account of what the real traveler experience is like at every place to stay or with every ground transport provider on Booking.com.

*Destinations were sorted by the total share of Traveller Review Award 2022 recipients when compared to the total amount of eligible properties in that city or region (accommodation only). Destinations also had to have an above-average amount of winners to be included on this list (50 award recipients or higher for cities and 500 recipients or higher for regions) and were curated for geographic spread.

With 66%* of American travelers stating they want to stay in a sustainable accommodation in the upcoming year, the brand-new, first of its kind Travel Sustainable badge makes finding and booking sustainable stays easier than ever. The Travel Proud badge denotes properties that have gone through Booking.com’s Proud Hospitality program training and are committed to offering more inclusive and welcoming experiences, which is more important than ever given over half (61%)** of American LGTBQ+ travelers reporting they have experienced some form of discrimination when traveling. In this new remote-working world, the Work-Friendly badge was developed to find vacation home properties, which almost half (45%)*** of Americans prefer to stay in, with amenities that allow travelers the ease of working from a new destination that they can explore once the laptop is put away.

To celebrate the thousands of properties available on Booking.com helping to bring new travel experiences to consumers, the global travel leader is making three exclusive, epic stays available: a Sustainable Stay at Mr. C in Miami, Travel Proud Trip at Moxy Chelsea in NYC and Work-Friendly Getaway at Level in Los Angeles. Bookers of Mr. C Miami, one of the first properties to receive the Travel Sustainable badge, will be treated to a farm-to-table dinner, a visit to a top-rated green marina, guided bike tour, and more. In New York City, guests staying at Travel Proud property Moxy Chelsea will enjoy a Broadway show, dinner at an LGBTQ+-owned restaurant, tickets to a museum dedicated to queer artists, and a walking tour showcasing moments in LGBTQ+ history. To achieve true work-life balance, bookers of the Level Los Angeles, offering the Work-Friendly badge, will be treated to a massage, guided hiking trip, meditation session, and more. All three experiences are available for exclusive one-time bookings on Booking.com starting December 6, 2021 at 12:00PM ET, for a two-night stay December 10 - 12, 2021 for $20.21.

“We’ve watched the world undergo countless challenges and changes over the past two years, so it’s no surprise that travelers’ values have shifted and are impacting the way they decide to rediscover the world again,” said Glenn Fogel, CEO of Booking.com. “At Booking.com, we must not only adapt to changing consumer perspectives, but also pave the way for a brighter travel future - from protecting the planet to ensuring everyone has inclusive travel experiences. We’re continuously innovating to make it easier to find the perfect place to stay and the recent launch of our new badges is just one step in our journey and commitment in helping Americans make more mindful and conscious travel choices.”

Making sustainable travel choices easier for everyone

With more than 28 million listings on Booking.com, it is increasingly important to showcase the impactful efforts accommodation partners are taking on their important journeys to create more sustainable experiences, and in turn, make it easier for travelers to find a sustainable way to stay. Booking.com’s Travel Sustainable badge is a credible, globally relevant sustainability measure that will provide highly coveted information to travelers looking to make more sustainable travel choices. The badge is available to any kind of property that has implemented a combination of sustainable practices that meet the requisite impact threshold for their destination. Designed to be applicable to a wide range of property types, from apartments, B&Bs and holiday homes to hotels, resorts and even treehouses, and adaptable to local realities and considerations, the initiative is a first of its kind in the industry. The goal of the badge is to make credible recognition of impactful sustainability efforts attainable for more properties worldwide and to provide travelers with a transparent, consistent and easy-to-understand way to identify a wider range of more sustainable stays, no matter where they want to travel. The Travel Sustainable badge and program helps reward and further encourage all accommodation providers to take the next steps on their individual sustainability journeys, ultimately increasing the overall amount of sustainable accommodation options available.

More welcoming stays for everyone

Almost two-thirds (63%)** of LGTBQ+ travelers have stated they have had uncomfortable or less-than-welcoming experiences at a property where they were staying. Booking.com is committed to supporting accommodation partners in delivering more inclusive and welcoming experiences through the Proud Hospitality training program. Booking.com partners can become a Proud Certified property by participating in a 75-minute online training session developed in partnership with HospitableMe. After completing the online course and making a commitment to deliver a more inclusive experience, Proud Certified partners will receive a Travel Proud badge on their property page to show potential guests that they can rely on a welcoming experience. 

Work from anywhere

As the pandemic has made remote work ubiquitous for many Americans, more travelers than ever are seeking the freedom that comes with being able to work from anywhere. Booking.com is making it easier than ever for digital nomads to find what they’re looking for with the Work-Friendly badge, requiring properties meet high quality service requirements, including great reviews and a cleanliness score of 8 or higher, as well as key amenities, such as free wi-fi and dedicated laptop-friendly workspaces. For travelers looking for longer stays at vacation rental properties offering the Work-Friendly badge, Booking.com recently launched extended stays beyond 30-nights, up to 45-nights, in the U.S., with special rates both weekly and monthly.

Almost two years of a global pandemic has forced us to make the most of what was on our doorsteps, rekindling our relationship with the community around us, and impacting the way we think about traveling as we seek to be more mindful about every trip we take. More than half (53%)**** of Americans agree it’s important that their trip is beneficial to the local community at their destination so they can have a positive impact with 64%**** wanting the money that they spend when traveling to go back to the local community and 65%**** seeking authentic experiences that are representative of the local culture. In addition to a more mindful approach to travel, the important benefits that travel has on health and wellbeing are now being acknowledged. As restrictions begin to ease, getting away on vacation will become the new form of self-care in 2022, with over three-quarters of Americans (76%)**** affirming that travel helps their mental and emotional wellbeing more than other forms of rest and relaxation.

Booking.com is committed to helping create a better, brighter future for travel, connecting travelers with places to stay that reflects a renewed outlook on rediscovering the world in a more mindful way. For more information on Proud Certified properties, visit booking.com/proud. For more information on sustainability at Booking.com, visit sustainability.booking.com.

Methodology:

*Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a sample of 29,349 respondents across 30 countries and territories (1,000 from USA, 1,007 from Canada, 1,000 from Mexico, 964 from Colombia, 1,000 from Brazil, 1,000 from Argentina, 999 from Australia, 941 from New Zealand, 1,001 from Spain, 1,000 from Italy, 1,000 from France, 1,000 from UK, 1,000 from Germany, 1,003 from Netherlands, 986 from Denmark, 1,000 from Sweden, 997 from Croatia, 1,005 from Russia, 1,003 from Israel, 1,000 from India, 1,000 from China, 1,005 from Hong Kong, 968 from Thailand, 963 from Singapore, 1,000 from Taiwan, 1,005 from Vietnam, 1,000 from South Korea, 1,000 from Japan, 1,002 from South Africa and 500 from Kenya ). In order to participate in this survey, respondents had to be 18 years of age or older, had to have traveled at least once in the past 12 months and must be planning to travel in 2021, and be either the primary decision maker or involved in the decision making of their travel. The survey was taken online and took place in March 2021.

**Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a sample of 3,052 LGBTQ+ travellers from the United States (500), Canada (400), the UK (500), the Netherlands (251), Germany (501), France (500), Australia (300) and New Zealand (100). The survey was taken online and took place in June & July 2021.

​​***Research commissioned by Booking.com and conducted among a sample of adults who are planning to travel in the next 12 months. In total 28,042 respondents across 28 countries and territories were polled (including 1003 from Argentina, 1002 from Australia, 1000 from Brazil, 1001 from Canada, 1000 from China, 1002 from Colombia, 1001 from Croatia, 1003 from Denmark, 1002 from France, 1005 from Germany, 1004 from Hong Kong, 1000 from India, 1002 from Israel, 1000 from Italy, 1000 from Japan, 1002 from Mexico, 1000 from Netherlands, 1000 from New Zealand, 1003 from Russia, 1000 from Singapore, 1003 from South Korea, 1005 from Spain, 1001 from Sweden, 1000 from Taiwan, 1003 from Thailand, 1000 from UK, 1000 from USA and 1000 from Vietnam). Respondents completed an online survey in January 2021.

****Travel Predictions 2022 research commissioned by Booking.com and conducted among a sample of adults who plan to travel for business or leisure in the next 12-24 months. In total 24,055 respondents across 31 countries and territories were polled (including 501 from Argentina, 1003 from Australia, 500 from Belgium, 1001 from Brazil, 500 from Canada, 1000 from China, 1007 from Colombia, 1001 from Croatia, 508 from Denmark, 1002 from France, 1000 from Germany, 1005 from Hong Kong, 1000 from India, 502 from Israel, 1003 from Italy, 1002 from Japan, 500 from Mexico, 501 from The Netherlands, 501 from New Zealand, 500 from Peru, 1000 from Russia, 1005 from Singapore, 1002 from South Korea, 1002 from Spain, 501 from Sweden, 501 from Switzerland, 504 from Taiwan, 500 from Thailand, 1000 from the UK, 1002 from the US and 501 from Vietnam). Respondents completed an online survey in August 2021.

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Making sustainable travel choices easier for everyone 

The company’s ambition, alongside the Travalyst Coalition in which Booking.com is a Founding Partner, is to create a universal and transparent measure for sustainable property information, across the industry. As such, this first version of the Booking.com Travel Sustainable badge leverages the first set of attributes validated by the Travalyst Independent Advisory Group. The badge focuses on highlighting practices that are most relevant to a broad range of property types, as well as their high-impact potential, whether it is an apartment in Chicago, a bed & breakfast nearby Niagara Falls or a resort in Palm Springs.  

Building off the credible standards for sustainable accommodation already in place, Booking.com has collaborated with industry experts, including through Booking.com’s leading role within the Travalyst Coalition and other industry experts, to identify a set of the most impactful practices for a property to consider in five key areas: waste, energy and greenhouse gases, water, supporting local communities and protecting nature. This foundational framework is currently further broken down into 32 specific sustainability measures or practices that properties can implement, including everything from eliminating single-use plastic toiletries or switching to LED light fixtures to running on 100% renewable energy sources or investing a certain percentage of profits into local community and conservation projects. 

For each one of these practices, Booking.com has also worked with reputable sustainability consultancy Sustainalize to develop a robust methodology that assesses these practices’ relative weight in the model. As these weights fully depend on the environmental and/or social impact of the practices, the model is fit for purpose to identify partners that pursue meaningful sustainability efforts. The calculation also considers the property’s location and accounts for its size, improving the model’s accuracy and applicability among the large variety of Booking.com’s partners. All these calculations come together, with each practice being weighted accordingly and taking local factors into account, to create an overall score for the property’s sustainability practices. While the goal has been to create a universal model, operating sustainably means different things in different markets. For example, water-reducing measures in an area prone to drought or sourcing renewable energy options in a country where that’s not yet widely available are weighted as being more impactful. More detailed information on how individual properties around the world have achieved the badge is available in this updated section of the Travel Sustainable Handbook on the Booking.com Partner Hub. 

Properties that meet the required threshold for impact are receiving the first version of the Travel Sustainable badge, including those with a broad range of existing certifications and labels, for example those officially approved by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), Green Tourism and the EU Ecolabel. This framework approach and measurement methodology have been officially developed within the Travalyst Coalition and approved by the Travalyst Independent Advisory Group, and continue to be developed with further consultation and advice from the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).  

"Booking.com have methodically developed, tested, and refined this method drawing from GSTC's expertise and the globally-recognized GSTC Criteria," says GSTC CEO Randy Durband, "lending strong credibility to the framework that has been so carefully crafted." 

“Building a truly sustainable travel industry will take time, coordination and concerted effort, but progress is possible through continued innovation, partner support and industry collaboration,” said Marianne Gybels, Director of Sustainability at Booking.com. “With our Travel Sustainable badge and program, we are recognizing the sustainability efforts of a broader range of properties around the world in a credible and transparent way for consumers. In addition to encouraging properties to strive towards achieving the Travel Sustainable badge, we believe it’s important to demonstrate that there is a spectrum for sustainability and that there is value in showcasing the growing number of properties that are at various stages on their individual sustainability journeys. Displaying the practices they have in place makes it easier for everyone to make a more informed and hopefully more sustainable choice for their next trip, no matter where they want to go. Thus also inspiring even more of our partners to take the next step to operate more sustainably.” 

Accelerating the sustainability journey 

According to a new study just released by EY Parthenon and Booking.com, despite emitting 264 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions per year, representing 10% of the total annual emissions of the tourism industry, the accommodation sector has the opportunity to lead the way in making travel and tourism more sustainable. While significant investments are needed to reach net zero by 2050 ($889 billion), the research findings highlight that many accommodations have already implemented a range of carbon emissions measures. With adoption levels of the most efficient available technologies and practices varying between 30% and 70%, there is significant opportunity for improvement. 

In addition, considering that 66% of US travelers state they want to stay in a sustainable accommodation in the upcoming year and with more than 28 million listings on Booking.com, the company sees a tremendous opportunity to showcase more of the impactful efforts its accommodation partners are taking on their important journeys to create more sustainable experiences, and in turn, make it easier for travelers to find a sustainable way to stay. The Travel Sustainable badge is also a concrete response to the almost two-thirds (62%) of US travelers who expect the industry to offer more sustainable options. And with over half (61%) indicating that they would be more likely to choose a specific accommodation if they knew it was implementing sustainable practices, the Travel Sustainable badge and program helps reward and further encourage all accommodation providers to take the next steps on their individual sustainability journeys, ultimately increasing the overall amount of sustainable accommodation options available.

During this first phase of launch, the Travel Sustainable badge and an overview of individual property sustainability efforts will initially be visible to travelers on property pages across the Booking.com app and website globally. As the rollout continues, the Travel Sustainable icon will also start to appear on property listings on the search results page over the coming weeks, along with a Travel Sustainable filter to help travelers identify more sustainable options from the beginning of their search experience on Booking.com. 

The list of measurable sustainability practices will continue to evolve and expand over the coming months, becoming increasingly locally relevant in terms of measurement, while maintaining a necessary level of global consistency. As additional practices are added over time, the plan is to also begin aligning this sustainability initiative with other Booking Holdings brands, as well as with other Travalyst coalition partners to ensure consistency across multiple platforms and enhanced sustainable choice for consumers. 

As part of the Travel Sustainable program, Booking.com continues to share guidance, insights and best practices with property partners via various educational opportunities, including handbooks and dedicated content on the Booking.com Partner Hub. For more information on sustainability at Booking.com, please visit sustainability.booking.com. 

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About Booking.com:  

Part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), Booking.com’s mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world whenever it’s safe to do so again. By investing in the technology that helps take the friction out of travel, Booking.com seamlessly connects millions of travelers with memorable experiences, a range of transportation options and incredible places to stay - from homes to hotels and much more. As one of the world’s largest travel marketplaces for both established brands and entrepreneurs of all sizes, Booking.com enables properties all over the world to reach a global audience and grow their businesses. Booking.com is available in 44 languages and offers more than 28 million total reported accommodation listings, including more than 6.6 million listings of homes, apartments and other unique places to stay. No matter where you want to go or what you want to do, Booking.com makes it easy and backs it all up with 24/7 customer support. 

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, like us on Facebook, and for the latest news, data and insights, please visit our global media room. 

Travalyst 

Founded by The Duke of Sussex in partnership with Booking.com, Skyscanner, Trip.com Group, Tripadvisor, Visa, and newly-joined by Google, Travalyst’s ambition is to unlock the impact of travel for good. The aim is to drive forward a new, more responsible model for travel that builds upon the work of existing standards, with the goal of making them easier to understand for consumers and businesses, and in turn, implementing and scaling them across the broadest possible range of travel service providers. Travalyst is continuing to develop a world-first system that can deliver a uniform, industry-wide sustainability framework across multiple platforms; to ultimately enable travellers to make more sustainable choices. Find out more at www.travalyst.org. 

Making sustainable travel choices easier for everyone

The company’s ambition, alongside the Travalyst Coalition in which Booking.com is a Founding Partner, is to create a universal and transparent measure for sustainable property information, across the industry. As such, this first version of the Booking.com Travel Sustainable badge leverages the first set of attributes validated by the Travalyst Independent Advisory Group. The badge focuses on highlighting practices that are most relevant to a broad range of property types, as well as their high-impact potential, whether it is an apartment in Amsterdam, a homestay in India or a resort along the Gold Coast in Australia.

Building off the credible standards for sustainable accommodation already in place, Booking.com has collaborated with industry experts, including through Booking.com’s leading role within the Travalyst Coalition and other industry experts, to identify a set of the most impactful practices for a property to consider in five key areas: waste, energy and greenhouse gases, water, supporting local communities and protecting nature. This foundational framework is currently further broken down into 32 specific sustainability measures or practices that properties can implement, including everything from eliminating single-use plastic toiletries or switching to LED light fixtures to running on 100% renewable energy sources or investing a certain percentage of profits into local community and conservation projects.

For each one of these practices, Booking.com has also worked with reputable sustainability consultancy Sustainalize to develop a robust methodology that assesses these practices’ relative weight in the model. As these weights fully depend on the environmental and/or social impact of the practices, the model is fit for purpose to identify partners that pursue meaningful sustainability efforts. The calculation also considers the property’s location and accounts for its size, improving the model’s accuracy and applicability among the large variety of Booking.com’s partners. All these calculations come together, with each practice being weighted accordingly and taking local factors into account, to create an overall score for the property’s sustainability practices. While the goal has been to create a universal model, operating sustainably means different things in different markets. For example, water-reducing measures in an area prone to drought or sourcing renewable energy options in a country where that’s not yet widely available are weighted as being more impactful. More detailed information on how individual properties around the world have achieved the badge is available in this updated section of the Travel Sustainable Handbook on the Booking.com Partner Hub.

Properties that meet the required threshold for impact are receiving the first version of the Travel Sustainable badge, including those with a broad range of existing certifications and labels, for example those officially approved by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), Green Tourism and the EU Ecolabel. This framework approach and measurement methodology have been officially developed within the Travalyst Coalition and approved by the Travalyst Independent Advisory Group, and continue to be developed with further consultation and advice from the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

"Booking.com have methodically developed, tested, and refined this method drawing from GSTC's expertise and the globally-recognized GSTC Criteria," says GSTC CEO Randy Durband, "lending strong credibility to the framework that has been so carefully crafted."

“Building a truly sustainable travel industry will take time, coordination and concerted effort, but progress is possible through continued innovation, partner support and industry collaboration,” said Marianne Gybels, Director of Sustainability at Booking.com. “With our Travel Sustainable badge and program, we are recognizing the sustainability efforts of a broader range of properties around the world in a credible and transparent way for consumers. In addition to encouraging properties to strive towards achieving the Travel Sustainable badge, we believe it’s important to demonstrate that there is a spectrum for sustainability and that there is value in showcasing the growing number of properties that are at various stages on their individual sustainability journeys. Displaying the practices they have in place makes it easier for everyone to make a more informed and hopefully more sustainable choice for their next trip, no matter where they want to go. Thus also inspiring even more of our partners to take the next step to operate more sustainably.”

Accelerating the sustainability journey

According to a new study just released by EY Parthenon and Booking.com, despite emitting 264 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions per year, representing 10% of the total annual emissions of the tourism industry, the accommodation sector has the opportunity to lead the way in making travel and tourism more sustainable. While significant investments are needed to reach net zero by 2050 (€768 billion), the research findings highlight that many accommodations have already implemented a range of carbon emissions measures. With adoption levels of the most efficient available technologies and practices varying between 30% and 70%, there is significant opportunity for improvement.

In addition, considering that 81% of global travelers state they want to stay in a sustainable accommodation in the upcoming year and with more than 28 million listings on Booking.com, the company sees a tremendous opportunity to showcase more of the impactful efforts its accommodation partners are taking on their important journeys to create more sustainable experiences, and in turn, make it easier for travelers to find a sustainable way to stay. The Travel Sustainable badge is also a concrete response to the more than two-thirds (67%) of travelers who expect the industry to offer more sustainable options. And with three-quarters (73%) indicating that they would be more likely to choose a specific accommodation if they knew it was implementing sustainable practices, the Travel Sustainable badge and program helps reward and further encourage all accommodation providers to take the next steps on their individual sustainability journeys, ultimately increasing the overall amount of sustainable accommodation options available.

During this first phase of launch, the Travel Sustainable badge and an overview of individual property sustainability efforts will initially be visible to travelers on property pages across the Booking.com app and website globally. As the rollout continues, the Travel Sustainable icon will also start to appear on property listings on the search results page over the coming weeks, along with a Travel Sustainable filter to help travelers identify more sustainable options from the beginning of their search experience on Booking.com.

The list of measurable sustainability practices will continue to evolve and expand over the coming months, becoming increasingly locally relevant in terms of measurement, while maintaining a necessary level of global consistency. As additional practices are added over time, the plan is to also begin aligning this sustainability initiative with other Booking Holdings brands, as well as with other Travalyst coalition partners to ensure consistency across multiple platforms and enhanced sustainable choice for consumers.

As part of the Travel Sustainable program, Booking.com continues to share guidance, insights and best practices with property partners via various educational opportunities, including handbooks and dedicated content on the Booking.com Partner Hub. For more information on sustainability at Booking.com, please visit sustainability.booking.com.

Where are Americans most interested in having an "endless summer" well after Labor Day? Florida is the top searched state by American travelers for late summer trips and getaways well into the fall season** and, in keeping with consumer sentiment, Booking.com is offering one lucky traveler the chance to book an incredible vacation rental in the Florida Keys for just $20 for a weeklong stay. The epic property, dubbed “Villa of the Setting Sun,” professionally managed by Vacasa, boasts 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, large kitchen with a wine fridge, game room complete with a pool table and a wet bar, not to mention a wraparound balcony with views of a picturesque pool and private beach.

This “Endless Summer Stay” will open for a one-time booking on National Beach Day, August 30, 2021, at 12:00 PM ET for $20 on a first-come-first-served basis, for a weeklong stay, September 30, 2021 - October 6, 2021. The experience will also include activities courtesy of Booking.com, including a private chef on the first and last night of the stay, cocktail session with a mixologist, in-house spa services, and a water aerobics class, as well as special amenities such as yard games, pool floaties, an ultimate “travel selfie space,” and more. All guests need to do is relax in a hammock, take a swim in the pool, launch a kayak or paddleboard at high tide and enjoy the fact that it’s “always summer in the South.”

If travelers miss out on the “Endless Summer Stay,” Booking.com still has them covered. With almost half (45%)* of Americans preferring to stay in a vacation home or apartment when traveling, the global travel leader is making it easier to extend summer vacations by offering 20% back in Travel Credits, up to $150, for Americans who book a vacation rental nationwide. Bookings must be made between August 16, 2021 - September 12, 2021 at valid property types - Holiday Homes, Apartments, Aparthotels, Villas, Chalets - using promo code RENTAL20 for check-in dates before December 31, 2021. A Booking.com account is required to receive the Travel Credits, which can be applied towards a future stay at select properties for 12 months after being issued.

Eric Bergaglia, the global head of Booking.com’s homes and apartments business, commented: “our data shows that as we get back to travel, 75%* of Americans are looking forward to meeting up with family and friends after so much time apart, making a vacation rental the ideal type of property to reconnect with plenty of space and amenities.” Bergaglia continued: “with the 20% Travel Credits and our $20 ‘Endless Summer Stay,’ we aim to bring Americans together and make it easier to make up for lost time with loved ones.”

No matter travelers' summer vacation style, Booking.com has something for everyone. With vacation rentals that are instantly bookable with no extra fees ranging from beach houses to mountain cabins, city apartments to homes nestled in nature, and everything in between, Booking.com has options to suit every traveler's budget—from affordable to luxury. With amenities that only a vacation rental can offer, whether more space, modern kitchens, spacious backyard, private pools and more, the privacy of having an entire place to yourself is a great option for anything from a family vacation to a romantic getaway to a group friend trip. 

For travelers looking for longer stays at vacation rental properties, Booking.com recently launched extended stays beyond 30-nights in the U.S., with special rates both weekly and monthly. Booking.com is committed to continuously enhancing vacation rental offerings for consumers, with the option for guests to book and stay up to 45-nights implemented this past July, making it easier for travelers to find the perfect place for a longer stay.

For more information on Booking.com’s “Endless Summer Stay,” the 20% Travel Credits offer and inspiration on where to have an endless summer in the South at top vacation rental properties, visit: Booking.com/endless-summer-homes. 

METHODOLOGY

*Research commissioned by Booking.com and conducted among a sample of adults who are planning to travel in the next 12 months. In total 28,042 respondents across 28 countries and territories were polled (including 1003 from Argentina, 1002 from Australia, 1000 from Brazil, 1001 from Canada, 1000 from China, 1002 from Colombia, 1001 from Croatia, 1003 from Denmark, 1002 from France, 1005 from Germany, 1004 from Hong Kong, 1000 from India, 1002 from Israel, 1000 from Italy, 1000 from Japan, 1002 from Mexico, 1000 from Netherlands, 1000 from New Zealand, 1003 from Russia, 1000 from Singapore, 1003 from South Korea, 1005 from Spain, 1001 from Sweden, 1000 from Taiwan, 1003 from Thailand, 1000 from UK, 1000 from USA and 1000 from Vietnam). Respondents completed an online survey in January 2021.

**Top searched state based on searches by American travelers during the month of July (as of July 27th). The time between search and check in date had to be between 29 and 90 days to qualify as a "late summer search".

On the road to even better recommendations

One way to understand what constitutes a good recommendation is looking at what previous travellers have chosen and the experiences that their choices yielded. Machine learning techniques are well suited to learning such connections and preferences. However, the problem is that the connections and preferences found in the data are not only informed by the choices of other travellers, but also by the suggestions and selections the system showed them. In the Mercury Machine Learning Lab, researchers from the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and Delft University of Technology will work together with data scientists from Booking.com to develop methods that will ensure that this type of bias is avoided and that the learned connections remain accurate in a new or different context.

From the classroom to real-time e-commerce

Joris Mooij, Scientific Director of the Mercury Machine Learning Lab at the UvA: ‘It's a huge opportunity for us as researchers to have access to a live dataset of global data and be able to experiment on Booking.com's platform.’ Frans Oliehoek and Matthijs Spaan, Scientific Directors from TU Delft, agree. Oliehoek: ‘By testing AI techniques in the real world, we can better understand the limitations of current state-of-the-art methods in the field of reinforcement learning, as well as improve the application of AI in practice.’ Spaan: ‘The lab's focus on developing better algorithms for recommender systems is highly relevant to our society as these systems guide many of our digital interactions. By addressing fundamental AI challenges, the results of the lab will also be valuable in other domains.’

Onno Zoeter, Principal Data Scientist and Booking.com Scientific Director adds: ‘Unlike in a hospital scenario for example, where experimenting with different types of data-driven recommendation systems can have real life-and-death consequences for patients and their suggested treatment protocols, testing approaches, models and hypotheses with travel data from Booking.com doesn’t come with the same public health implications. This means we can safely test and develop new machine-learning methods together that also have a potential impact far beyond the trips booked on our platform.’

Learnings from other languages

Artificial intelligence and natural language processing are already used to perform many important tasks in different languages, such as categorising reviews and fraud detection. The researchers will look for ways of creating a system with multiple languages in which the smaller languages can benefit from what has been learned in models and rounds of experimentation with languages that are spoken more widely. This should enable Booking.com to support all 44 languages and dialects in which their platform is available to customers in various new contexts, even more quickly.

Nurturing Dutch talent

The Mercury Machine Learning Lab will be part of ICAI, the Innovation Center for Artificial Intelligence. The Lab will provide world-class opportunities for Machine Learning graduates to stay in the Netherlands and lead innovative research, keeping important talent connected to Dutch universities and industry.

In addition to the existing researchers, the Mercury Machine Learning Lab will comprise six PhD candidates and two postdocs who will work on six different projects related to bias and generalisation problems over the course of the next five years. They will spend two days a week in the office at Booking.com doing research and actively participating in related streams of experimentation to test their hypotheses.

Viator is a Tripadvisor company and leader in experiences with a marketplace of over 400,000 tours and activities around the world. The integration with Booking.com will begin with key destinations in North America and Europe, with additional destinations and inventory to follow over the coming months.

“Experiences are the most memorable part of any trip, and we’re delighted to bring more tour and activity options to Booking.com’s travelers, particularly as travel returns,” said Sarah Dines, Vice president of Business Development at Viator. “Bringing our experiences inventory to Booking.com’s massive audience of travelers is an exciting integration for travelers and tour operators alike.” 

Bryan Batista, SVP of Booking.com’s Trips Division, commented, “As people start to think about traveling again, we are pleased to be teaming up with Viator, to provide our customers with an expanded choice of relevant tours, attractions and activities in key destinations around the world. This collaboration further underlines our ambition and commitment to create a seamless end-to-end experience across the entire travel journey. We’ll continue to innovate and focus on making it easier for travelers to experience the very best a destination has to offer, ready in time for when we can all travel more freely and widely again.”

This integration marks the first time Viator and Booking.com have partnered on experiences, and will bring added value and increased choice to Booking.com’s customers, as well as Viator’s global community of tour operators and providers. 

To browse the growing variety of great things to do around the world as travel and destinations start to open up again, travelers can visit the Attractions tab on Booking.com. For tours, activities and attractions that are interested in the Viator integration with Booking.com, they can reach out to Viator Supplier Support using the ‘Chat Us’ feature in the Management Center for more details.

Booking.com’s research confirms the vital role travel can have in our lives and its power to uplift spirits: with 61%* of Americans saying they have realized travel is critical to their emotional well-being and 60%* saying they have re-evaluated the importance of travel in their life as being more important now than before the pandemic started. To help Americans on their journey back to travel, as it is safe to do so, any American can activate Booking.com’s $50 post-stay promotional travel credit in the Booking.com app by April 30, 2021, then book a stay in the app by May 31, 2021 and complete that stay by December 31, 2021. After that stay, the $50 promotional travel credit will be automatically deposited into a customer’s Booking.com account, redeemable for one year for a future trip on select properties. With a mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, Booking.com's travel credits support Americans' desire to rediscover the places, people, cultures and experiences they love and have been missing, whenever they are ready, and support properties and destinations in beginning to welcome back the guests they have been missing given the toll the pandemic has taken on the travel industry.

“We’ve seen, firsthand, the resilience, ingenuity, and empathy of the diverse populace of the American people, who are increasingly determined to progress and move towards a better, brighter future healing together,” said Glenn Fogel, CEO of Booking.com. “We know recovery will take time, and we know it will take the entire industry working together to get travel back on its feet, so we hope these promotional credits can be one small piece of support for the travel industry. As we start to see a light at the end of the tunnel, we encourage all those across the travel category as well as state, local, and federal governments to come together and implement solutions to revive and support travel, helping to make it easier to connect Americans to the destinations and properties they have been missing, when the time is right.”

Booking.com is committed to working with governments on measures to help the industry recover and supports government financial subsidies to help the industry, something that two-thirds (66%*) of Americans agree with and half (49%*) of Americans say they don’t think the industry will survive without. More than two-fifths (42%*) of Americans feel the government has provided clear and consistent travel guidance; however, Americans are still looking for governments to do more in assisting with wider access to pre-travel COVID-19 testing (71%*) and stronger collaboration with travel associations and providers to set more consistent standards and prevent confusion when it comes to travel advice and rules (70%*). Additionally, while 74%** of Booking.com’s accommodation partners in the U.S. say that are cautiously optimistic about the future of their business, they share travelers’ mindset that the industry needs support, more than half (60%**) would like to see governments do more in the future to support the travel industry during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

American travelers themselves are also interested in personally helping to support the travel industry, with the top actions they’d like to take being: booking trips throughout 2021 (27%*), booking independent hotels / accommodations (26%*), choosing less frequented destinations (24%*) and booking accommodations in or near their hometown for a staycation (20%*).

Americans still plan to stick with the familiar and be cautiously optimistic given the impact COVID-19 has had on travel. 69%* said they prefer to travel closer to home for the foreseeable future and 54%* said they would opt for lots or shorter trips vs. long breaks (46%*). That said, some travelers are willing to do whatever it takes if it meant they could visit wherever they wanted, with 57%* saying they would accept they could only travel if they provided proof they’ve been vaccinated for COVID-19, 65%* providing a negative COVID-19 test before traveling and 51%* downloading an app for COVID-19 contact tracing.

Booking.com’s goal is to help U.S. travelers begin to once again be able to experience the places they have been dreaming of, and support all of the incredible accommodations looking forward to another day where their rooms are full of people eager to reconnect with all that travel can do for humanity and communities. To book a stay and activate the $50 travel credit for a future trip, open or download the Booking.com app and click the “activate promotion” button. More details can also be found on Booking.com/BackToTravel.

At Booking.com, it's our goal to make sure travelers stay safe. We advise travelers to follow any travel advice updates from local government and health organizations, including state-to-state travel regulations with any quarantine measures in place, as well as adhere to appropriate safety measures.

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METHODOLOGY

*Research commissioned by Booking.com and conducted among a sample of adults who are planning to travel in the next 12 months. In total 28,042 respondents across 28 countries and territories were polled (including 1003 from Argentina, 1002 from Australia, 1000 from Brazil, 1001 from Canada, 1000 from China, 1002 from Colombia, 1001 from Croatia, 1003 from Denmark, 1002 from France, 1005 from Germany, 1004 from Hong Kong, 1000 from India, 1002 from Israel, 1000 from Italy, 1000 from Japan, 1002 from Mexico, 1000 from Netherlands, 1000 from New Zealand, 1003 from Russia, 1000 from Singapore, 1003 from South Korea, 1005 from Spain, 1001 from Sweden, 1000 from Taiwan, 1003 from Thailand, 1000 from UK, 1000 from USA and 1000 from Vietnam). Respondents completed an online survey in January 2021.

**Research commissioned by Booking.com and conducted among a sample of Booking.com accommodation partners. In total 3,491 respondents across 20 countries and territories were polled (including 86 in Australia, 85 in Austria, 177 in Brazil, 12 in China, 212 in Croatia, 395 in France, 296 in Germany, 136 in Greece, 109 in India, 69 in Indonesia, 492 in Italy, 79 in Japan, 55 in Mexico, 120 in Poland, 96 in Portugal, 197 in Russia, 353 in Spain, 65 in Thailand, 218 in UK and 241 in US). Respondents completed an online survey in February 2021.

With a mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world and more than 28 million accommodation listings in more than 153,000 destinations worldwide, Booking.com is committed to help Eurovision fans everywhere make the most of their music-inspired travels. Whether that’s a bucket list trip to one of Eurovision’s legendary live shows or to experience the country, culture and traditions of one of their favorite performers as travel starts to open up again, Booking.com aims to seamlessly help people discover new places and broaden their horizons, as it is safe to do so.

Just as Eurovision has leveraged the power of music to inspire and break down barriers for the past 65 years, so does travel help promote enhanced understanding and acceptance. As such, Booking.com is honored to play a role in helping more than 180 million fans from across Europe and around the world to come together to celebrate one of the world’s most-popular live television entertainment events and its message of unity and inclusion, whether that’s in-person or from the comfort of home.

“As a company with proud Dutch roots and a passion for helping people to discover the amazing diversity the world has to offer, we are absolutely thrilled to come on board as the Official Travel Partner of Eurovision in 2021,” said Arjan Dijk, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Booking.com. “In a time of separation, closed borders and restrictions, this year’s theme of Open Up is more timely than ever and in perfect harmony with our own values and optimistic outlook as a brand for everyone. We’re delighted to help welcome Eurovision fans to our home country and the vibrant city of Rotterdam, whether that’s in-person or via the screen of their smartphone. We hope to inspire new audiences to further explore the amazing people and places that make the Eurovision experience so special - not only during this one week in May, but throughout the entire year.”

“We are delighted to welcome Booking.com as the Official Travel Partner for the Eurovision Song Contest 2021,” added Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest. 

“This is a perfect partnership between the world’s largest live music event and one of the world’s leading digital travel companies. The Eurovision Song Contest gives millions of viewers every year the chance to experience the diversity of Europe in their own homes. As we eventually Open Up, our new partner can help them experience, in person, the languages, music and culture they discover through the Eurovision Song Contest.”

In addition to an integrated brand presence during the live shows on May 18, May 20 and May 22, as the Official Travel Partner of the ESC, Booking.com will be working closely with the EBU on additional broadcast, digital and social activities and promotions leading up to and during the 2021 ESC to engage the millions of Eurovision fans throughout Europe and the world with exclusive Eurovision-related travel content and digital experiences.

“As trips became fewer and further between, each and every trip meant more to travelers than ever before, and it has become even more important to celebrate the outstanding service that the Traveller Review Award winners displayed during a year like no other,” said Arjan Dijk, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer for Booking.com. “On our mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, our partners play such an impactful role in delivering amazing experiences to travelers and I know that with their tenacity, partnership and passion, we can rebuild travel together, and help more and more travelers to rediscover our beautiful world over time.”

With so many incredible winners to highlight, Booking.com is uncovering the key attributes of a great stay, the Most Welcoming Regions on Earth and the incredible diverse offering that makes up the pool of partners that can proudly display a Traveller Review Award 2021.

Essential Attributes of a Great Stay

The Booking.com Traveller Review Awards 2021 reveal insights into traveler preferences throughout the past year, uncovering that travelers appreciate staff, cleanliness and location most when reviewing award-winning properties on the platform, with those attributes scoring highest among the categories that travelers rate following their stay. With consumers increasingly conscious of health and hygiene, notably, on average, winners had a cleanliness score that was 17% higher than the average cleanliness score for non-winners, suggesting it may be a differentiator for a more perfect welcome.

2021’s Most Welcoming Places

Based on the share of properties receiving a Traveller Review Award 2021, Booking.com is revealing the Most Welcoming Regions on Earth for travelers to experience the best in hospitality and friendliness whenever it’s safe again to do so. From Taitung County (Taiwan) and Tasmania (Australia) to Prešovský kraj (Slovakia) and Oberösterreich (Austria) to Nova Scotia (Canada) and Iowa (United States) to Chubut (Argentina) and Minas Gerais (Brazil), these places reveal hospitality can be found in every corner of the globe. To learn more about these remarkable regions, click here.

Homes, Apartments and Unique Places Remain Top Traveler Favorites

While hotels remained the second most-awarded accommodation type globally for 2021, for the fourth consecutive year, four out of the five top-awarded accommodation types globally are unique places to stay: apartments (484,243), hotels (175,748), holiday homes (123,145), guest houses (94,003) and bed and breakfasts (78,903).

Bed and breakfasts, farm stays, country houses, inns and guest houses accounted for the most welcoming accommodation types globally, signaling just how memorable unique stay experiences are for travelers across the globe.** With alternative accommodations accounting for 30% of all new bookings in the third quarter of 2020, Booking.com is proud to offer so many unique stay experiences bringing superior hospitality to travelers.

Transport Partners Kept Travelers Moving

Recent Booking.com research shows that 24% of travelers globally took a road trip in 2020 and 32% traveled more domestically in 2020 when compared to 2019***. As road trips and domestic travel became more common over the last year, Booking.com understands the immense undertaking that its transport partners faced including increased customer demand in certain markets and swift introduction of increased cleanliness measures in between pick-ups, provision of masks and sanitizers and minimizing customer contact and social distancing, among other initiatives.

This year, 2,100 rental car pick-up locations available on Booking.com, which offers rental cars in 160 countries worldwide, have been awarded. The top-awarded car rental pick-up locations globally include Christchurch Airport (New Zealand), Coolangagtta Gold Coast Airport (Australia), Phuket Airport (Thailand), Queenstown Airport (New Zealand), Orlando International Airport (United States), Tenerife Airport North (Spain), Thessaloniki Airport (Greece), Santorini Airport (Greece), Paphos Airport (Greece) and Larnaca Airport (Cyprus). Airport taxis, which are available in over 800 destinations globally, are also being recognized for their outstanding service, with 2,830 drivers across 18 providers winning Traveller Review Awards.

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*Destinations were sorted by the total share of Traveller Review Award 2021 winners when compared to the total amount of eligible properties in that city (accommodation only). Destinations also had to have an above-average amount of winners to be included on this list (50 award recipients or higher) and were curated for geographic spread.

**Accommodation type categories were sorted by the total share of Traveller Review Award 2021 winners when compared to the total number of eligible properties in that segment.

***Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a sample of 47,728 respondents across 28 markets (1,997 from USA, 1,987 from Canada, 1,999 from Mexico, 2,003 from Colombia, 1,996 from Brazil, 2,002 from Argentina, 1,994 from Australia, 985 from New Zealand, 1,993 from Spain, 1,993 from Italy, 1,993 from France, 1,984 from UK, 1,989 from Germany, 1,977 from Netherlands, 983 from Denmark, 986 from Sweden, 998 from Croatia, 1,997 from Russia, 999 from Israel, 1,997 from India, 1,992 from China, 991 from Hong Kong, 1,991 from Thailand, 1,977 from Singapore, 998 from Taiwan, 953 from Vietnam, 1,990 from South Korea, 1,987 from Japan). In order to participate in this survey, respondents had to be 18 years of age or older, had to have traveled at least once in the past 12 months and be either the primary decision maker or involved in the decision making of their travel. The survey was taken online and took place in November 2020.

Encouraging customers to rebook their original property, Booking.com will offer them a 15% reward  after their stay, valid for bookings made until December 31st, 2020 with checkout date until April 30th, 2021. To help further support its accommodation partners, Booking.com is also waiving commissions on reservations made as part of this campaign.

This announcement follows other initiatives designed to support partners throughout this challenging time, and as the world begins to travel again. These initiatives include making it easy to clearly display a property’s COVID-19 precautionary measures on its property page and waiving commission on bookings cancelled, date-changed or replaced with a voucher as a result of government travel restrictions in certain places. The policy will be enacted retroactively, where relevant. Booking.com has also introduced a tool to make it easier for partners to increase the flexibility of their policies, and is promoting these to help properties benefit from customers seeking flexibility in uncertain times.

“All of us in travel share one common interest: for the travel industry to survive this crisis,” said Arjan Dijk, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Booking.com. “We’re working tirelessly to bring business back to our partners, inspire travelers and reward them for supporting local businesses so that, when the time is right, we can continue to make it easier for everyone to experience the world.”

While travel might be on pause for many in these unprecedented times, with these initiatives Booking.com hopes to make it easier for consumers across the United States to directly support their favorite local accommodations and for partners to capture future business, when it is safe for travelers to begin exploring the world once again.

Activities is one of the growth drivers of the TUI Group, which last year sold approximately ten million activities in holiday destinations and in European home markets, such as Germany. Through the strategic partnership with Booking.com, one of the world's leading online travel providers, the TUI Group is now significantly expanding its third-party business in the activities sector. Under the agreement with Booking.com, customers will eventually have direct access to a portfolio of over 70,000 tours, attractions and activities via TUI subsidiary Musement, launching incrementally on Booking.com over the coming months. Musement will be the first third-party provider of tours, and activities inventory on the Booking.com travel platform, as the company seeks to expand its offering and provide customers with a more comprehensive end-to-end travel offering. 

TUI acquired Musement, a Milan-based technology start-up, 18 months ago and intends to develop it into the world's leading platform for tours and activities. The next step is to grow the platform’s portfolio to encompass one million activities, experiences and excursions. In addition to guests enjoying these activities in holiday destinations, a growing offering in the European home markets is also planned. The goal is for customers to be able to take full advantage of the digital offering whether at home or on holiday. 

"Attractive and varied options all over the world, easy and quick for customers to book - that is what we will offer through this cooperation. The expansion of digital experience marketing is a focal point of TUI's digital strategy. The purchase of Musement and the expansion of its portfolio of activities, bookable on the platform, is now being followed by the partnership with Booking.com, an expert in worldwide marketing. We have a unique profile in the activities sector, which makes us attractive to both customers and major tourism partners," said David Schelp, MD of TUI Destination Experiences. The Group will further accelerate its transformation into a digital company. 

“Seamlessly connecting travellers with the widest possible choice of great things to do is part of our long-term mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world,” said Lawrence Hester, Vice President of Attractions at Booking.com. “We know that people are already starting to dream of taking trips once it’s safe again, even if that’s a bit closer to home at first. We’re busy laying the foundation to make sure we can provide our customers with the best possible mix of tours, activities and unique experiences all on one platform. TUI and Musement have a highly-compatible technology platform, a scalable business model and a curated offering that we believe will be very appealing to our global customer base. As such, we are delighted to be taking the next steps in this journey together with them.”

The marketing of TUI's products to Booking.com customers is currently slated to start in July, with customers being able to choose from up to 70,000 options from the Musement inventory of tours, attractions, activities and experiences. As part of the agreement, the TUI subsidiary will continue to expand its portfolio over the coming weeks and months, taking into account the special requirements of Booking.com. The diverse portfolio includes also numerous activities for holidaymakers on vacation in their home country this summer, from wellness and adventure experiences, to tickets for museum visits and attractions, as well as guided city and individual sightseeing tours. A growing part of the portfolio also includes exclusive offers that travelers can only find at Musement.

With the world in the midst of an unprecedented crisis, due to the impact of coronavirus (or COVID-19), recognizing change-makers and inspirational forces making a difference to individuals and communities, both global and local, takes on special significance. This year’s winners represent five continents and come from Argentina, France, India, Nigeria, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. From a business leader revolutionizing women’s health and lifestyle through smart technology, to a FinTech entrepreneur redefining online security and payments through biometrics, and a software developer empowering African women technologists through training and mentorship, the winners represent the achievements that visionary women are making in technology every day. With a number of impressive nominations for initiatives contributing to solving community, sustainability or societal issues, two winners have been awarded in the Social Impact category this year.

“With nearly 850 nominations received this year, selecting 45 finalists and whittling that down to ten winners and one Technology Playmaker of the Year has certainly been a challenging, but inspiring process for the judging panel. That reflects not only the high quality of entries we’ve seen, but also the scale of impact and influence that women are having in the global tech industry,” said Gillian Tans, Chairwoman at Booking.com. “While we are unable to celebrate the winners in person this year as we had planned in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, at this time of such great global uncertainty, it remains more important than ever to recognize those who are making such lasting and impactful contributions in technology, as well as inspiring each other.”

The winners of the Booking.com Technology Playmaker Awards 2020 are:

• Champion of Change and Technology Playmaker of the Year 2020 – Leanne Robers, co-Founder and co-CEO of She Loves Tech, an accelerator program which has helped over 2,000 female tech entrepreneurs and women-impact tech start-ups (Singapore)
• Rising Technologist – Hannah Blair, only three years into her tech career, she is a Senior Front-end Developer at Defty, a website building software, and co-Founder of vrcalm, an uplifting Virtual Reality experience created to improve the quality of life of people living with dementia (United Kingdom)
• Role Model – Ada Nduka Oyom, Founder of She Code Africa, an organization that provides skills training, mentorship and support for African women in technology, and co-Founder of Open Source Community Africa, a group for open-source enthusiasts across Africa (Nigeria)
• Entrepreneur – Seema Khinda Johnson, co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Nuggets, a blockchain payments and ID platform that is redefining online security and privacy through biometrics (United Kingdom)
• Academic Achievement – Reina Camacho Toro, a particle physicist at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), who is also modernizing the Latin American education system with the first free virtual courses on particle physics through an online education platform she co-founded in 2014 (France
• Employer – Sparta Global, a UK training and consulting company whose dedicated Diversity and Inclusion function is investing heavily in female technology professionals to unlock their potential (United Kingdom)
• Social Impact – ElsaMarie DSilva, Founder and CEO of Red Dot Foundation, which created an online crowdsourced platform that documents incidents of sexual harassment and abuse in public places (India); and Sheila Harkatz, Founder of Mujeres En Carrera, a platform providing financial education to women and girls in Latin America (Argentina)
• Business Leader – Tania Boler, Founder and CEO of Elvie, which aims to improve female health through smart technology and connected lifestyle and health products (United Kingdom)
• Technology Innovator – Funmi Adewunmi, co-Founder and CEO of Bright Technologies, an internet service provider that launched an app through which customers can make card payments and conduct online services (Nigeria)

To select the Booking.com Technology Playmaker of the Year 2020, the judging panel reviewed the individual category winners for one stand-out entrant demonstrating leadership, technological innovation, impact and serving as a role model.

The award has been granted to Singaporian tech visionary and “tireless agent of change” Leanne Robers, co-Founder and co-CEO of She Loves Tech, for her efforts to bridge the gender gap for women in technology. She Loves Tech was founded in 2015 as a global platform to bring together entrepreneurs, companies and investors to create more opportunities for women tech entrepreneurs. Additionally, by hosting the world’s largest tech startup competition focused on women-led or women-impact businesses, Leanne is eliminating the misconception that “women don’t build good tech startups.” Leanne and her team have helped support and scale more than 2,000 women-impact tech startups, and provided mentorship and skills training in more than 20 countries.

“We launched the awards three years ago as a platform for women to be celebrated for the important and far-reaching work they do across the tech industry every day,” said Tans. “Today, the under-representation and under-recognition of women in tech remains as prominent as it was then, but I am pleased to see that gender diversity is increasingly becoming a key part of business discourse and the global agenda. At Booking.com, we look beyond just numbers to focus equally on inclusivity and belonging, and ensure that technology is an industry that is open and welcoming to all.”

Each winner received a prize of €5,000 within the overall winner received an additional prize of €10,000.

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Notes to the Editor:
For more information about the Booking.com Technology Playmaker Awards 2020 and the winners visit www.techplaymakerawards.com

Booking.com was recently ranked top in the FT Diversity Leaders 2020 Report: https://www.ft.com/content/bd1b4158-09a7-11ea-bb52-34c8d9dc6d84

These frameworks will serve as the foundation for an eventual scoring system that would be recognizable by anyone booking holidays and trips across all platforms. The goal is to highlight travel providers with strong sustainability practices already in place and offer people an easy way to understand and identify more sustainable travel options that are kinder and less destructive to local communities, wildlife and environment, but also highlight options that provide positive benefit. The implementation of these frameworks will also act as encouragement for further industry-wide adoption through ongoing outreach, feedback and improvement. These and all future efforts of the Travalyst coalition are being undertaken with strategic guidance from a newly appointed independent advisory group of leading sustainability and travel experts. The initial draft frameworks are being presented for feedback in a series of local industry roundtables and workshops in Scotland at the end of this month.

Scalable sustainability frameworks for the entire travel industry

Building upon the many excellent and thorough standards, initiatives and frameworks already in existence for specific destinations and types of travel businesses, the ambition of the Travalyst frameworks is to bring these existing models together through a universal system that is applicable for all travel service providers in the industry. For the accommodation sustainability framework, being led by Booking.com, this means exploring ways of measuring sustainable practices that have the most impact, for example through waste and water management, energy conservation and sourcing, as well as practices that affect the local community and environment, making sure that they can be applied to all types of accommodation and not just traditional hotels. At the same time, the current aim of the draft accommodation framework is to embrace and recognize the success of existing schemes, for example a property’s existing certification, as a measure and established standard of excellence that ultimately helps ensure recognition within the new system being proposed.

"We know from our research that 82% of our accommodation partners are interested in collaborating with us on the topic of sustainability and that 87% of global travelers think that's it's important to consider sustainable properties when travelling," said Gillian Tans, Chairwoman of Booking.com. "Despite this tremendous interest on both sides, the majority of consumers still don't know where to start. Even though 70% say that they'd be more likely to book a stay that was eco-friendly, we also see that 72% of travelers aren't even aware of the existence of eco-labels. This represents a huge opportunity for us as part of Travalyst to help a wider range of accommodation providers showcase their sustainability efforts and in turn make it easier for travelers to find and ultimately book their properties.”

For the aviation sustainability framework being developed by Skyscanner, the focus is on bringing more transparency around carbon emissions for individual flights, while also exploring ways to highlight the overall sustainability practices of individual airlines. For the vastly diverse experiences sector, including everything from massive theme parks to individual tour operators, together with Tripadvisor, the ambition is to customize and weight the sustainability criteria accordingly, while still providing a consistent framework for evaluation and eventual scoring.

These first three frameworks for accommodation, aviation and experiences are now going through the first stages of industry validation, including roundtables to collect feedback from key stakeholders. Pilot activity, including data collection and verification with travel service providers is set to begin over the coming months with the ambition to start testing how to present potential preliminary scoring to customers on the founding partners’ platforms later this year.

New independent advisory group

To provide the independent and critical analysis that is essential to ensure broad adoption and success of Travalyst initiatives and activities, the founding partners have established an advisory group to assess and guide the work of the coalition. Including experts from travel, technology, academia and sustainability, the advisory group is being led by Forum for the Future and chaired by their CEO, Dr. Sally Uren OBE.

The current members of the Travalyst advisory group are:

● Dr. Anna Spenceley, Chair of IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist (TAPAS) Group, Board Member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)

● Darrell Wade, Co-founder of Intrepid Travel and Executive Chair of the Intrepid Group

● Greg McDougall, Founder and CEO of the Harbour Air Group 

● Jeremy Smith, Co-founder, Travindy and Co-founder Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency

● Marten Dresen, Founder and CEO of the Good Hotel Group

● Dr. Xavier Font, Professor of Sustainability Marketing at the University of Surrey, and Head of Impact for Travindy

The advisory group will provide independent strategic guidance for all initiatives put forward by the Travalyst partners, ensure that final outputs have the potential to be scalable and replicable for the entire industry, and help drive positive change as ambassadors throughout the travel and tourism sector.

“I am excited to work in partnership with both the Travalyst Advisory Group and the initiative’s partners to help ensure that Travalyst delivers on its ambition to transform the future of travel and the tourism industry,” said Dr. Sally Uren OBE, Chief Executive of Forum for the Future and Chair of the Travalyst Independent Advisory Group. “We have the opportunity to respond to the climate challenge in a way that simultaneously drives socio-economic development, but taking it means wholesale systems change is our only option. Travalyst is hugely ambitious and the Independent Advisory Group will help the project maintain and deliver transformational change that will benefit both people and planet.”

On-going industry and destination collaboration

As part of Travalyst’s commitment to open up the coalition's work thus far to wider industry feedback and specific input from key players in strategic destinations, the Travalyst partners are hosting a summit together with VisitScotland and Edinburgh International Conference Centre, which will take place at the EICC on February 26. Key stakeholders in travel and tourism from across Scotland have been invited to come together with Travalyst for a series of workshops and discussions to explore the sustainability challenges and opportunities at hand, gather critical feedback on the principles and frameworks that have been developed thus far and begin designing pilot projects for further collaboration in Scotland. Sessions will also include discussion on the challenges and opportunities around ensuring Scotland receives socio-economic benefits from travel, with an exploration of some of the activities of local social entrepreneurs.

Based on the outcomes and feedback gathered from this summit, the Travalyst partners will further refine the first sustainability frameworks, begin efforts to collect the necessary data from relevant travel service providers, and implement the first tests to validate findings and surface potential scoring options for consumers over the course of the upcoming year. The partners will also be using the learnings from the summit regarding community involvement to help develop a locally relevant strategy to implementing its frameworks as a pilot program, ensuring that the local community benefits from and ultimately embraces the economic opportunities associated with travel.

This year’s shortlist consists of 45 finalists across nine categories, representing 20 countries including Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Japan, Israel, India, Nigeria, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. Recognized as current or up-and-coming trailblazers in technology, each finalist was selected for their pioneering advancements in technology, disruptive use of technology for business and society, or unwavering commitment to pushing the diversity agenda. Collectively, their contributions range from technology innovations in MedTech and female health, renewal energy, fintech and digital payments, to creating opportunities for women tech entrepreneurs and women-impact startups, and elevating the discussion surrounding diversity and inclusion in tech to new levels.

Launched in 2017, the awards recognize and celebrate women who are transforming businesses, industries and communities through the innovative use of technology, while inspiring the next generation of tech leaders. The awards also honor champions of change who are challenging the status quo to help make the tech industry more welcoming, diverse and inclusive.

“Each of this year’s Technology Playmaker Award finalists has demonstrated outstanding achievements in technology, whether through innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit, business leadership and community impact, mentorship and inspiration for the next generation, or the pursuit of greater inclusivity. Whether from emerging economies or more established tech epicenters, these women technologists and advocates for diversity, are joined together by a remarkable talent and optimism for what the future of the tech sector will bring,” said Gillian Tans, Chairwoman of Booking.com.

The full list of finalists can be found on the Technology Playmaker Awards website.

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday, March 26, 2020 in London, UK. The nine distinct award categories were designed to recognize the weight and breadth of the contributions that women are making across the technology sector. Each category winner will receive a prize of €5,000, which they can opt to donate to a chosen charity or cause. The Technology Playmaker of the Year 2020 will be selected from one of the eight eligible individual category winners and will receive an additional €10,000 prize.

The keynote speaker at the award ceremony will be Rana el Kaliouby, pioneer in artificial emotional intelligence (Emotion AI), co-founder and CEO of MIT spinoff and category-defining company Affectiva, and author of the forthcoming book, Girl Decoded. Attendees will also hear from Booking.com Chairwoman Gillian Tans and the Technology Playmaker of the Year 2019, Linda Liukas, founder of Rails Girls, a global movement teaching girls to program.

“I’m excited to be part of Booking.com’s celebration of women who passionately bring their ambition and talent to tech every day, but may often go unnoticed. Initiatives like the Booking.com Technology Playmaker Awards not only encourage more women to join tech and STEM, but also empower those who are already in the field to flourish and reach their full potential, and add the richness and diversity of perspectives that our industry needs,” said el Kaliouby.

Winners will be chosen by an esteemed 14-member judging panel comprised of global technology executives, entrepreneurs, founders and leading advocates of diversity and inclusion. The panel includes Sheree Atcheson, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Monzo; Kimberly Bryant, Founder and CEO of Black Girls CODE; Ruth Chandler, Chief People Officer at Skyscanner; and Julien Codorniou, Vice President of Workplace from Facebook as well as Gillian Tans.

“We introduced this awards program to highlight the achievements of women in technology and celebrate the diversity of talent across the industry with the hope that it will inspire more to pursue a career in tech. We are proud of our progress, but also aware that more work needs to be done to create a more welcoming environment in tech for everyone,” continued Tans. “Global research by Booking.com reveals that one in five women working in tech feels that her contributions are under-appreciated, marking a clear obstacle to reaching true gender parity. We need to continue to challenge existing culture, processes and mindsets if we are to further diversify the technology industry and make it a more appealing and inclusive space for people of all kinds to thrive.”

Beyond the award categories celebrating women’s achievements in various aspects of technology, this year the Champion of Change category honors an individual (everyone, not just women) who is tackling the under-representation of women or promoting greater diversity and inclusion within the IT and technology workforce.

END

Notes to the Editor:

Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among 6,898 respondents (from the UK, USA, France, Brazil, The Netherlands, Germany, China, Australia, India and Spain). 789 respondents were from the UK. All respondents completed an online survey from August 2^nd to September 6^th, 2018. Respondents include high school and undergraduate students entering the field, early career and experienced technology professionals and those returning to the sector.