Technology

Booking.com announced the launch of a new pilot product, CityBook, a responsive digital guide for cities that seamlessly combines inspiration, planning, navigation and experience all in one place.

American Airlines is using technology to remove one of the stresses of traveling for foreign language-speaking customers by being the first airline to introduce the Google Assistant’s interpreter mode technology in its airport lounges.

UBER confirmed the official close of the previously announced acquisition of Careem for $3.1 billion. Careem Networks FZ-LLC has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Uber, preserving its brand.

The newly introduced messaging App, ToTok, created by the UAE and downloaded by millions of users worldwide is being used by the Emirates' government "to track every conversation, movement, relationship, appointment, sound and image of those who install it on their phones", according to a New York Times investigation.

HalalBooking has closed its small Series A round, with a post-money valuation of US$52.5 million. After attracting significant interest from dozens of individual investors, $2.5 million was raised.

Booking.com, the global leader in online travel making it easier for everyone to experience the world, announced a year-long partnership with Google Nest aimed at helping to build a more connected and seamless trip experience for travelers and hosts.

American Airlines launches passport scanning in its mobile app to speed up checking in for international flights. It makes American the first airline to offer passport chip scanning.

HalalBooking’s results for the first three quarters of 2019 show that over 75,000 guests have booked through its website, using its unique halal-friendly search functionality to choose hotel and villa accommodation.

Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com company announced that Best Western Hotels & Resorts is moving its infrastructure to AWS – going all-in the world’s leading cloud – to automate processes and quickly develop new and more personalized experiences for travelers visiting its more than 4,700 properties around the world.

As mobile devices have become an integral part of daily life, with people becoming increasingly reliant on them in order to stay connected, tourism marketers target consumers across all age demographics via mobile gaming.