Leading travel tech companies unite to create new Global Travel Tech association - Get updated on what's happening in tourism!

Global Travel Tech, the emerging voice of the world’s travel tech companies, is officially launching on 5 March at the renowned ITB Berlin. This new trade association brings together Amadeus, Booking Holdings, eDreams ODIGEO, Expedia Group, Skyscanner and Travelport. Together, these leaders in travel technology aim to empower travelers by enabling unparalleled transparency, competition, and choice in the travel industry.

Global Travel Tech wants to revolutionize travel. Its members provide travelers with unrivaled convenience while fostering a competitive and dynamic travel industry and driving growth across the travel and tourism industry.

Global policy solutions

To make their vision of a thriving travel industry that benefits service providers and travelers alike a reality, Global Travel Tech is calling for global policy solutions. Its members will jointly advocate on issues such as digital competition, fair and non-discriminatory access to data for intermediaries, digital platform issues including data privacy and fair digital taxation, as well as regulatory sustainability issues. It will also seek to oversee a coordinated response to crises, aiding resilience in the travel and tourism ecosystem.

"Through cooperation and dialogue with other global industry bodies such as OECD and UN Tourism, Global Travel Tech ambition is to help shape a smart policy framework and to foster industry initiatives to make the travel and tourism industry more competitive and transparent," said Emmanuel Mounier, Secretary General of Global Travel Tech.

Fair access to data powering customer choice

The association particularly emphasizes the need for global policies that promote fair data access and fair data sharing. “Data access allows travelers to more easily find, compare and book travel,” remarks Mounier. "It enables travel intermediaries like our members to let customers combine the transport, stays and services that are the right fit for them.”

Global Tech also emphasizes the role of data in making travel more sustainable. Reliable, consistent data on the environmental footprint of different transport and accommodation options is what allows travelers to make greener choices. At the same time, it can create an incentive to further decarbonize the travel industry.

Image Credit: © Amadeus