China, travel and the Year of the Pig / TripActions debuts new interface / Festicket raises $4.6M

Today's news on travel technology, distribution and the digital economy Email not displaying correctly: [View it in your browser]( We are updating our PhocusWire eNewsletter sending technology including a change to the domain. To ensure you continue to receive your copy without interruption, please whitelist: @news.phocuswire.com Please [click here]( for additional instructions on how to whitelist our new domain. Top Stories from the past 24 hours February 5, 2019 All eyes are on China as the Year of the Pig officially kicks off today, but savvy travel marketers have their finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the country all year long. China is a market of vast scale and importance, and how consumers behave there affects commerce all over the globe. Today we look at how [four key trends in China are shaping the travel industry]( out West. Corporate travel management platform TripActions is [rolling out]( a new shopping interface for business travelers, and festival experiences platform Festicket has [raised $4.6 million]( in funding to expand to new markets. - Jill Menze, news editor Today's Top Story Opinion I Online [What should the travel industry understand about China in the Year of the Pig?]( More Headlines [TripActions introduces new flight shopping experience for business travelers]( News | Distribution TripActions is rolling out a new interface to provide a better flight shopping experience for business travelers. [READ MORE]( [STARTUP STAGE: Finalrentals digitizes vehicle price comparison and booking in UAE]( Interview | Startups Dubai-based Finalrentals is digitizing price comparison and booking for short- and long-term car rentals in the UAE, where it estimates 70% of bookings currently take place offline. The company is also gradually adding short-term rental service in markets around the world. [READ MORE]( [Festicket adds $4.6M to expand festival travel packages platform]( News | Startups Festicket adds a further $4.6 million in funding, hot on the heels of its recent $10.5 million Series D round. [READ MORE]( [China, part 1: The big (and getting bigger) picture]( News | Online Travel brands and suppliers need to be aware that the Chinese travel market is not only growing - it is also changing. [READ MORE]( [MORE STORIES]( ONE WEEK TO GO [Going beyond NDC: A Q&A with Sabre and partners]( - Hear perspectives from across the travel ecosystem. - Obtain tips on getting started with NDC in your organization. - Learn how to effectively partner with other stakeholders. - Learn how Sabre is partnering to make NDC a reality across the globe. SAVE THE DATE: Tuesday, February 12. [READ MORE]( Trending Stories [Google tells hotels to think of smart devices as extra organs of a guest's body]( News | Technology The search giant says the proliferation of devices has created rapid, cultural shifts and changed the way people expect things from their brands... making people more curious, demanding and impatient. [READ MORE]( [Bag-storage service LuggageHero bags $1.45M to expand in U.S. and Europe]( News | Startups LuggageHero - named one of PhocusWire’s Hot 25 Startups for 2019 - has raised $1.45 million to expand its luggage-storage operations to 36 additional cities. [READ MORE]( [Four key developments keeping the U.S. OTA market exciting]( News | Online Phocuswright's recent travel research identifies four key developments that make the U.S. online travel agency market an exciting one to watch in 2019. [READ MORE]( [In The Big Chair - Tarry Wang Liantao of Xiaozhu]( Interview | Online Xiaozhu is a Beijing-based short-term rental and management platform. The company was launched in 2012 and recently established a second base in Chengdu. It has already expanded to Japan and South-east Asia. [READ MORE]( [Privacy]( | [Subscribe]( | [Unsubscribe]( Northstar Travel Group LLC. 116 West 32nd Street New York, New York 10001