Expedia Group B2B is continuing its technological transformation around artificial intelligence. At the Explore 26 conference held in Las Vegas, the American group presented several new AI tools for its partners as well as a broader evolution of its B2B platform.
The group is now seeking to simplify the integration of tourism services into third-party platforms through conversational tools, automated interfaces and enhanced API capabilities, according to the trade press.
Summary
Expedia Group B2B wants to facilitate the integration of travel into other platforms
The main announcement concerns a new “AI toolkit” currently being deployed to certain partners.
According to Expedia Group B2B, this solution should make it easier to connect travel features with AI-powered experiences.
The group specifies that these tools can be used in different environments:
conversational assistants, API interfaces, automated workflows or integrated booking experiences.
At the heart of this strategy is also the new “Intelligent Experience Platform”, presented as a set of AI components designed to help partners build personalized travel experiences using Expedia technologies.
In its press release, Expedia explains that it wants to reduce the time and investment required to launch new tourism experiences for its partners.
A B2B activity already strongly integrated into the global travel ecosystem
Expedia Group B2B today reports working with 75,000 partners and 200,000 travel advisors across various sectors.
The group also states that its platform processes approximately 21 billion API calls per day according to its 2025 internal data.
These volumes illustrate the growing importance of technological infrastructure in global tourism distribution.
CarTrawler and Tiqets strengthen Expedia's expansion strategy
Expedia Group has also confirmed its plan to acquire CarTrawler, an Irish company specializing in B2B solutions related to car rental, ground transportation and mobility services.
This operation comes after the recent acquisition of Tiqets, a platform specializing in tourist activities and experiences.
According to Expedia, these acquisitions are part of its strategy to expand the capabilities of its Rapid API platform beyond accommodation to also integrate flights, activities, transportation and travel protection.
The completion of the CarTrawler remains subject to customary regulatory conditions and is still expected in the second half of 2026.
The group is also strengthening its marketing and advertising tools
At Explore 26, Expedia Group also announced several developments around its marketing and media solutions.
The group notably presented new capabilities for its Rapid API partners, including:
a B2B portal for monitoring marketing strategies and a new Merchandising API enabling the creation of promotional experiences on different platforms.
Expedia Group Advertising also announced developments to its “Travel Media Network”, including AI-powered advertising tools, new sponsored formats and expanded distribution through media partnerships.
Expedia emphasizes the governance of its AI tools
While the uses of artificial intelligence raise many questions in the travel industry, Expedia Group has also highlighted the governance mechanisms associated with its new tools.
The group indicates in particular that it has a “Responsible AI Council” tasked with evaluating certain AI deployments considered sensitive.
Expedia Group B2B also specifies that it handles more than 7 million support calls per year and offers 24/7 voice support in 25 languages.
A broader transformation of technology tourism
Beyond product announcements, Explore 26 primarily illustrates the acceleration of investments related to artificial intelligence in the tourism sector.
Major players in the distribution sector are now seeking to strengthen their capabilities around personalization, conversational interfaces and the integration of services in third-party digital environments.
This development could gradually change the expectations of both travellers and the sector's technology partners.
For decades, we have been building behind the scenes the technical infrastructure that makes travel more connected, smoother and more reliable, by federating supply, pricing, payments, service and much more.
We are now making it even easier for our partners to connect to this infrastructure. With a single connection, they can design more comprehensive travel experiences for their customers, cover a larger portion of the journey, and achieve this with reduced complexity.
Alfonso Paredes, President B2B and Chief Commercial Officer of the Expedia Group.
InfosTourisme.com Partners
This Explore 2026 cover is produced with the support of our partners.
