GOOD MORNING, READERS.
Booking may have, like every other travel company operating in or near the region, taken a beating from the Middle East conflict, but not all is lost, especially when the OTA is bucking the U.S.’s general downward travel trends.
In an earnings call, Booking Holdings reported 6% room-night growth in Q1, with a 2-point drag from the conflict that is expected to worsen to a 3-point drag in Q2. Analysts didn’t seem impressed, but a bright spot comes from a potentially unlikely place — the U.S.. Despite inbound travel being low, room night growth in the low teens marks four consecutive quarters of acceleration for Booking. Some people really are going some places!
Booking's CEO is also optimistic about what AI can do for a bold new future. Whether that future includes a holding of the current Middle East ceasefires and a swift bounce back, well, that’s yet to be seen.
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