AI in Travel
SAP Concur Transforms Business Trips with Cutting Edge AI and Consumer Grade Features at Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Convention 2025
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
At the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Convention 2025 in Denver, SAP Concur revealed its latest breakthrough innovations designed to redefine the future of business travel. These new features, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and consumer-grade technology, aim to streamline travel planning, booking, and expense management for businesses and their employees. With the constant pressure on business travelers to meet company policies while still having an efficient travel experience, SAP Concur is addressing these challenges head-on by creating intuitive, easy-to-use solutions that bring both convenience and compliance together.
Introducing the Game-Changing Booking Agent
SAP Concur’s new Booking Agent solution marks a major step forward in simplifying business travel bookings. Traditionally, booking travel within company policies has been a cumbersome and time-consuming task. With the new Booking Agent, travelers can now easily plan and book policy-compliant trips without needing to memorize the intricate details of corporate travel guidelines. This solution empowers business travelers to use natural language queries, such as “book me a flight to Paris on Tuesday morning,” and the agent will instantly generate several policy-compliant itineraries. This streamlined, conversational interface reduces the effort required for travelers, allowing them to focus more on their work rather than the logistics of travel planning.
The new Booking Agent doesn’t just focus on ease of use but also integrates essential details like real-time pricing breakdowns, class justifications, and expense estimates. By bringing these aspects together, SAP Concur ensures that travelers are well-prepared for the financial implications of their trips before they even begin. This personalized experience allows travelers to choose the best options that meet both their personal preferences and company policies, making the booking process as seamless as possible.
AI Adoption in Business Travel
As businesses continue to explore AI’s potential, SAP Concur is leading the charge in integrating AI into business travel management. According to the latest SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey, 88% of global business travelers are open to using AI-powered tools for booking, re-booking, or completing expense reports. The flexibility of AI allows for dynamic solutions like curating travel options and making changes to bookings, enhancing the overall traveler experience.
For companies, these innovations help to manage business travel more effectively, offering a balance between personalization and adherence to travel policies. This AI-powered approach not only increases operational efficiency but also supports employees in making better, informed travel choices. SAP Concur’s rapid innovation cycle ensures that customers can stay ahead of industry trends, with the ultimate goal of simplifying the travel and expense management process.
New Concur Request Features Revolutionize Trip Planning
In addition to the Booking Agent, SAP Concur is launching significant enhancements to Concur Request, aimed at improving the way employees and managers plan and approve travel budgets. The new budget authorization feature allows for more flexibility by enabling employees to request budget allocations for multiple trips within a defined period. This eliminates the need to submit separate requests for each individual trip, making the process far more efficient for both employees and managers.
The new capability also extends beyond individual trips to accommodate teams or departments traveling together, further simplifying the budgeting process. With this enhancement, SAP Concur continues to make business travel planning easier by reducing administrative burden and improving visibility into budget allocation.
Trip Extras: Enhancing Travel with Third-Party Services
To further improve the business travel experience, SAP Concur is introducing Trip Extras, a feature that allows travelers to easily add third-party services during the booking process. This feature simplifies the decision-making process by providing curated options that are fully vetted and aligned with company travel policies. Whether it’s ground transportation or other essential services, Trip Extras makes it easier for employees to manage all aspects of their business trips.
In addition to offering essential services, Trip Extras also integrates sustainability goals and company policies into the decision-making process. Features like real-time monitoring and customizable controls reduce the risk of fraud while ensuring that travelers make responsible and compliant decisions. SAP Concur plans to expand Trip Extras to cover more categories, including airport parking and visa processing, making it an even more valuable resource for business travelers.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Business Travel
SAP Concur’s focus on innovation, personalization, and AI-driven solutions is shaping the future of business travel. The company’s efforts to merge consumer-grade experiences with corporate compliance are making business travel simpler, safer, and more efficient. The introduction of the Booking Agent, along with new features in Concur Request and Trip Extras, demonstrates SAP Concur’s commitment to meeting the evolving needs of travelers and businesses alike. As the company moves forward, the integration of AI will continue to play a pivotal role in transforming the travel experience, ensuring that travel and expense management are streamlined, effortless, and aligned with business goals.
For companies looking to stay ahead in the ever-evolving landscape of business travel, these innovations provide a glimpse into the future. With SAP Concur’s tools, businesses can reduce administrative burdens, improve policy compliance, and enhance the overall traveler experience. The future of business travel is not only more efficient but also more adaptable to the unique needs of modern workforces.
AI in Travel
Karnataka Gears Up for Bengaluru Tech Summit 2025, Hosts Global Innovation Alliance Meet
The Karnataka government has begun preparations for the 28th edition of the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS) 2025, scheduled to take place from November 18 to 20 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), marking the summit’s first time at the eco-conscious, large-scale venue.
To promote the summit globally, the electronics, IT, and biotechnology department hosted a Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) Meet in Bengaluru on July 21. The event drew representatives from over 35 partner countries, including Germany, Australia, the UK, the US, Japan, Israel, France, South Korea, and others, along with Indian government officials and trade missions.
The summit is expected to welcome over 1 lakh attendees, including more than 20,000 startup founders, 1,000 investors, 15,000 delegates, 600 speakers, and 1,200 exhibitors from over 60 countries and all Indian states and union territories.
“Bengaluru Tech Summit has grown into one of Asia’s leading platforms for innovation and global technology exchange,” Ekroop Caur, IAS, secretary to the state government (electronics, IT, biotechnology and science and technology), said.
Reflecting on the growth of the GIA initiative, she added, “We started out in 2018 with about 10 countries, grew up to 15 by 2020 when COVID-19 hit. While the world was grappling with the pandemic, we saw our GIA partnership increase with about 20 countries. In the last three years, we have increased our engagement to over 30 countries.”
With the theme ‘Futurise’, BTS 2025 will feature 10 conference tracks, covering areas such as IT and deep tech, electro-semicon, digital health and biotech, the startup ecosystem, India–US tech conclave, global collaboration, AI universe, defence and space tech, Finverse, and My Planet, My Future, focused on climate tech.
A major attraction will be the Future Makers Conclave, a platform spotlighting changemakers, spiritual leaders, artists, entrepreneurs, and pioneers. Over 2,000 startup founders are expected to attend this special segment.
The summit will also feature the Startup Springboard programme, which aims to connect promising startups with global investors, mentors and markets. It includes investor pitching sessions, one-on-one mentoring clinics, a startup pavilion, sessions on scaling and fundraising, and startup awards.
Additional highlights include the Rural IT Quiz, Bio Quiz, Exhibitor Awards, and the Global Leaders Reception.
Since its launch in 2017, the GIA initiative has expanded from 10 to over 35 countries, strengthening global ties in research, innovation, skilling and emerging technologies.
Infosys has announced an expanded partnership with Telstra International, the global arm of Australia’s top telecom company Telstra, on July 21. The collaboration aims to modernise operations, improve customer experiences, and support Telstra’s new ‘Connected Future 30’ strategy.
Infosys, a global digital services and consulting company, will help Telstra International become more efficient and innovative by using an AI-first approach. This effort will include upgrading core systems to support faster, smarter and more reliable services.
“Our expanded collaboration with Infosys is pivotal to delivering greater value for our customers and shareholders as we evolve into a software-centric, AI-first connectivity company,” Chris Ellis, head of IT, software engineering and IT, and product and technology at Telstra, said. “It strengthens our focus on world-class product engineering and software excellence—modernising and accelerating how we deliver, scale, and evolve digital experiences.”
The partnership focuses on using Infosys’ digital tools and experience to help Telstra International deliver better, more efficient services. It also presents new opportunities for the two companies to work together on customer-facing projects and global market strategies.
“As we double down on connectivity, this collaboration with Infosys will enable us to deliver more intelligent and responsive services, ensuring that we remain at the forefront of technological change while consistently delivering exceptional customer experiences,” Roary Stasko, CEO of Telstra International, said.
Telstra International serves thousands of customers worldwide and operates across nearly 200 countries and territories. With its extensive global cable network and deep experience in Asia Pacific, Telstra International focuses on helping businesses grow through secure, fast, and reliable connectivity.
“Infosys is delighted to support Telstra International in its transformation journey, leveraging the cutting-edge capabilities of Infosys,” Raja Shah, EVP and industry head of global markets at Infosys, mentioned.
AI in Travel
Bangladesh’s TripBooking.AI Launches Revolutionary AI Travel Assistant – A Game-Changer for Local and Global Travelers
Monday, July 21, 2025
In the heart of Dhaka’s busy Banani area, a group of Bangladeshi entrepreneurs are doing something that could change the way millions of people book their travel — though you have probably never heard of their company. TripBooking. AI, the first ever AI travel assistant of Bangladesh, was officially presented on the 20th of July in 2025, aiming to resolve the issue of travel planning in the country. The product — an AI assistant named Zoe that aims to remove the hassle of arranging trips — offers a smart, user-friendly solution that could soon leave old-fashioned agencies by the wayside.
The path that brought the founders here is an inspiring one. The idea behind TtripBooking was ignited by Visonary entrepruner Prottoy Sen with 15 years experience in world’s tech giant HP & Ericsson. AI in 2024. Even then, success didn’t distract him from his passion for his motherland—Bangladesh. The frustration of trying to book a trip home, which involved hours on the phone with travel agents and scouring Facebook groups, along with a constant flow of WhatsApp messages, is what propelled him to create something.
Prottoy found the perfect partners in Dipto Datta and Ahmed Ajmine, fresh Computer Science graduates from North South University, who shared his dream of modernizing Bangladesh’s travel industry. Together, they spent months in 2025 designing and developing TripBooking.AI, a platform that uses artificial intelligence to simplify the process of trip planning, making it as simple as having a conversation with an assistant.
Zoe: The Future of Travel Planning
TripBooking.AI’s flagship product, Zoe, is an AI-powered assistant with a sleek and intuitive interface, designed to make travel planning as simple as chatting on your phone. Zoe allows users to ask questions about destinations, dates, and budget constraints, and responds with curated travel packages from trusted partners at unbeatable prices. This innovation is poised to eliminate the need for time-consuming phone calls, Facebook searches, and the hassle of manually booking each piece of a trip.
What sets TripBooking.AI apart from international travel apps is its deep understanding of local needs and preferences. Zoe was designed to cater to the unique behaviors and demands of Bangladeshi travelers, making it an invaluable tool for both domestic and international trips. The platform’s current offerings include carefully curated tour packages, with plans to expand into hotel and flight bookings in the near future.
For a country where many people still rely on traditional methods of planning travel, TripBooking.AI offers an accessible, high-tech alternative that is set to change how Bangladesh travels. The platform has already garnered attention from international entities, including Amazon’s AWS Activate program, which provides TripBooking.AI with credits for over 200 AWS services. Additionally, the company has been selected for Silicon Valley’s Founders Institute Core Programme, a prestigious global accelerator that has helped over 7,800 entrepreneurs raise over $1.85 billion in funding.
An Inspiring Story of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
The founding of TripBooking. AI is not just a technology story — it’s also one of resilience and entrepreneurship. Prottoy Sen’s path — from his early days at Notre Dame College to his time at MIT Bootcamp — is a testament to the combination of international expertise and local appetite. His time at tech giants worldwide influenced his vision for TripBooking. AI, and the notion that entrepreneurship could solve local problems that led him to build what is now Bangladesh’s first AI-based travel assistant.
His co-founders, Dipto and Ahmed, bring their own expertise to the table. As fresh graduates in Computer Science, they were instrumental in leading the AI innovation and technical development behind Zoe. The trio’s combined efforts have resulted in a product that is not only technologically advanced but also perfectly suited to the local context of Bangladesh.
Their passion for transforming the travel industry extends far beyond Bangladesh. The founders are already setting their sights on international expansion, hoping to make TripBooking.AI a global movement. In a country that has long faced resource constraints, they aim to prove that entrepreneurship is not just a luxury but a necessity for solving local problems.
A Future of Seamless Travel Planning
As TripBooking.AI officially launches, it is clear that the platform represents a bright future for travel planning in Bangladesh and beyond. Zoe is not just an assistant; she’s the embodiment of a new era in travel—one where the power of AI is used to simplify complex tasks and enhance everyday experiences. Whether a traveler is booking a weekend getaway to Cox’s Bazar or planning a honeymoon in Bali, Zoe will be there to handle the details.
The team behind TripBooking.AI has already inspired a new generation of Bangladeshi entrepreneurs, showing that even in a resource-constrained environment, innovation is possible. Their vision for the future of travel is one where every traveler, anywhere in the world, can plan and book their dream trip with nothing more than a conversation with an intelligent assistant.
TripBooking.AI is tapping into a country where the travel industry is largely offline, with antiquated booking methods. AI provides a new, high-tech answer that will change the way Bangladesh—and the world —plans its trips. With an emphasis on both domestic and international travel, this AI-powered assistant isn’t just a tool but a testament of what’s achievable when global knowledge meets local zeal.
As it continues to gain momentum, TripBooking. AI is expected to overturn the world’s travel industry Featured as the lead theme of the global travel revolution, it is evidence that local innovation backed by global experience can accomplish amazing things.” The way you travel is going to change now with TripBooking. AI.
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