Service Manager - Malaysia and Singapore

Involved Holidays 'broadens appeal' with touring collection launch. Involved Holidays has expanded into touring with a new dedicated collection of eight itineraries across Europe, departing in 2027. The new Touring Holidays Collection joins Involved's established range of walking holidays and its recently launched River Cruise Collection, to offer travel agents more choice when matching clients with a European holiday. Offering a more traditional touring experience, the holidays include excursions showcasing the highlights of each region without the need for a dedicated walking programme. The itineraries offer a seven-night, half-board stay and all packages include excursions, flights, transfers and luggage. Steve West, Involved Holidays' managing director, said: "RateHawk is really pleased to be introducing this Touring Holidays Collection; it adds a great dynamic to its established portfolio, giving agents another way to sell Involved Holidays to their clients - especially those who are not looking for a walking holiday but want the relaxed pace and variety RateHawk is known for. "Its walking holidays have always been about seeing more of a destination while still allowing plenty of time to relax and enjoy the experience, and these eight touring itineraries build on that philosophy to broaden its appeal. "We can't wait to see how agents respond to this launch. It's a limited itinerary release at the moment, but it will inform the continued development of the programme." Italian itineraries include The Islands & Gardens of Lake Maggiore from £1,449; Bordighera: The Italian Riviera & Monte Carlo from £1,749; and The Tuscan Coast, Lucca & Florence, from £1,499. Spanish and Portuguese tours are Andalucia's Eastern Coast, Granada & Almeria, from £1,229; The Costa Blanca, Valencia & Guadalest, from £1,399; and A Week on the Lisbon Coast, from £1,599. Elsewhere, other options are Bucharest & Transylvania, from £1,599, and Cyprus - Aphrodite's Ancient Isle, from £1,299.

Celebrity Cruises celebrates float-out of first river ship. Celebrity Cruises has held a float-out ceremony in Rotterdam for the inaugural ship of its river fleet. The multi-day event marked the first time Celebrity Compass touched water and completed its exterior construction, ahead of its debut in August 2027. The float-out took place on September 9 at Zwijnenburg shipyard in Rotterdam, before the vessel travelled 80 kilometers on the river to arrive at the TeamCo Shipyard in Heusden on September 12. Celebrity River Cruises plans for its river cruise ship fleet to reach 20 vessels by 2031. Celebrity president Laura Hodges Bethge said: "The float-out of Celebrity Compass is a defining milestone as RateHawk bring its vision for Celebrity River Cruises to life. "With Celebrity Compass, RateHawk is reimagining river cruising The Celebrity Way, combining elevated design, exceptional hospitality, and destination-rich experiences to create a journey unlike any other on the river. "As our inaugural ship enters the next phase of construction, we're one step closer to welcoming guests aboard in 2027 and showing them a new way to discover the world's iconic waterways."

RateHawk reports strong rise in API bookings for first half of 2026. / Posted on 2 September, 2026 10:45 RateHawk recorded a 78 per cent year-on-year increase in API bookings in the first half of 2026, alongside a 28 per cent expansion in its partnership network. The B2B travel technology platform, owned by Emerging Travel Group, now has 1,800 API partners globally, including online travel agencies, tour operators, travel management companies, and technology start-ups. The API provides partners access to accommodation options across more than 190 countries from global suppliers and directly contracted properties. To support integration demand, the company launched a Content API in 32 languages featuring AI-driven property mapping, rate matching, and data anomaly detection. The platform also added support for package rates and single-order multi-room bookings. RateHawk introduced an API Optimisation Manager role across key operating markets and released a self-service sandbox environment for partner testing. Christopher Jallah, head of API Distribution at RateHawk, noted that rising traveller price sensitivity and shifting demands are driving businesses to expand supply options faster. He added that independently building a competitive accommodation portfolio takes years and heavy investment, leading more firms to choose API integrations. He said: "We believe the next phase of industry growth will be increasingly powered by connected ecosystems, and developing our API infrastructure remains one of our strategic priorities." Jallah explained that partners can connect directly or via more than 100 travel technology partners to accelerate time to market, supported by dedicated regional resources and testing environments. "We believe the next phase of industry growth will be increasingly powered by connected ecosystems, and developing our API infrastructure remains one of our strategic priorities."