Ahead of next week’s Bavel Summit by Voxel in Barcelona, payment provider TerraPay is urging the 35% of travel businesses—especially small and single-property operators—that currently don’t accept virtual cards to reconsider their payment strategies.

Mirai, the hotel tech specialist focused on boosting direct sales, has launched a new global booking engine designed to transform the customer experience and maximise conversion. This innovative solution delivers ultra-fast load times—under 2 seconds even on slow connections—and achieves 56% higher conversion rates for multi-room searches.

A distinguished group of former global tourism leaders has united to endorse Gloria Guevara as the next Secretary-General of UN Tourism, citing her unmatched experience, visionary leadership, and proven ability to drive inclusive and sustainable growth across the Travel & Tourism sector.

TOURISE is the first global platform designed to unite visionary leaders from both the public and private sectors across the tourism, technology, investment, and sustainability ecosystems. Anchored by a high-level advisory board of global industry figures, TOURISE aims to unlock unprecedented deal flow and high-value investment opportunities poised to reset the tourism landscape. The platform will also feature the TOURISE Awards, a program recognizing best-in-class destinations that deliver purposeful, unforgettable travel experiences aligned with the evolving expectations of today’s travelers. The inaugural, invite-only TOURISE Summit will be held in Riyadh from 11–13 November 2025, serving as the launchpad for a year-round platform that will redefine how the world travels, connects, and grows.

Falcon Arabic: In addition to supporting English and European-origin languages, Falcon now integrates Arabic — significantly expanding its reach and relevance across the Arabic-speaking world. It stands as the region’s best-performing Arabic AI model, tailored for nuanced, culturally aware applications in government, business, and education. Falcon-H1: Designed to deliver top-tier performance with exceptional efficiency, Falcon-H1 redefines the possibilities of AI portability. Outperforming Meta’s LLaMA and Alibaba’s Qwen, this model enables high-quality AI experiences on everyday devices and in resource-limited settings, making cutting-edge capabilities accessible across a wide range of environments.

The Sultanate of Oman is poised to deliver 62,800 new residential real estate units by 2030, with 5,500 coming to market this year in line with the country’s strategic vision, according to new insight from leading real estate and advisory consultant, Cavendish Maxwell.