EXPEDIA GROUP CELEBRATES GLOBAL TRAVEL ADVISOR DAY AS A PART OF ONGOING INVESTMENT IN TRAVEL ADVISORS

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 7, 2025--

Expedia Group is celebrating Global Travel Advisor Day by hosting several events across the world to recognize and show appreciation for its Expedia TAAP travel advisor partners and the vital role they play in the travel ecosystem.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250507921555/en/

To celebrate, Expedia Group is organizing exclusive gatherings, including breakfasts, lunches, and evening receptions, across key markets including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the U.K., Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, China, and Japan.

These events serve as a dedicated moment to recognize travel advisors, express gratitude for their contributions, and share exciting updates. Expedia Group will also showcase new products and enhancements to its Expedia TAAP global booking platform, which connects travel advisors to its extensive portfolio of hotels, vacation rentals, flights, packages, car rentals, and activities.

“Global Travel Advisor Day is an opportunity for Expedia Group to celebrate and support travel advisors worldwide,” said Robin Lawther, Vice President of Expedia TAAP. “With today’s announcement, we’re reinforcing our commitment by expanding into new markets and launching initiatives that help advisors attract customers, personalize experiences, and grow their businesses. By investing in tools that improve cash flow management and create new revenue opportunities, we’re empowering them to thrive in an evolving industry.”

Expanding supply and launching to new markets

Expedia TAAP advisors in the U.S. point of sale can now book Southwest flights, further enhancing the platform’s value. With multiple connectivity sources including GDS, direct airline connections, and NDC, advisors can effortlessly search, compare, and book flights. Additional perks like bundled packages provide travelers with even more flexibility.

As demand continues to rise in a thriving travel market, Expedia TAAP is expanding its presence in the U.A.E., strengthening its support for travel advisors in the region. This expansion reflects the company's commitment to empowering Middle Eastern partners with access to a vast travel inventory and unlocking new revenue opportunities.

Maximizing earnings and flexible payment options

To further empower travel advisors, Expedia TAAP has introduced the agency service charge to majority points of sale, allowing advisors to add a discretionary fee to lodging bookings. This feature helps advisors get compensated, on top of regular commission, for their expertise when the booking is made, without requiring a separate transaction.

Expedia TAAP has long offered deferred payments, giving travel advisors the flexibility to book now and pay later, helping them manage cash flow. Building on this, new enhancements now allow advisors to book accommodations up to 365 days in advance and make post-booking itinerary changes, offering even greater control and convenience.

Additionally, to meet the diverse payment preferences of global markets, bank transfers are now accepted on Expedia TAAP in regions where this method is favored.

On Global Travel Advisor Day and beyond, Expedia TAAP continues to prioritize travel advisors and agencies by consistently investing in improvements and offering ongoing support. Learn more at www.expediataap.com.

About Expedia TAAP

Expedia Travel Agent Affiliate Program (TAAP), a division of Expedia Group, is the trusted global retail booking platform that connects travel advisors to Expedia Group's global portfolio of hotels, vacation rentals, flights, packages, car rentals, and activities. Established with the mission to empower travel agencies by granting them access to Expedia's worldwide travel inventory, Expedia TAAP remains dedicated to fostering the growth of travel agencies through its cutting-edge technology, diverse travel supply, impressive rates, and comprehensive support services.

About Expedia Group

Expedia Group, Inc. brands power travel for everyone, everywhere through our global platform. Driven by the core belief that travel is a force for good, we help people experience the world in new ways and build lasting connections. We provide industry-leading technology solutions to fuel partner growth and success, while facilitating memorable experiences for travelers. Our organization is made up of three pillars: Expedia Product & Technology, focused on the group’s product and technical strategy and offerings; Expedia Brands, housing all our consumer brands; and Expedia for Business, consisting of business-to-business solutions and relationships throughout the travel ecosystem.

For more information, visit www.expediagroup.com. Follow us on X @EGPartnerships and check out our LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/expedia-group-partnerships/.

EXPEDIA GROUP CELEBRATES GLOBAL TRAVEL ADVISOR DAY AS A PART OF ONGOING INVESTMENT IN TRAVEL ADVISORS

EXPEDIA GROUP CELEBRATES GLOBAL TRAVEL ADVISOR DAY AS A PART OF ONGOING INVESTMENT IN TRAVEL ADVISORS

EXPEDIA GROUP CELEBRATES GLOBAL TRAVEL ADVISOR DAY AS A PART OF ONGOING INVESTMENT IN TRAVEL ADVISORS

JERUSALEM (AP) — Over two dozen families from one of the few remaining Palestinian Bedouin villages in the central West Bank have packed up and fled their homes in recent days, saying harassment by Jewish settlers living in unauthorized outposts nearby has grown unbearable.

The village, Ras Ein el-Auja, was originally home to some 700 people from more than 100 families that have lived there for decades.

Twenty-six families already left on Thursday, scattering across the territory in search of safer ground, say rights groups. Several other families were packing up and leaving on Sunday.

“We have been suffering greatly from the settlers. Every day, they come on foot, or on tractors, or on horseback with their sheep into our homes. They enter people’s homes daily,” said Nayef Zayed, a resident, as neighbors took down sheep pens and tin structures.

Israel's military and the local settler governing body in the area did not respond to requests for comment.

Other residents pledged to stay put for the time being. That makes them some of the last Palestinians left in the area, said Sarit Michaeli, international director at B’Tselem, an Israeli rights group helping the residents.

She said that mounting settler violence has already emptied neighboring Palestinian hamlets in the dusty corridor of land stretching from Ramallah in the West to Jericho, along the Jordanian border, in the east.

The area is part of the 60% of the West Bank that has remained under full Israeli control under interim peace accords signed in the 1990s. Since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted in October 2023, over 2,000 Palestinians — at least 44 entire communities — have been expelled by settler violence in the area, B'Tselem says.

The turning point for the village came in December, when settlers put up an outpost about 50 meters (yards) from Palestinian homes on the northwestern flank of the village, said Michaeli and Sam Stein, an activist who has been living in the village for a month.

Settlers strolled easily through the village at night. Sheep and laundry went missing. International activists had to begin escorting children to school to keep them safe.

“The settlers attack us day and night, they have displaced us, they harass us in every way” said Eyad Isaac, another resident. “They intimidate the children and women.”

Michaeli said she’s witnessed settlers walk around the village at night, going into homes to film women and children and tampering with the village’s electricity.

The residents said they call the police frequently to ask for help — but it seldom arrives. Settlement expansion has been promoted by successive Israeli governments over nearly six decades. But Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government, which has placed settler leaders in senior positions, has made it a top priority.

That growth has been accompanied by a spike in settler violence, much of it carried out by residents of unauthorized outposts. These outposts often begin with small farms or shepherding that are used to seize land, say Palestinians and anti-settlement activists. United Nations officials warn the trend is changing the map of the West Bank, entrenching Israeli presence in the area.

Some 500,000 Israelis have settled in the West Bank since Israel captured the territory, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war. Their presence is viewed by most of the international community as illegal and a major obstacle to peace. The Palestinians seek all three areas for a future state.

For now, displaced families of the village have dispersed between other villages near the city of Jericho and near Hebron further south, said residents. Some sold their sheep and are trying to move into the cities.

Others are just dismantling their structures without knowing where to go.

"Where will we go? There’s nowhere. We’re scattered,” said Zayed, the resident, “People’s situation is bad. Very bad.”

An Israeli settler herds his flock near his outpost beside the Palestinian village of Ras Ein al-Auja in the West Bank, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

A Palestinian resident of Ras Ein al-Auja village, West Bank burns trash, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Palestinian children play in the West Bank village of Ras Ein al-Auja, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Palestinian residents of Ras Ein al-Auja village, West Bank pack up their belongings and prepare to leave their homes after deciding to flee mounting settler violence, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Palestinian residents of Ras Ein al-Auja village, West Bank pack up their belongings and prepare to leave their homes after deciding to flee mounting settler violence, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)