lastminute.com

We love talking about Travel and we love talking about Tech - but when we talk about them together, it’s a great day indeed. Our Chief of Staff and Corporate Development Director, Francesca Biraghi got to do just that at the Retail Tech Innovation Day organised by Dagorà LifeStyle Innovation Hub at Google in Zürich. 🇨🇭 For those who might not know, our headquarters is in Chiasso, Ticino and we’re listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange - The Six. 💡 Francesca joined leaders from industries including Food Retail, FMCG, Travel and Hospitality, to share invaluable insights about the intricacies of innovation and regulation in the travel industry and why a balance of the two is key to enhancing the customer experience and shaping the future of travel. If you want to read about Innovation vs Regulation: The Future of Travel and Customer Experience - our topic - all the speaker slides are available at the event website 👉 https://retailtech.ch/ #TravelTech #Innovation #Switzerland #Google

"Developing" new connections at Codemotion. For those who know their Java from their Python, there was only one place to be this week - Milan. 🤝 Our four-strong team was delighted to host a stall at one of the biggest tech events in Europe. It’s the first time we’ve been to the event since 2019 - so I guess we could call this an SQL? The team armed with branded gadgets, met some incredible talent and persuaded as many as possible that the fast-moving world of travel tech is the only place to be. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hi. They had so much fun that they wouldn’t give the event a C++ but an A* grade 😀 #TravelTech #developers #talentacquisition

🍻 At lastminute.com we’re all about unique experiences - and Germany’s Oktoberfest is an event to treasure. 🎪 Over 7 million people descend on the city to drink beer and other local delicacies and our Munich colleagues dusted off their Dirndls and limbered up in their Lederhosen for the 2024 version. Our teams at lastminute.de and weg.de always have a good spot to host partners, suppliers and advertisers for a fantastic evening of live music. 🤝 We want to thank everyone who joined us at the iconic Festhalle Schottenhamel in Munich, including Amadeus, Peakwork, LMX Touristik GmbH, vtours GmbH, SMARTSEER GmbH, Passolution GmbH, Hanse Merkur, Visit Tampa and FVA Slovenia. #Oktoberfest2024 #Germanculture #TravelTech

More ways to enjoy green stays. 🌿 It’s great to see how the number of EU Ecolabel hotels and campsites is growing, with nearly 800 options now available for travellers across Europe! 🌍 This means more opportunities to make sustainable and ethical choices when planning your next getaway. At lastminute.com, we advocate for the adoption of trusted certifications like #EUEcolabel to help make responsible travel easier for everyone. With more collaborations like this and awareness campaigns, the visibility of sustainable options continues to grow! ✨

❤️ Introducing our latest Travel Horizons Report – Couples Edition! With our in-house Travel Intelligence Unit at Forward, born from lastminute.com, we’ve gathered fresh insights into the travel habits and preferences of dynamic duos across Europe. Here’s a sneak peek of our findings: - Spontaneity is in: couples increasingly opt for #lastminute getaways, with a notable +28% rise. - #Amsterdam tops the list of city breaks, while #SharmElSheikh is the favourite for sun-seeking couples. - #Dubai and the #CanaryIslands are quickly climbing the ranks in both categories—keep an eye on them! 👉 Curious for more? Dive into the full report for all the exciting trends shaping couples’ travel this season!

🍂 As September sets and October arrives the Northern Hemisphere Autumn sees us heading into the final quarter - so how much holiday do you have left? The EU average is 33 days of annual leave (including public holidays), and while the bulk of that is usually used up by now - if you have a few cheeky days left we’ve got some travel inspiration straight from our team. ✨ Taking time off is hugely important for wellbeing, so from the sandy beaches of Rio and the Med to the majestic Ica Desert and snowy Alpine peaks - we’re delighted to share some of the team's trip highlights and top tips. Holidays are at the heart of everything we do so we encourage our people to get their time-off booked off - because after all, #WeLiveForTheHolidays. 

🌍 This Friday, on World Tourism Day, we’re joining the European Commission’s webinar alongside other industry experts to discuss the role of the #EMAS EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, a certification process aimed at helping tourism businesses reduce their environmental impact. 🌱 At lastminute.com, we advocate for the adoption of trusted certifications and we’re dedicated to helping customers have all the information they need to make more sustainable, ethical, and inclusive travel choices. To support this, we’ve launched a new page on our editorial hub, #PlanetHeart, with an overview of the certifications we support - including EMAS: [https://lnkd.in/dVUXuNng] 🔗 Don't forget to register for the webinar here: https://lnkd.in/dmBwDfUx

🏐🏆 Celebrating team spirit and friendly competition  Shout out to our colleagues who travelled to 🌊Igea Marina (Italy) last weekend to take part in the annual SkyTeam Airline Alliance Beach Volleyball Tournament. This competitive event brings together 20 teams from some of the leading names in the travel industry, including Trip.Com, Alpitour, and Uvet. We've proudly taken part for 13 years, and this year was extra special. Representing both lastminute.com and our Italian brand Volagratis, we had two strong teams in the tournament. For the first time ever, the finals became a derby between our two squads, with Volagratis emerging as the champions! 🏆 We’re proud of the teamwork, sportsmanship, and dedication shown by everyone involved! Congratulations to both teams for making it a memorable event! 👏

🇫🇷 Our team were de-light-ed to be in Paris with the Crème de la crème of the travel industry at IFTM. Their four days in France were all about connecting with contacts, meeting potential partners, attending talks and networking from dawn to dusk. 🤝 Thanks to everyone who came to have a tête-à-tête with our colleagues. Getting out and about to meet people in the industry has always been a huge part of our culture. So from Bonjour to Bon Voyage - hope everyone had as wonderful time as we did. #Travel #Paris #lastminute

🏦 Giving our customers a seamless and secure way to pay for their holidays is a service we take seriously. Our work with TrueLayer now offers holidaymakers the option to Pay By Bank, which can be crucial for bigger trips when some traditional payment methods have set limits. The travel industry is always evolving so adaptability and agility are crucial for holiday providers and their partners and suppliers, particularly those in the digital travel space like ourselves. Check out the lovely video featuring our very own Fintech and Payments Director, Nicola, talking all things payments, to discover more! #PayByBank #holidays #OpenBanking