Breaking news

PayPal Integrates With Selfbook, Transforming Hotel Booking and Payment Efficiency

Streamlined Booking Begins Within the PayPal App

PayPal has strategically partnered with Selfbook, a leading hotel payment provider, to embed a comprehensive hotel search and booking functionality directly within its app. This move promises to simplify the traditionally fragmented travel payment process by eliminating the need to switch platforms during hotel reservations.

Unified Payment Solutions and Enhanced User Benefits

The integration allows users to navigate to the Offers section within the PayPal app, filtering hotel options by travel dates and guest counts. Beyond a seamless search experience, travelers can pay using PayPal at checkout and even utilize the Buy Now, Pay Later option for select properties, all while benefiting from exclusive discounts tailored to in-app users.

Expanding Ecosystem and Revenue Streams

For PayPal, this initiative not only broadens its service suite but also capitalizes on a significant trend, with an observed 84% increase in online travel payments via its platform. The partnership further extends to enabling Selfbook to integrate PayPal’s enterprise payment suite for processing credit card transactions, thereby offering hotels a commission-free payment solution that enhances direct guest engagement and improves revenue margins.

Future Innovations in Travel and Technology

Additionally, Selfbook is set to embed its payment checkout products into workflows outside the PayPal app and has recently adopted PayPal as a key payments partner within Perplexity’s AI-driven hotel booking interface. As noted by Khalid Meniri, Selfbook’s co-founder and CEO, this consolidation of the search, booking, and payment processes addresses longstanding industry challenges by streamlining interactions between travelers and hotels, ultimately fostering a more direct and profitable customer relationship.

Cyprus And Greece Outline Joint Tourism Plans For Summer 2026

Strategic Partnership Enhances Tourism Prospects

The Cyprus Tourism Authority (EOT Cyprus) presented proposals for summer 2026 focused on strengthening tourism cooperation between Cyprus and Greece, with joint efforts aimed at attracting visitors from long-haul markets.

Greece: The Top Destination For Cypriot Travelers

At an event on April 28, Athena Spakouri, Director of EOT Cyprus, said Greece is expected to remain the main travel destination for Cypriot residents, with plans extending beyond established locations to include lesser-known regions. This approach reflects a broader effort to diversify travel options while maintaining strong demand between the two countries.

Complementary Destinations, Unified Vision

Building on this, Spakouri noted that Cyprus and Greece offer complementary tourism experiences rather than competing directly. Joint programmes are therefore being positioned to attract visitors from markets such as the United States and China, while tourism activity continues to be assessed in the context of broader geopolitical developments.

Robust Air And Sea Connectivity

Supporting this cooperation, Konstantinos Kollias said around 600,000 Cypriots travelled to Greece in 2025. Frequent flights, short travel times, and ferry connections between Limassol and Piraeus continue to facilitate movement between the two countries and sustain travel flows.

Diverse Tourism Offerings for a New Era

Konstantinos Kollias highlighted that Greece’s tourism portfolio spans from traditional seaside holidays to sectors such as cultural, religious, gastronomic, agritourism, ecotourism, spa, conference, and medical tourism.

This range reflects the expansion of tourism offerings across different segments and travel preferences. In parallel, Joseph Iosif referred to Greece as a “second homeland” for Cypriot travellers, pointing to longstanding cultural and travel links between the two countries.

Innovative Programs And Strengthened Connections

Building on this approach, the EOT strategy includes initiatives focused on gastronomic routes, cultural trails, thematic and religious tourism, as well as curated city breaks in destinations such as Athens and Thessaloniki. These programmes were presented at the event alongside references to historical, cultural, and religious connections between Cyprus and Greece, including remarks from Bishop Gregorios of Mesaoria.

Boosting Air Connectivity And Island Accessibility

At the same time, airlines including Aegean Airlines, Sky Express, and Cyprus Airways outlined plans to expand connections between Cyprus and Greece, with a focus on increasing access to island destinations. The event also brought together stakeholders from the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, Hermes Airports, tour operators, and ACTAA, reflecting coordination across different parts of the tourism sector.

Aretilaw firm
The Future Forbes Realty Global Properties
eCredo
Uol

Become a Speaker

Become a Speaker

Become a Partner

Subscribe for our weekly newsletter