WorldTicket (W2), a leading global provider of passenger service systems and distribution technology to airlines, has partnered with Deutsche Bahn, Europe's largest railway operator, to make it easier for travellers to seamlessly book rail and air travel on the same itinerary. Travellers can now add Deutsche Bahn rail tickets to their air itineraries with more than 50 global full-service carriers, including Cathay Pacific China Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Lufthansa, LATAM, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Vietnam Airlines and many others.

Powered by the company's W2 GDS Aggregation product, passengers booking on Deutsche Bahn's Rail&Fly (a fully flexible train ticket for travelling to and from the airport), and the rail operator's Intermodal Interline and Codeshare product, can combine international flight tickets with a train ride to or from an airport by selecting multimodal itineraries directly with participating airlines, or through traditional and Online Travel Agencies such as Expedia, Opodo and Etraveli, and travel aggregators such as Skyscanner.

Deutsche Bahn's Rail&Fly product allows flexible travel from all German train stations to all major airports in Germany, and other European airports including Basel, Salzburg, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Zurich. On top, the Interline and Codeshare products with scheduled high-speed rail services create an eco-friendly alternative to domestic feeder flights on important routes such as Stuttgart – Frankfurt Airport, Dusseldorf – Frankfurt Airport and many more.

Travel agents can also use all major global distribution systems such as Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport to offer multimodal itineraries exclusively marketed in the GDS under W2 Flight numbers operated by Deutsche Bahn AG.

The partnership opens Deutsche Bahn's network to the more than 78.6 million travellers that take off and land at German airports every year, and the airlines and travel providers that serve them.

"We're thrilled to expand our WorldTicket offering to airlines, travel agents and their passengers, to support multimodal travel options, including rail," said Peer Winter, Vice President of Commercial Business Development at WorldTicket. "Through our partnership with Deutsche Bahn, we're proud to be the key connector of their vast multimodal network of 5,600 rail stations across Germany, improving the quality of passenger travel and minimising disruption risk for airlines."

WorldTicket's airline and travel agent customers can integrate travel content available through its W2 solution into their systems, creating ancillary revenue opportunities and brand loyalty.

"Our partnership with WorldTicket offers our Airline partners and passengers unprecedented access to Europe's largest economy, which serves as a global travel destination and a gateway to the world," said Sebastian Rieckesmann, Head of Intermodal Cooperation at Deutsche Bahn. "With the combined solution, our passengers can efficiently reach any airport hub within Germany, thus making it easier to choose rail instead of domestic feeder flights and bypass road traffic in favor of a more environmentally friendly journey."

With 100% brand recognition across Germany and 80 satisfaction index points for long-distance travel, Deutsche Bahn is the ideal partner for carriers wanting to serve the German and European markets, offering a reliable and comfortable way for their passengers to complete the first or final leg of their journey.

WorldTicket (IATA Codes W1/W2) is a leading provider of Passenger Service Solutions (PSS) and sophisticated global ticketing and distribution services to more than 75 airlines across the globe. WorldTicket is the only PSS provider with its own AOC holding airline, FlexFlight, operating under the IATA code W2, which enables airlines to easily outsource their distribution and ticketing functions to WorldTicket. WorldTicket solutions are NDC Level 4 certified by IATA. Founded in 2002, WorldTicket is headquartered in Copenhagen, with offices in Miami, Bangkok, Warsaw, Kyiv and Beijing, and a subsidiary of 777 Partners Travel Group.

With many impressionist treasures at the Musée d'Orsay and ancient gems in some of the world's greatest art museums, the Louvre, Paris has long been an art lover's heaven. Some of the objects found in Paris museums are:

Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss- The romance of Psyche and Cupid – yes, the small, winged kid with the love arrows, but grown-up – is one of the great ancient romances, capable of touching the hearts of both classists and ordinary people. Among the last of the era-defining Italians, Antonio Canova depicts the most tragic scene of the narrative with great sensitivity in this statue. Despite the fact that Canova, Napoleon's favorite, extracted the two people from frigid marble, the piece is brimming with passion.

Liberty Leading the People- You've probably seen this artwork before. France's unofficial national picture depicts the famed bare-breasted female personification of Liberty leading warriors during the 1830 "July Revolution." The work's success at the time led the female figure, alias Marianne, to be a respectable symbol of the French Republic. But make no mistake, it does not sugarcoat the ugly truths of France's battle for democratic governance.

The Coronation of Napoleon: When it comes to huge paintings, the Coronation of Napoleon measures an almost astounding 33 feet by 20 feet. Given it was commissioned by the revered General himself and painted by his official painter, Jacques-Louis David, the scale is probably predictable. It also has some of Napoleon's official decorations: The consecration of Emperor Napoleon I and the Coronation of Empress Josephine in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris on December 2, 1804.

In some ways, it's more of a Neo-Classical Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover, with a who's who of renowned French leaders from the era, including Napoleon's Family, a little befuddled-looking Turkish envoy, and, of course, the painter himself.

Hammurabi's Code: Here's one from your high school history studies that you should remember. The ancient Babylonian King Hammurabi's code, which dates from 1754 B.C., is not only one of the world's oldest examples of written laws but also one of the world's oldest readable written documents. The majority of it is pretty dry; after all, it is a set of laws describing regulations for commercial transactions, inheritance, divorces, taxes, and the like. It does, however, include one of the first documented occurrences of the phrase "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." Life in ancient Babylon was not always kind.

I.M. Pei's Pyramid: When I.M. Pei, a Chinese American architect, was commissioned to design a new entry to the Louvre in 1984, it raised a few eyebrows. When he proposed a massive Modernist steel and glass pyramid, it looked like half of Paris erupted. Although the issue has died down over time and the pyramid has garnered many fans, it remains one of the city's most contentious landmarks.

The Coronation of Napoleon : Of course, you must see the Mona Lisa and Delacroix, but there is another masterpiece with a historic heritage buried among the enormous collection at the Louvre that should not be overlooked. It was created in 1807 by the official painter of Napoleon I, the ultimate hero of French history, and its epic grandeur are difficult to ignore. The magnificent, massive artwork depicts the ruler's delight when he is crowned at Notre Dame de Paris.

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci- The Mona Lisa was created between 1503 and 1517 as a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, Francesco del Giocondo's wife. The masterpiece has attained worldwide acclaim not because its brushstroke patterns are the most artistically skilled or attractive but because the twist of the grin is interlaced with mystery - not to mention the strange lack of brows. Millions go to Paris each year to see the picture, and you can see it for yourself in the Louvre, where it has dominated the permanent exhibition as the most popular attraction since 1797.

Hermaphroditus- You might think you've seen a lot of works like this before, but interestingly, what appears to be a naked woman lying on a comfortable couch is actually a man, or so it's believed. Evidently, it's a representation of the god Hermaphroditus, a Roman replica of the Hellenistic bronze. It was discovered in Rome and shown in the Borghese Gallery before being sold to the occupying French and now resides in the Louvre. Hermaphroditus was a popular subject for paintings and statues, even if modern audiences are less familiar with the theme than the ancient Greeks and Romans were.

Trip.com, the global travel agency, is launching its first 72-hour Flash Sale campaign offering Trip.com users up to 50' off hotels around the UK. As travel rebounds, Trip.com is working with hotels to provide incredible discounts on accommodation in the run up to the Easter holidays.

From the 23rd to 25th March, Trip.com is offering discounts of up to 50' off selected hotels around the country to travellers in the UK. Available for only 72 hours, the exclusive hotel sale is the first of its kind to be launched in the UK market by the global travel agency.

As the Easter and summer holidays approach, Trip.com is working with hotel partners to provide UK travellers with affordable stays around the country. Trip.com data shows that in January 2021, UK hotel room nights booked on Trip.com saw over 200' percent growth YoY as travellers in the UK were able to travel after 2020 restrictions were eased. Optimism around travel in the UK has continued, with Trip.com UK hotel room nights in February 2022 seeing a further 16' percent increase compared with January 2022.

"We are excited to launch our first ever flash sale campaign in the UK market. As consumer and industry confidence in travel rebounds, we are actively working with partners to capture pent-up demand and offer our users unmissable discounts on their next trip," said Kate Xiong-Britton, General Manager UK, Trip.com.

"From the 23rd to the 25th of March, the Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury is happy to offer UK travellers a deal like never before on Trip.com. We are excited to support this innovative campaign and welcome travellers to our flagship Bloomsbury property," commented Ilaria Gandini, Reservations and Revenue Manager, Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury, a hotel partner participating in Trip.com's 72-hour Flash Sale.

"The Sunborn London Yacht Hotel is excited to be part of the Flash Sale in partnership with Trip.com. We look forward to welcoming visitors from around the country through this unique campaign," said S. D'Angelo, Revenue Manager, Sunborn London Yacht Hotel.

The 72-hour Flash Sale is the latest in a series of campaigns launched by Trip.com and its partners to spur on the travel revival in the UK and provide its users with discounts on a variety of travel products. Trip.com has rolled out similar campaigns in markets around the world with strong results. In Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea, Trip.com offers big savings on accommodation and attraction products through its sales campaigns. For example, Trip.com's recent Super Saver Sale in Singapore offered customers the opportunity to enjoy discounts on top attraction products such as Universal Studios Singapore, and save up to S$100 on hotel stays.

Trip.com is an international one-stop travel service provider, available in 20 languages across 27 countries and regions in 31 local currencies and sites. Trip.com has an extensive hotel and flight network consisting of more than 1.2 million hotels and flights from over 480 airlines covering 2,600 airports in 200 countries and regions around the globe. Trip.com's world-class 24/7 multilingual customer service as well as additional centres in Edinburgh, Tokyo and Seoul, help to 'create the best travel experience' for its millions of customers worldwide.

Leading UK travel group, Barrhead Travel, has launched its hero campaign for the travel industry's Turn of Year 2022 period. The campaign, titled, "Book Human, Book Barrhead Travel" aims to focus on the downfalls of booking with automated online search engines while celebrating the personal touch that a travel expert offers.

The campaign, which was first trailed by parent company Internova Travel Group in the US market last year, soft-launched across social media and storefronts at the beginning of January with paid online activity, TV and targeted social advertising launching this week.

The television advert will debut on STV this February before landing nationally across a targeted programmatic campaign later this year. The video-led creative features an alternate reality where an AI-powered robot plans "dream" holidays.

"We grew up in a world where technology was supposed to make life better for us," said Brent Rivard, Chief Marketing Officer for Internova Travel Group, "but that was not the case when the pandemic hit. Individuals and families were left stranded with cancellations and no way to secure refunds. That was the tension and the insight for the Book Human campaign, and from there, the strategy became quite simple, which is to deposition technology in favour of a human travel advisor."

Barrhead Travel say the provocative creative is designed to make consumers sit up and rethink how they book their travel plans. They hope the juxtaposition of the content will encourage prospective holidaymakers to turn to their local travel agent.

Jacqueline Dobson, President of Barrhead Travel, said:

"We must make 2022 the year of the travel expert and that means using our marketing resources to cut through the noise and convince as many customers as possible to choose to book with a reputable travel agent.

"Our Book Human campaign illustrates the impersonal experience you could expect booking with a faceless online booking tool. As our campaign highlights, an online algorithm simply cannot match the first-hand knowledge or reassurances that our trained advisers can. AI can facilitate your booking, but it doesn't care about the customer, nor can it provide exceptional service, advice or support.

"Online technologies can enhance our services, but it will never be a replacement for the expertise that a knowledgeable travel adviser can offer.

During the pandemic, consumers have become more aware of the importance of issues such as financial protection and reputable advice. The travel landscape has changed and those who previously relied on online booking tools alone are now transitioning back to a people-first service. Dobson said she believes that despite starting the year with challenges, that the resurgence of the travel expert would support industry recovery.

"I am optimistic that there is significant opportunity for agents this year, particularly now that testing rules have relaxed and confidence to travel is growing. People like people – and there is no better industry placed to promote human interaction than travel where recommendations, personal travel tales and assurances are intrinsic to the booking experience."