Mastercard and Trip.com have partnered to showcase AI-powered booking experiences designed to transform how consumers search, plan and pay for travel. The initiative, developed with Network International, demonstrates how Trip.com’s AI agent TripGenie can support end-to-end travel transactions.
The solution is powered by Mastercard’s Agent Suite for
Merchants, which enables businesses to integrate agent-powered shopping
experiences into existing e-commerce environments. These capabilities include
product discovery, research and consumer-authorised purchases, while allowing
merchants to retain control over their brand and customer relationships.
The collaboration brings together Trip.com’s travel
ecosystem, Network International’s acquiring capabilities, and Mastercard’s
global payments network, gateway infrastructure and agentic commerce
technologies. The partners said the initiative provides a foundation for a new
generation of AI-powered travel booking experiences.
“As agentic AI drives a fundamental shift in how consumers
shop, Mastercard is committed to providing merchants with a way to build,
connect and scale AI-powered shopping experiences – that differentiate for
their customers while ensuring they remain in control of their brand and
customer engagements. Through our collaboration with Trip.com and Network
International, we are showcasing how consumers can transact confidently with
new solutions, powering the next era of travel,” said Mete Güney, executive vice
president, Market Development, EEMEA, Mastercard.
Trip.com CEO Schubert Lou said AI is moving travel beyond
traditional search towards more personalised journeys, with agents able to
support travellers from discovery and planning through booking and payment.
“AI is changing travel from a search experience into a much
more intelligent and personalized journey. Together with Mastercard, we are
shaping the next generation of AI-powered commerce through Agent Suite for
Merchants, exploring how AI agents, operating securely and with the traveler's
authorization, can intelligently facilitate travel-related transactions.
Ultimately, our role is not just to help travelers find the right trip, but to
make their entire journey, from discovery and planning through to booking and
payment, much simpler, faster and more connected,” said Schubert Lou, CEO of
Trip.com.
The collaboration is initially focused on selected travel
services, including attractions and ancillary offerings. TripGenie is being
exclusively showcased at Arabian Travel Market as a global first, with the
partners planning a phased rollout and commercial launch expected in early
2027.
"At Network international we believe agentic commerce
will fundamentally reshape how consumers interact with digital services,
reducing complexity and enabling more personalized purchasing experiences. As
the leading payments enabler across the Middle East and Africa, Network is
focused on providing the secure and scalable infrastructure required to support
this transformation. Together with Mastercard and Trip.com, we are helping
accelerate the future of commerce, where intelligent agents can deliver greater
convenience, choice and value for consumers and businesses alike," said
Martin Pitcock, Head of E-Commerce and Omni-channel, Network International.
The initiative also provides a potential blueprint for
merchants, payment service providers and financial institutions across the
region to adopt agent-driven commerce, supporting the development of secure and
scalable agentic transactions.
Mastercard’s Agent Suite for Merchants is available through Mastercard Merchant Cloud, an open acceptance framework that gives businesses access to modular payment capabilities including fraud protection, authentication, tokenisation, data and partner services. -TradeArabia News Service