Yanolja Go Global at AfterX 2026: 25 Years of B2B Hotel Distribution, a Yanolja Acquisition and What Comes Next

 Yanolja Go Global has been in B2B hotel distribution for 26 years—which, in an industry that prizes novelty, is a credential worth examining. They were at AfterX 2026 sponsoring the seat covers and the coffee station at Nikki Beach, maintaining a presence from the first coffee to the last conversation of the golden hour. They also attended as part of the Yanolja Group, adding another dimension to the conversation. We spoke with Marco Torelli, Chief Product Officer (CPO), Yanolja Go Global, during the afternoon.

Travelgate: Tell us about yourself and Yanolja Go Global. How would you describe the company's role within today's global travel distribution landscape?

Marco Torelli: I've been part of the company for about six years now, which for me really feels like living inside a constantly evolving ecosystem rather than just working for a travel distributor. Yanolja Go Global is a leading global B2B transaction and distribution platform that connects travel agencies, tour operators, and suppliers through technology and local expertise, giving them access to over one million accommodation options and complementary travel services across more than 100 markets. In today's fragmented distribution landscape, our role is to make connectivity, content, and performance more intelligent and more seamless, so our partners can focus on serving travelers while we orchestrate the technology, data, and automation behind the scenes.

Travelgate: Having operated in travel distribution for more than two decades, what are the biggest changes you have seen in the industry, and what lessons remain relevant today?

Marco Torelli: Over more than two decades, travel distribution has shifted from paper contracts and manual allotments to fully digital, API-driven, real-time connectivity, and now toward AI-augmented, agent-mediated channels. We've seen the rise of OTAs, bedbanks, and metasearch, followed by the current phase of consolidating fragmented supply while layering modern cloud and data platforms on top of legacy infrastructure. What still matters today are the fundamentals: trust with partners, reliable execution at scale, and the ability to adapt quickly while keeping the traveler experience simple, transparent, and bookable.

Travelgate: How does being part of the Yanolja Group position Yanolja Go Global to support travel businesses in an increasingly connected and competitive market?

Marco Torelli: Being part of the Yanolja Group positions Yanolja Go Global within a unique end-to-end travel technology ecosystem that spans consumer platforms, hospitality cloud solutions, and global B2B distribution. Yanolja Cloud's scale—serving more than 30,000 enterprise clients across 170 countries—and its AI-driven, data-rich infrastructure enable us to innovate faster in pricing, personalization, and connectivity for our agency and operator partners. This combination of global technology, extensive reach, and local expertise allows us to support travel businesses with more resilient supply, smarter tools, and shared data-driven insights rather than isolated point solutions.

Travelgate: Asia continues to be one of the most dynamic regions in global travel. What trends and opportunities should international travel companies be paying attention to?

Marco Torelli: Asia remains one of the most dynamic regions in global travel, driven by the continued rebound of outbound demand from China and India, the growth of intra-regional travel, and the strength of major hubs such as Singapore, Bangkok, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. We're seeing shorter but more frequent trips, blended business-leisure itineraries, and purpose-driven travel for wellness, education, events, and niche experiences reshape demand patterns. The biggest opportunities lie in building stronger local partnerships, supporting new source markets with flexible content and payment options, and using data and AI to anticipate demand rather than simply reacting to it.

Travelgate: What are Yanolja Go Global's priorities for the next 12 months, and where do you see the greatest opportunities for growth across the travel ecosystem?

Marco Torelli: Over the next 12 months, our priorities are clear: executing an integrated, data-driven operating model, strengthening our core B2B distribution platform, and accelerating the modernization of our technology stack with AI-powered products. We're investing in unified Databricks-based metrics and dashboards, agentic AI use cases for agencies and internal teams, and deeper connectivity between our distribution platform and Yanolja Cloud's hotel technology. We see the greatest opportunities for growth in expanding high-potential source markets, increasing direct contracting and smarter inventory orchestration with key suppliers, and leveraging AI to shift more booking volume from manual and web-based processes into API-driven and intelligent agent channels across the travel ecosystem.

About Yanolja Go Global

Yanolja Go Global, part of the Yanolja Group, has been delivering innovation and excellence in B2B hotel distribution and technology solutions since 2000. The company empowers more than 37,000 travel agency partners with access to over one million hotels and apartments across 70,000 destinations worldwide, offering competitive rates, strong last-minute availability, flexible financial tools, multiple currencies, credit options, and 24/7 multilingual booking support.