--- title: "Booking Holdings CEO Middle East Conflict And Related Macroeconomic Developments Continue To Affect Travel Demand - Conf Call" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/294876057.md" datetime: "2026-08-04T21:32:41.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/294876057.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/294876057.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/294876057.md) --- # Booking Holdings CEO Middle East Conflict And Related Macroeconomic Developments Continue To Affect Travel Demand - Conf Call Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG.O) : - BOOKING HOLDINGS CEO: MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT AND RELATED MACROECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS CONTINUE TO AFFECT TRAVEL DEMAND - CONF CALL - BOOKING HOLDINGS CEO: LONG-HAUL INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL REMAINED PRESSURED BY ELEVATED AIRLINE PRICES AND REDUCED CAPACITY DUE TO THE CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST - BOOKING HOLDINGS CEO: DOMESTIC AND INTRAREGIONAL TRAVEL REMAINED RELATIVELY HEALTHY - BOOKING HOLDINGS CEO: US ROOM NIGHTS GREW IN THE HIGH SINGLE DIGITS, SUPPORTED BY HEALTHY DOMESTIC DEMAND - BOOKING HOLDINGS CEO: SAW CONTINUED GROWTH IN OUR DIRECT CHANNEL AND INCREASING ENGAGEMENT ACROSS MULTIPLE TRAVEL VERTICALS - BOOKING HOLDINGS CEO: BELIEVE ASIA REPRESENTS ONE OF THE MOST ATTRACTIVE LONG-TERM OPPORTUNITIES IN GLOBAL TRAVEL - BOOKING HOLDINGS CEO: AI DRIVEN REFERRALS REMAINS A RELATIVELY SMALL CONTRIBUTOR TO OUR OVERALL BUSINESS TODAY - BOOKING HOLDINGS CEO: WE’RE EMBEDDING AI ACROSS OUR OWN PLATFORMS TO MAKE EVERY STAGE OF THE TRAVEL JOURNEY MORE PERSONALIZED, SEAMLESS, AND INTUITIVE - BOOKING HOLDINGS CEO: DURING THE QUARTER CONTINUED ADVANCING AI CAPABILITIES ACROSS OUR PORTFOLIO - BOOKING HOLDINGS CEO: BEGAN ROLL OUT TESTING OF BOOKING.COM’S NEW AI-POWERED DISCOVERY EXPERIENCE, WHICH HELPS TRAVELERS IN THE EARLY INSPIRATION PHASE OF PLANNING A TRIP - BOOKING HOLDINGS CEO: OUR AI INITIATIVES ARE REDUCING CUSTOMER FRICTION, LOWERING CONTACT RATES, AND IMPROVING OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY - BOOKING HOLDINGS CEO: CUSTOMER SERVICE COST PER BOOKING CONTINUES TO DECREASED AT A DOUBLE-DIGIT RATE WHILE OVERALL CUSTOMER SATISFACTION REMAINS HIGH - BOOKING HOLDINGS CFO: OVERALL, CONSUMER DEMAND REMAINED RESILIENT IN THE QUARTER, ALTHOUGH WE OBSERVED SOME MODEST SHIFTS IN TRAVEL BEHAVIOR - BOOKING HOLDINGS CFO: INTERNATIONAL ROOM NIGHTS INCREASED SLIGHTLY, REFLECTING CONTINUED PRESSURE ON LONG-HAUL TRAVEL DUE PRIMARILY TO THE INDIRECT IMPACTS OF THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST - BOOKING HOLDINGS CFO: EUROPE GREW MID-SINGLE DIGITS, WITH DOMESTIC ROOM NIGHTS UP HIGH SINGLE DIGITS - BOOKING HOLDINGS CFO: ASIA GREW MID-SINGLE DIGITS, WITH DOMESTIC ROOM NIGHTS UP LOW DOUBLE DIGITS - BOOKING HOLDINGS CFO: US GREW HIGH SINGLE DIGITS, DRIVEN BY DOMESTIC DEMAND - BOOKING HOLDINGS CFO: REST OF WORLD GREW MID-SINGLE DIGITS, IMPROVING FROM A LOW SINGLE-DIGIT DECLINE IN THE FIRST QUARTER DUE TO STRONGER BOOKINGS FROM MIDDLE EAST BOOKERS - BOOKING HOLDINGS CFO: ATTRACTION TICKETS GREW DOUBLE DIGITS, WHILE FLIGHT TICKETS INCREASED 4% YOY, DESPITE PRESSURE FROM THE MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT, INCLUDING REDUCED CAPACITY ON CERTAIN INTERNATIONAL ROUTES AND HIGHER FLIGHT TICKET PRICES - BOOKING HOLDINGS CFO: REVENUE GROWTH WAS LOWER THAN GROSS BOOKINGS GROWTH, PRIMARILY DUE TO ELEVATED CANCELLATIONS IN MARCH THAT AFFECTED Q2 REVENUE - BOOKING HOLDINGS CFO: THE IMPACT IN Q2 WAS ACTUALLY A BIT HIGHER THAN IN Q1 - BOOKING HOLDINGS CFO: MIDDLE EAST IMPACT CONTINUING IN APRIL AND IN MAY; IN JUNE THE SITUATION STARTED TO NORMALIZE MORE - BOOKING HOLDINGS CFO: WE STILL EXPECT THAT THE INDIRECT IMPACT, PARTICULARLY ON AIRLINE CAPACITY AND FLIGHT TICKET PRICES, WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE END OF Q3 - BOOKING HOLDINGS CFO: ENCOURAGED BY THE RESILIENCY IN DEMAND, INCLUDING IN JULY, THE HEALTHY PICKUP OF THE SUMMER BOOKINGS - BOOKING HOLDINGS CEO: WE ARE ALREADY SEEING AN ROI THAT IS POSITIVE ON OUR AI INVESTMENTS TODAY AS A COMPANY - BOOKING HOLDINGS CFO: OUR AI COSTS ARE GOING UP, IT’S STILL AT A LOW SINGLE-DIGIT LEVEL OF OUR OVERALL TECHNOLOGY SPEND Source text: Further company coverage: (BKNG.O) ### Related Stocks - [BKNG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BKNG.US.md) - [BKNU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BKNU.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [Booking's CEO says AI will have a 'human cost' — and he wants every employee to be 'AI literate' in case their job goes away](https://longbridge.com/en/news/295642585.md) - [Here’s How Much You Would Have Made Owning Booking Holdings Stock In The Last 5 Years](https://longbridge.com/en/news/295958603.md) - [Cape Investment Advisory Inc. Purchases 10,164 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG](https://longbridge.com/en/news/295995585.md) - [GHP Investment Advisors Inc. Acquires 49,946 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG](https://longbridge.com/en/news/295781299.md) - [Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Purchased by Tema ETFs LLC](https://longbridge.com/en/news/295773063.md)