TPConnects Powers Cumbaya’s AI Booking Platform to Help Travel Agencies Build Smarter, Faster Personalised Itineraries

Written By: Tuhin Sarkar

Tuhin Sarkar

Tuhin Sarkar is a Senior Journalist at Travel and Tour World with more than 10 years of experience in travel and tourism journalism. A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Jadavpur University, he combines strong research, industry knowledge and storytelling expertise to produce engaging, insightful and impactful travel news and fascinating feature stories.

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July 21, 2026 6:52 PM

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The travel technology sector continues to embrace artificial intelligence as agencies seek faster, more efficient ways to create personalised customer journeys. In a significant development, TPConnects has announced that Cumbaya has selected its Iris Platform as the core air content engine for its AI-driven online booking platform, enabling travel agencies and travel management companies (TMCs) to automate complex itinerary planning while maintaining the personalised service travellers increasingly expect.

The partnership combines TPConnects’ global travel connectivity with Cumbaya’s agentic AI capabilities, allowing agencies to access multiple airline suppliers, compare real-time fares and availability, and generate customised travel itineraries within minutes.

What does the partnership between TPConnects and Cumbaya involve?

TPConnects confirmed that Cumbaya has integrated the TPConnects Iris Platform into its booking ecosystem to provide seamless access to airline content from global travel suppliers. The integration gives travel agencies a single technology platform capable of aggregating flight options, live pricing and availability from multiple sources.

Rather than relying on traditional manual booking workflows, agencies can now use Cumbaya’s AI-powered platform to automate the planning of complex journeys involving multiple destinations, varying travel policies and numerous pricing combinations. The system is designed to simplify what has historically been one of the most time-consuming tasks in corporate and leisure travel planning.

By combining AI with comprehensive travel content, agencies can significantly reduce itinerary creation times while improving booking accuracy and customer experience.

How does agentic AI improve travel planning?

Unlike conventional booking systems that require substantial manual input, Cumbaya’s platform employs agentic AI capable of evaluating multiple variables simultaneously before recommending the most suitable travel options.

The AI analyses routing possibilities, pricing combinations, airline availability and travel policy requirements in real time. This enables agencies to create highly personalised itineraries that match individual traveller preferences while meeting business travel policies and budget requirements.

Instead of spending hours comparing flight options across multiple systems, consultants can generate tailored travel proposals within minutes. This not only improves operational efficiency but also allows travel professionals to focus more on customer service and advisory roles.

The technology represents another step towards intelligent travel planning, where AI handles repetitive analytical tasks while experienced travel advisors remain responsible for customer relationships and final recommendations.

TPConnects Iris provides global travel connectivity

The TPConnects Iris Platform serves as the technological foundation supporting Cumbaya’s AI capabilities.

The platform delivers access to global travel suppliers across different travel sectors through a modern API infrastructure. Agencies benefit from:

• Real-time flight availability
• Dynamic fare pricing
• Global supplier connectivity
• Interactive digital itineraries
• Fast API performance suitable for AI-driven decision making

Rather than generating static PDF travel proposals, the platform creates interactive consumer-facing itineraries that can be updated dynamically as travel options change. This gives travellers greater visibility into their journeys while allowing agencies to present more engaging travel proposals.

The platform’s architecture has been designed to support AI applications that require rapid processing of large volumes of travel data.

Supporting increasingly complex corporate travel requirements

Corporate travel continues to become more sophisticated, with travellers expecting customised experiences alongside strict compliance with company travel policies.

Cumbaya’s platform has been developed to address these evolving requirements by enabling agencies and travel management companies to manage everything from straightforward flight reservations to intricate multi-day, multi-country business trips.

According to Cumbaya, automating complex trip building requires infrastructure capable of evaluating numerous routing options, pricing scenarios and policy constraints simultaneously. The integration with TPConnects Iris provides the scalability and global coverage needed for these demanding workflows.

The technology is particularly relevant for agencies managing international business travel where multiple airline choices, schedule optimisation and corporate travel policies all influence booking decisions.

Executives highlight the role of AI-enabled travel infrastructure

Sven Hermans, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Cumbaya, said automating sophisticated travel planning presents unique technical challenges because AI systems must evaluate numerous routing possibilities, pricing combinations and policy requirements simultaneously.

He explained that TPConnects Iris offers the modern API infrastructure and worldwide travel coverage required to support high-speed AI decision-making, enabling the platform to deliver complex itineraries more efficiently.

Giuseppe Candela, Vice President of Global Sales at TPConnects, said the travel industry is witnessing growing adoption of agentic AI applications that depend on robust infrastructure capable of processing real-time travel data.

He noted that Cumbaya demonstrates how artificial intelligence can work alongside human travel expertise rather than replace it, enabling agencies to provide greater value through faster planning and more personalised customer experiences.

What does this mean for travel agencies?

For travel agencies, the partnership reflects the industry’s broader transition towards intelligent automation rather than fully automated customer service.

AI can dramatically reduce the administrative burden associated with itinerary planning, allowing consultants to dedicate more time to understanding customer needs, providing travel advice and delivering personalised recommendations.

The combination of real-time supplier connectivity, automated itinerary generation and interactive travel proposals also helps agencies improve response times in an increasingly competitive marketplace where travellers expect immediate results.

As more travel technology providers integrate advanced AI capabilities into booking platforms, agencies equipped with intelligent automation tools are likely to gain significant operational advantages through improved efficiency, faster bookings and enhanced customer engagement.

A growing trend in travel technology

The collaboration between TPConnects and Cumbaya highlights a wider shift across the travel industry towards AI-powered booking ecosystems supported by modern connectivity platforms.

As airlines, travel management companies and agencies increasingly adopt artificial intelligence to streamline operations, scalable infrastructure capable of delivering real-time global travel content will become increasingly important.

By combining agentic AI with comprehensive supplier connectivity, TPConnects and Cumbaya aim to help travel professionals manage increasingly complex itineraries without sacrificing the personalised service that remains central to successful travel planning.

The partnership illustrates how emerging technologies are reshaping travel distribution, enabling agencies to deliver faster, smarter and more customised travel experiences while preserving the expertise and human judgement that travellers continue to value.