Expedia TAAP launches beta Rapid Activities API for agencies

Expedia Group’s B2B division has launched a beta version of a Rapid Activities API that integrates inventory from Tiqets, recently acquired by Expedia. 

The connection is designed for its Expedia Travel Agent Affiliate Program (TAAP), the group’s B2B programme for agencies. 

TAAP already introduced a back-office API in June; bringing activities into the mix expands the Rapid API ecosystem, which until now has focused on accommodation. The new tool promises tailored curation of activities directly within the TAAP interface.

Expedia is positioning the move as a response to a trend which it says it has identified among travellers. 

“According to Expedia Group’s latest study on end-to-end trip planning, 77% of travellers want to book their entire trip on a single platform,” said Stephen Cheng, vice-president at Expedia Group B2B.

“Extending our Rapid API ecosystem to activities gives our partners the products and tools they need to better meet the needs of travellers who want to book every element of their journey from one place.”

That shift in emphasis also reflects how some travellers now build a trip around experiences rather than adding them last. 

“Until now, we thought travellers chose a destination first, then searched for flights and a hotel before perhaps considering an activity,” said Peter Friend, chief executive of Global Hotel Card. 

“Today we are convinced they prioritise the experience, and the order in which they book is changing. Activities are no longer a simple add-on. 

The activity booking is increasingly the starting point for travellers’ experience, with flights and hotels then booked around it. 

We want to offer our customers the best possible activities; so we’re honoured to be a beta partner for the Rapid Activities API launch.”

The API is launching in beta, with a general rollout planned for early 2027.