Inbound and outbound travel APIs
An inbound integration connects your platform to a supplier’s API so you can sell their inventory. An outbound API ("XML out" or "API out") does the reverse: it exposes your own inventory and rates so other agencies and OTAs can book from you programmatically.
A typical booking flow through an API
- Search — availability and prices for a destination and dates.
- Pre-book or re-price — confirm the price and cancellation policy are still valid.
- Book — create the reservation and receive a supplier reference.
- Retrieve, amend, cancel — manage the booking afterwards.
Why integrating many APIs is hard
Every supplier names hotels, rooms, meal plans and cancellation rules differently, rate-limits differently, and fails differently. Connecting ten suppliers means normalising ten data models and mapping the same hotel across all of them — which is why unified travel APIs and hotel mapping exist.
Example
A DMC connects three bed-bank APIs and one transfer API to its booking engine, then publishes an outbound XML API so a partner OTA in Europe can book the DMC’s contracted hotels directly.
How TraveleXe handles travel api
APINex is TraveleXe’s unified travel API: one endpoint reaching 2M+ hotels, sightseeing and transfers, with every supplier response normalised and room data cleaned by the Syncro mapping core.
Explore APINexFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between a travel API and a GDS?
A GDS is one large network that aggregates many airlines (and some hotels). A travel API is any programmatic connection to a supplier — including a GDS, a bed bank, a single airline or a transfer company.
Can I use my own supplier contracts with a unified API?
With most unified APIs, yes: you bring your own credentials and contracts, and the API handles the technical connection and normalisation.
Last reviewed 25 October 2026 by the TraveleXe product team.