Travala launches AI travel booking protocol

Cryptocurrency-based travel booking platform Travala has launched the Travala Travel MCP, a protocol that allows AI agents to search, book, and pay for hotels. Built on Base, the protocol uses the x402 payment standard to support gas-free USDC payments and instant settlement, with transaction costs of approximately $0.01 per booking. Travala added that users can manage travel planning, bookings, and cancellations within a single conversational AI interface, while retaining final payment approval authority in their own wallets. The company will also offer a 10% rebate in cbBTC to developers who build AI agents on the protocol, which currently supports over 2.2 million accommodation options in 230 countries.