As we enter the last weeks of 2023, we ask our community of travel leaders to share their reflections of the year and their outlook for the coming one in this series of trends and predictions for 2024. This is the second instalment, and Elon Musk and Africa seem to pop up quite a bit. Read on.
Chris Hemmeter, Managing Director, Thayer Ventures
Looking back – one word to describe 2023
Bipolar
One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
Unicorn
On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) do you feel about 2024?
8
Looking forward – one word to describe 2024
Gen Z
Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2024?
Mixed signals
What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Manage cash
What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2024?
Investing in the next big thing!
What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2024?
Speak at WiT conferences!
What’s the most interesting thing you read or watched in 2023?
Elon Musk’s biography
What’s the trip you want to make in 2024 to add to your memory bank?
Okavango Delta
What’s the one thing you wish AI could solve?
Climate change
What’s the one thing you think AI will never solve?
Bad people doing bad things
One important trend that no one is talking about yet?
Climate engineering
A buzzword that will disappear this time, next year
ChatGPT
Kerry Healy, Chief Commercial Officer, Middle East, Africa, Turkey & Asia-Pacific | Premium, Midscale & Economy at Accor
Looking back – one word to describe 2023
Intentional
One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
Pre-covid ( ok ok, I know it’s 2 )
On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) do you feel about 2024?
8
Looking forward – one word to describe 2024
Growth
Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2024?
Encouraging
What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Deliberate focus, be that on the customer experience, the content, the partners, the owners, and our systems and loyalty culture.
What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2024?
Our people. Right people in the right roles in the right location. Focused on our core business stream and our customers! & of course the increase in flight capacity throughout MEAAPAC.
What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2024?
I said it before and it remains core to what we do. Spend time with our teams and customers. People are at the heart of what we do and deliver! Happy customers come back, happy customers spend more and refer more.
What’s the most interesting thing you read or watched in 2023?
NY Times podcast with Elon Musk – like him or not, he has incredible power over the future, the impact of Space X and the control he has on satellites distribution globally floored me.
What’s the trip you want to make in 2024 to add to your memory bank?
Visit Africa! I know it’s a continent and a very exciting one to unpack, and as it now part of my remit, I can’t wait to explore it.
What’s the one thing you wish AI could solve?
Hospitality has some old technology and given the size we are it means we are often using several different types of in hotel tech – would be wonderful to have AI make sense of all the data from varying and competing technology platforms to deliver operational excellence.
What’s the one thing you think AI will never solve?
Human interaction.
One important trend that no one is talking about yet?
Not sure it is fair to say no one is talking about but with the rising middle class economy and the shift in spending power it is causing especially in countries like India.
A buzzword that will disappear this time, next year
Hopefully ‘pre-Covid’?
Chan Chee Chong, CEO & Co-founder, GlobalTix
Looking back – one word to describe 2023
Either ‘Relief’ (business is back) or ‘Peripatetic’ (travel too much)
One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
Cryptocurrency
On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) do you feel about 2024?
7
Looking forward – one word to describe 2024
Tipping-Point. I think Europe and some markets are going to slow down and secondary markets or up and coming markets are finally going to see the surge, for example Vietnam
Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2024?
Tapered growth – optimistic but cautious
What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Training of staff and hiring good leaders
What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2024?
Overseas expansion to Europe
What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2024?
Explore deeper into the latest technology offerings
What’s the most interesting thing you read or watched in 2023?
TED video on what words appear in eulogies. The most common words are all about helping others.
What’s the trip you want to make in 2024 to add to your memory bank?
Central Asia or Brazil
What’s the one thing you wish AI could solve?
Connectivity and Mapping
What’s the one thing you think AI will never solve?
Human Touch, in particular when you are sick, someone who is by your side and tell you that it’s going to be ok.
One important trend that no one is talking about yet?
The resurgence of multi-day private tours
A buzzword that will disappear this time, next year
Revenge travel
Timothy Hughes, Vice President, Corporate Development, Agoda
Looking back – one word to describe 2023
Travel – Good. World – ‘Messedup’
One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
War
On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) do you feel about 2024?
9 for travel
6 for peace and order in the world
Looking forward – one word to describe 2024
Peace
Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2024?
Asia – last out, fast out
What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
- People retention
- Ensuring we are good at inbound, outbound, domestic in every market that is important to us
What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2024?
Travel platform. The Agoda of 2024 is so different to the accommodation-only Agoda of 2019
What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2024?
Networking and meeting new companies
What’s the most interesting thing you read or watched in 2023?
True Believer – unauthorised biography of Marvel’s Stan Lee. Proving that hubris, charisma and energy can (unfortunately) often trump talent and skill.
What’s the trip you want to make in 2024 to add to your memory bank?
My Dad and I are planning a trip to go to the Edinburgh Fringe festival this year. Matching his love of the theatre and my love of comedy
What’s the one thing you wish AI could solve?
In travel – hospitality tech
What’s the one thing you think AI will never solve?
Empathy
One important trend that no one is talking about yet?
How to make sustainability more than talk
A buzzword that will disappear this time, next year
Metaverse
Paulina Klotzbucher, Chief Commercial Officer, Travelstart/CEO, Glyde
Looking back – one word to describe 2023
Tumultuous
One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
Unprecedented
On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) do you feel about 2024?
9
Looking forward – one word to describe 2024
Successful
Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2024?
Ripe for growth and expansion
What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Stabilising processes
What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2024?
Expansion, AI, blockchain
What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2024?
Innovation and research
What’s the most interesting thing you read or watched in 2023?
The changing axis of power on world economic stage
What’s the trip you want to make in 2024 to add to your memory bank?
Portugal beach, maybe Sri Lanka and of course, WiT Singapore 2024
What’s the one thing you wish AI could solve?
World peace since you are asking
What’s the one thing you think AI will never solve?
World peace – but who knows I may be wrong
One important trend that no one is talking about yet?
The fact that we are at the precipice of the entire financial markets changing fundamentally and forever
A buzzword that will disappear this time, next year
Pet peeve of late is orchestration
Kei Shibata, Co-Founder & CEO Venture Republic – TRAVEL jp & Trip 101
Looking back – one word to describe 2023
Transformative
One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
War
On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) do you feel about 2024?
7
Looking forward – one word to describe 2024
Unpredictable
Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2024?
A mixed bag
What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Stay relevant in the technological revolutions
What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2024?
APAC market
What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2024?
Stay up to date on the technologies and their applications
What’s the most interesting thing you read or watched in 2023?
India’s outbound travel market can grow to 80% of China’s in next 20 years.
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/travel-logistics-and-infrastructure/our-insights/from-india-to-the-world-unleashing-the-potential-of-indias-tourists
What’s the trip you want to make in 2024 to add to your memory bank?
Safari in Africa
What’s the one thing you wish AI could solve?
Climate change.
What’s the one thing you think AI will never solve?
Creativity and originality
One important trend that no one is talking about yet?
- Global rise of digital nomads. Now over 58 countries have issued visas specifically designed for digital nomads. The numbers are rising.
- After watching the U2’s concert at Sphere in Las Vegas, integration of virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) technologies in the travel sector.
A buzzword that will disappear this time, next year
Web3
