Johnny Thorsen, VP Strategy & Partnerships, Spotnana
Looking back – one word to describe 2023
Overwhelming
One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
Overcrowding
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
Disruption
Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2024?
Exciting
What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Ensure maximum agility in all parts of the organization – we are faced with an incredible amount of opportunities across the entire travel industry for providing our travel as a service platform to support innovation, and each time we win a new major customer new areas of value creation are uncovered which often leads to a change in our product roadmap to capitalize quickly
What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2024?
Travel suppliers across the world in all industry segments have stated clearly that 2024 will be a year of dramatic innovation powered by digital investments and our travel as a service platform is perfectly positioned to take advantage of this development and provide exciting and surprising new value and benefits to our customer base in all market segments
What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2024?
I started a trend of longer but fewer trips in 2023 and want to continue with this concept in 2024 – ideally I would to spend 2-3 weeks in new destination every quarter and immerse myself in the local culture and business environment rather than just visiting a few days for a conference and a number of meetings
What’s the most interesting thing you read or watched in 2023?
The book “Provoke : How leaders shape the future by overcoming fatal human flaws” written by Geoff Tuff and Steven Goldbach
What’s the trip you want to make in 2024 to add to your memory bank?
I hope to make it to Cape Town, South Africa for the first time – after having 3 prior planned trips cancelled for a various reasons (Covid being one of them of course)
What’s the one thing you wish AI could solve?
AI has the potential to improve and solve many process and problems, but I would love to see AI playing a very active role in accelerating the move to a more sustainable world in general – this might sound naive but AI can help educate the average consumer about the importance of small changes as well as identify new opportunities for rapid improvement
What’s the one thing you think AI will never solve?
AI will not be able to help how people communicate with each other – despite having access to unlimited content and information AI will not be able to decide which type and style of communication to use when engaging with a given individual
One important trend that no one is talking about yet?
Biochar is a very important new solution capable of removing carbon at a much lower cost point than the headline grabbing solutions based on removing carbon from the air – both solutions will play a very important role over time but biochar-based capture facilities can be established in a few months unlike the air-based capture model which takes years to establish and require significant amounts of energy as well to operate
A buzzword that will disappear this time, next year
Return to office
Eric Gnock Fah, COO and co-founder, Klook
Looking back – one word to describe 2023
Monumental
One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
Bandwidth. The future is ours to create, without limits
On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) do you feel about 2024?
10
Looking forward – one word to describe 2024
Exceptional
Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2024?
We’re stoked to be entering 2024! As flight capacity for Asia is set to increase, we also see strong indications for industry growth in Asia that outpaces the West by nearly double, driven by both outbound and domestic travel.
What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
We’re remaining opportunistic in order to stay ahead of the game. We’re constantly innovating through our products and services like city passes in our top destinations where travelers can fully immerse, and working to integrate generative AI better into our operations for better efficiencies.
What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2024?
Mega events such as the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and even the 2025 Osaka World Expo will be key tourism drivers, where travelers will want to experience these once-in-a-lifetime events for themselves. With 2024 being our 10th year as well, we’re looking forward to continuing bringing our customers exceptional experiences in line with this milestone.
What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2024?
Focus on scaling our tech capabilities. We’ve seen what our infrastructure and team is capable of earlier in 2023 during the sales of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour tickets as the Official Experience Partner. ’m excited to see what new heights we can take Klook to.
What’s the most interesting thing you read or watched in 2023?
Barbie – beyond just a movie, the way that the movie was marketed was impressive.
What’s the trip you want to make in 2024 to add to your memory bank?
Okinawa in Japan, to hidden gem islands which provide a sense of peace and tranquility, and a different way to explore Japan.
What’s the one thing you wish AI could solve?
Long immigration queues
What’s the one thing you think AI will never solve?
AI can never replace experiencing something in person for yourself. Although AI can have many use cases in travel, from planning, recommendation, or even replicating the places of interest, it is ultimately not the same as reality.
One important trend that no one is talking about yet?
On the topic of AI tools, holidays planned using AI are still in early stages. We see AI being used to help travelers make decisions faster (such as our Klook AI chatbot), but it is still difficult to accurately plan and predict an itinerary tailored to each individual’s needs.
A buzzword that will disappear this time, next year
Revenge travel. We’re moving past revenge travel, to being more intentional about traveling – from discovery, to the experiences in the destination.
Aloke Bajpai, Group CEO & Co-Founder
Looking back – one word to describe 2023
Incredible !
One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
Pre-COVIDOn a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) do you feel about 2024?
8
Looking forward – one word to describe 2024
The New Normal (ok that’s 3 words)
Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2024?
Promising
What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Increase AI adoption at work.
What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2024?
Domestic Travel in India, especially Tier 2/3/4 towns
What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2024?
Talking to customers.
What’s the most interesting thing you read or watched in 2023?
The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant
What’s the trip you want to make in 2024 to add to your memory bank?
East Africa
What’s the one thing you wish AI could solve?
Global Warming
What’s the one thing you think AI will never solve?
Wars
One important trend that no one is talking about yet?
Indians traveling abroad ! We will be the 4th largest spenders abroad by 2030 as per a McKinsey report.
A buzzword that will disappear this time, next year
Funding winter
Lisa Katsouraki, SVP Corporate Development, Etraveli Group
Looking back – one word to describe 2023
Long / seasonless!
One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
Revenge travel
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
“Normalisation”
Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2024?
Endpoint returns empty response (still in 2023!) – try searching with different dates
What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Prepare the people
What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2024?
Virtual interlining for airline.com and risk management as a service
What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2024?
More M&A
What’s the most interesting thing you read or watched in 2023?
Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
What’s the trip you want to make in 2024 to add to your memory bank?
Any trip is a good trip! maybe Brazil or New Zealand this year
What’s the one thing you wish AI could solve?
People
One important trend that no one is talking about yet?
Hiring experienced people
A buzzword that will disappear this time, next year
“Normalisation”
Mary Li, Founder and CEO, Atlas
Q: Looking back – one word to describe 2023
Uncertainty
Q: One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
War
Q: On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) do you feel about 2024?
6
Q: Looking forward – one word to describe 2024
Evolution
Q: Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2024?
Solid
Q: What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Investing time and effort in aligning our vision and goals across the organization – to create synergy.
Q: What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2024?
The biggest opportunity is with big data and machine learning. Travel data is a product that has enormous value in the industry, and it is also an enabler to inform our business decisions and guide our product development.
Q: What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2024?
Upskilling myself in leadership and management, while also keeping up to date with emerging technologies – this way I can lead my team with certainty.
Q: What’s the most interesting thing you read or watched in 2023?
This year, I read a lot about mental health, self-awareness and emotional intelligence. It proved to be invaluable not just to me personally, but in business, too. It helped me clarify and shape our business purpose, values and reasons to exist, creating a clear trajectory for the future. The book that stood out for me was ‘What Happened to You: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing’ by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry.
Q: What’s the trip you want to make in 2024 to add to your memory bank?
I hope to get back to India for a while next year. It always gives me clarity and a sense of purpose. In India, you can connect deeply with yourself and humanity on a spiritual level and remember what matters in the grand scheme of things.
Q: What’s the one thing you wish AI could solve?
AI has the potential to significantly improve accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities. It might not be capable of completely removing all existing barriers, but it can certainly make society more equitable and just.
Q: What’s the one thing you think AI will never solve?
AI can’t make people more self-aware and kind – this is on us as humankind.
Q: One important trend that no one is talking about yet?
How purpose-led organizations are shaping positive societal shifts and igniting meaningful change worldwide.
Q: A buzzword that will disappear this time, next year
Millennials, Gen Zs and other generational labels
