Global Travel Tech Thinktank identifies trust among 3 key battlegrounds – here’s a summary
If the past 20 years were about putting travel online, the next 20 will be about rebuilding travel entirely — powered by AI, reshaped by demographics, and tested by global risks we can no longer ignore.
This year’s Global Travel Tech Thinktank, an invite-only collaboration between WiT, Phocuswright, and PhocusWire, held as part of WiT Singapore, brought together industry leaders to answer one question: What will determine whether travel thrives or fractures in the next two decades?
The result is the most future-focused Thinktank yet: The Next 20: Opportunities, Risks & Solutions.
Below is a distilled overview — but to truly dive in, download the full report.
Travel will grow but its frictions will multiply
Agoda CTO Idan Zalzberg opened with a reminder that sits at the heart of the report: “Travel itself, as a human experience, is likely to just continue and grow … and become a bigger thing for humanity.”
But the same forces that make this growth possible – technology, AI, wealth transfer, more leisure time – also heighten its challenges.
Travellers face choice overload, friction abroad, affordability pressures, fraud, and the persistent gap between expectation and reality.
Expectations will only climb: “Whatever is new and amazing today will become obvious tomorrow,” noted Zalzberg
Three battlegrounds will define the Next 20 years
Across 29 trends and seven macro themes, the Thinktank concluded that everything converges on three battlegrounds:
Capacity & Distribution of Tourism
Travel demand is set to surge but infrastructure will not keep pace in developed parts of the world. Asia and the Middle East are investing ahead; Europe and the US risk falling behind.
The industry cannot build airports and railways, but it can help reshape distribution by:
- developing lesser-known destinations
- using data to guide dispersal
- managing seasonality smarter
- creating “first-mover” advantage in under-touristed regions
As Jacinta Lim, CEO and co-founder of Seek Sophie noted: “If you’re able to be a first-mover in places that are less touristy, you can tap into much higher-value tourism.”
Personalisation, Powered by AI & Wearables
New tech will unlock super-customisation – hyper-localised, context-aware, real-time, and truly relevant. But it comes with provocative questions:
- How much data is too much?
- Can wearables create a new class divide?
- Will AI routing disintermediate intermediaries entirely?
Agoda’s Zalzberg asked the question many in the room were thinking: “What is left for our businesses in the middle?”
The winners will be those who deliver sincere personalisation (traveller-first) over cynical personalisation (revenue-first).
Trust: Travel’s Fragile New Currency
This was the most urgent theme echoed across the Thinktank and the WiT Main Stage.
With AI-generated content exploding and agents booking on our behalf, trust becomes existential:
“How do I know the information I’m looking at is real and not generated?” – Booking.com’s David Adamczyk
“Trust is travel’s most fragile currency.” – Meili’s Mike McGearty
The report outlines a Trust Stack for the future:
- Provenance (track data lineage)
- Verification (human + AI review where safety matters)
- Transparency (show why something is surfaced)
In a world of AI slop and echo chambers, brands that protect trust will own the next era.
The rise of living-as-a-service
One of the Thinktank’s most striking ideas: Travel will increasingly merge with how we live.
As younger generations reject ownership, “living-as-a-service” could emerge – super-memberships that blend accommodation, mobility, experiences, co-working, wellness, and travel into one seamless subscription.
Chris Hemmeter of Thayer Ventures described it as: “Inspiration on steroids … capturing a larger share of a human’s wallet by consolidating their living.”
It’s a future where the line between home and away dissolves.
A travel world re-engineered by time
If autonomous transport, rockets, low-altitude mobility, and instant travel accelerate, time becomes elastic.
The Thinktank poses a radical shift:
If distance becomes irrelevant, we’ll choose based on experience, not travel time.
As Montara Hospitality’s Morris Sim put it: “Then you may as well go somewhere in the Maldives or New York City to dine, and then come back.”
Singapore & Sentosa: Blueprint for a future-ready destination
Two case studies anchor the report:
Sentosa: Sustainability Meets Tech
- Cooling Sentosa Road integrates design, art, shading, and climate adaptation.
- Full electrification of guest transport.
- GenAI chatbot “Summer” cuts enquiries by 20% and boosts satisfaction.
- CRM + loyalty + AI recommender increased take-up and conversions.
As assistant chief executive of the Sentosa Development Corporation, Michael Ma says: “AI is the invisible thread that connects guest experiences, operational excellence and sustainability.”
Singapore 2040: Quality over quantity
Singapore Tourism Board’s CEO Melissa Ow outlines a long-horizon strategy built on:
- Quality tourism, aiming for $50B in receipts
- MICE growth toward a $5B sector
- Collaborative data platforms
- Cross-industry partnerships
- A destination that is also an endearing home
And perhaps the strongest promise: “We want to provide a great return on the time you choose to spend with us.” – Melissa Ow
The ultimate luxury of the future? Human connection.
In a world of automation, virtuality, and algorithmic decision-making, one quote lingers: “Twenty years from now, the most luxurious experience might simply be to feel human connection again.” – Jacinta Lim, Seek Sophie
And perhaps that is travel’s true north.
Want to See the Full Picture of the Next 20 Years? This summary captures the headlines — but the report goes deeper, with:
- 29 trends
- 7 thematic lenses
- 3 strategic battlegrounds
- Dozens of charts, quotes, and solution frameworks
- Provocative scenarios for the future traveller, the future industry, and the future of human movement
If you’re shaping travel – product, policy, technology, hospitality, mobility, distribution – you’ll want the full report on your desk.
