Letter from Penang: How AI sent a stranger to our door and what he, and we, learned
Mo, a hospitality software executive, woke up at 6am in Penang on Friday, July 3. Between brushing his teeth and gargling, he asked Gemini what he should do that day. He was on a solo weekend escape from Singapore, where he works.
One of the first recommendations was “an indie travel event” � [...]
The leaps made and those to come: Stephan Ekbergh on building in Africa
25 years in, Travelstart’s founder is still restless, still betting, and still asking the question: what’s next?
It probably comes from having lived the last 25 years amid the natural landscapes of Cape Town, South Africa. In his interview at WiT Phocuswright Middle East in Barcelona, Stephan E [...]
From Mykonos to Red Sea, from beach vibe to luxury hospitality: The building of Nammos
Carolyn Turnbull on luxury with personality and why she didn’t run a mile when the war started
Carolyn Turnbull grew up four hours south of Sydney, in a small country town where, she says with a grin, the sleeves stay rolled up.
She has since led luxury hotels across Asia for Aman, run destina [...]
B2B: Where the real battle is being fought
The front end of travel gets all the attention. The apps, the campaigns, the loyalty programmes, the AI-powered search experiences – these are what travellers see and what the industry talks about at conferences.
But as a panel on “B2B: The Power Layer of Travel” at WiT Japan made clear, th [...]
The country you think you know (but don’t): Florian Sengstschmid on marketing Azerbaijan
Before my interview with Florian Sengstschmid, CEO of the Azerbaijan Tourism Board, at WiT Phocuswright Middle East, I asked Claude, give me three good reasons to visit Azerbaijan.
Claude, having apparently tracked my recent interest in Dylan Thomas’s birthplace in Wales, came back with three a [...]
Letter from Athens & Corfu: Of beds, seasonality and service
Landing in Istanbul en route to Athens, I had six hours to kill at IST. Turned out not to be a problem.
The largest airport in Turkey, the second busiest in Europe, and the largest privately-owned airport operation in the world – it is impressive. Massive, in fact. Generously spaced retail, wel [...]
The Ground Shift: 10 things we now know
Gathering the key takeaways from WiT Phocuswright Middle East 2026
“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” I simply had to open WiT Phocuswright Middle East last week in Barcelona with the opening line from Charles Dickens’ The Tale of Two Cities.
It felt apt – an event t [...]
Africa’s live events boom: The continent is ready for its mega-concert moment
From Springbok sell-outs to Formula E, South Africa is proving it can host world-class live events. But infrastructure gaps, rising costs and a talent drain are holding the continent back from its full potential.
The numbers don't lie
The global live events industry is on a tear. Valued at [...]
The overwhelmed CTO and what it means for the B2B layer of travel
Dida co-founder James Jin on staying calm while AI moves faster than anyone can digest, and why the supply chain still wins.
James Jin, co-founder and CTO of Dida, one of Asia’s leading B2B travel technology companies, opened his Coffee Chat at WiT Japan with a confession, when asked about his re [...]
Inside the storm: Wego’s Veitch caught between anxiety and excitement
As a leader heading an OTA inside the storm of the Middle East conflict, Ross Veitch, co-founder and CEO of Wego, finds himself caught between two emotional states.
“One gives me anxiety,” he said, when asked what was keeping him awake – the geopolitical instability reshaping the Middle Eas [...]
