Trip.com’s Xing Xiong on harnessing age of AI and corporate travel’s moment
When Xing Xiong, Chief Operating Officer of Trip.com Group, took to the stage at its Airline Global Conference in Amsterdam last week, he did so with the perspective of someone who has watched the travel industry and the technology underpinning it transform beyond recognition, and along with it, the [...]
Meet the 17 finalists of the 2026 Global Startup Pitch
Seventeen travel tech startups have been selected for the finals of the 2026 Global Startup Pitch. Now in its fifth year, the competition is jointly produced by WiT, Phocuswright and PhocusWire and seeks to unearth the brightest stars in early-stage travel tech.
The Global Startup Pitch� [...]
Expedia Group enters agreement to acquire CarTrawler, launches Intelligent Experience Platform
Expedia Group continues on its journey towards becoming an end-to-end B2B marketplace, with the announcement made today at its EXPLORE event in Las Vegas that it has entered into an agreement to acquire CarTrawler, the Ireland-based B2B car rental platform.
The move follows its recent acquisition [...]
This is how the small gets mightier: WiT Indie strikes partnership with Think City, Malaysia
July 3 event will move to Bangunan UAB in heart of George Town, Penang
WiT Indie 2026, the event for independent travel, will relocate to Bangunan UAB in the heart of George Town, Penang, as part of a new partnership with Think City, Malaysia’s urban impact organisation, dedicated to making [...]
Expedia Group unveils new AI experiences, expands travel ecosystem and launches philanthropy programme
Expedia Group has unveiled new AI-powered traveller experiences, marketplace capabilities and a long-term philanthropic commitment to protect the places people love to visit.
At Explore 26, its annual partner conference, the company’s founding and defining leaders — Rich Barton, Dara Khosrow [...]
WiT Phocuswright Middle East moves to Barcelona: A global lens on a region in transition
In a year when the travel industry has been forced to confront both uncertainty and resilience, WiT Phocuswright Middle East will take place in Barcelona on June 15, a day before Phocuswright Europe.
The two events, held at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, will bring together global and regi [...]
First WiT “Travel Tech Thursdays” to put spotlight on AI and ASEAN
Continuing on the momentum built from its series of “Travel Tech Thursdays” in Malaysia last year, WiT (Web in Travel) and My Indie World will return with a fresh roster of quarterly events, in partnership with AirAsia MOVE.
The first event of the new season will kick off on April 23 with the t [...]
WTM Africa 2026 unveils its most ambitious programme yet – and there are just two weeks left to register
With just two weeks to go before the start of the event, WTM Africa 2026 is calling on travel and tourism professionals across the continent and beyond to secure their place at this year’s show. Three days, 70+ sessions, and the full breadth of African tourism’s most pressing conversations, live [...]
WiT Phocuswright Middle East rescheduled to August 14, 2026
WiT and Phocuswright, part of the Northstar Travel Group, wish to announce that WiT Phocuswright Middle East has been rescheduled. The event, originally planned for May 1, 2026, will now take place on August 14, 2026.
This decision has been made in consideration of the ongoing conflict in the regio [...]
JAPOW, Power & The Next 20: WiT Japan returns to Tokyo amid record inbound boom
As Japan rides an unprecedented inbound tourism wave powered by the global obsession with its legendary powder snow – or “JAPOW”, travel industry leaders will gather in Tokyo to examine what this moment means for the next 20 years of travel.
WiT (Web in Travel) will convene its 12th edition [...]
