Meet the 19 finalists of the 2025 Global Startup Pitch
Nineteen travel tech startups have been selected for the Finals of the 2025 Global Startup Pitch. The competition, in its fourth year, is jointly produced by WiT and Phocuswright and seeks to unearth the brightest stars in early-stage travel tech.
The Global Startup Pitch Competition is support [...]
Hospitality’s future playbook: AI, emotional loyalty and the rise of new booking channels
At a time when technology is moving faster than the industry can keep up, the future of direct distribution and loyalty in hospitality is set for sweeping transformation.
In a discussion moderated by Li Hawkins, Partner & Managing Director, Hospitality & Travel at Insight Out, senior lea [...]
Survival of the fittest: How OTAs are competing in the Middle East
In an increasingly competitive Middle East online travel landscape, staying ahead demands more than just speed – it requires sharp differentiation, relentless innovation, and smart use of AI. That was the dominant mood as top OTA leaders from Booking.com, Wego, Almosafer, and Travelwings gath [...]
Agoda invites hoteliers to join its milestone 20th birthday campaign
Accommodation providers will have opportunities to participate in a promotional event catered to millions of travellers
Celebrating 20 years of Agoda, the digital travel platform is inviting hoteliers and accommodation providers across the region to participate in a landmark 20th Birthday sal [...]
The future of travel: Zero-phase UI and IT employees reporting to HR
In a lively and sometimes irreverent panel at Phocuswright WiT Middle East in Dubai last week, hospitality and travel technology leaders debated how AI, automation, and invisible operations are reshaping the future of travel, payments, and the guest experience.
The session kicked off on a playful [...]
AI in action: When your concierge is an AI Agent and still sends cake
When the AI you built starts sending birthday cakes unprompted, you know you’re no longer just playing with automation anymore. You are looking at AI with a mind of its own.
That’s exactly what happened at The Luxe Nomad, a luxury villa booking platform. During a chat, guest mentioned about a b [...]
Legends: From Global Startup Pitch winner to industry trailblazer
Legends, a pioneering travel technology company, has emerged as a significant success story since winning the Web in Travel (WiT) and Phocuswright Global Startup Pitch award. Legends is helping to transform the travel industry by leveraging AI and data to turn consented consumer data into real-tim [...]
From Labubu to Lady Gaga: Singapore’s tourism bets big amid global gloom
In a world clouded by tariffs, tensions and teetering economies, Singapore is doubling down on a singular message – tourism is not just nice to have, it’s critical to its future. And from Pop Mart’s shaggy star Labubu to pop icon Lady Gaga, dinosaurs to robots, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB [...]
Scroll, Search, Shop: What Africa’s travel marketers are getting right in the digital age
In the age of infinite scroll, where social feeds double as search engines and AI can build a trip faster than you can pack a suitcase, the rules of travel marketing are changing, especially in Africa.
At WiT Africa 2025, the panel “Search, Social & Commerce in the New Age” explored how bra [...]
Beyond gorillas: Rwanda and its pursuit of high value, low impact tourism
How the ‘Singapore of Africa’ sees conservation, hospitality and the role of women
Rwanda is often synonymous with mountain gorilla trekking, but this East African nation of 14 million is rapidly transforming into a global leader in high-value, low-impact tourism.
During the "Spotlight: Rwa [...]
