From surfing to startups: Ross Veitch on founding Wego, cracking the Middle East, and the AI-driven future of travel
Ross Veitch never set out to be a tech founder. In fact, he was closer to becoming a full-time surfer than a CEO. Yet today, as co-founder and CEO of Wego, one of the leading travel metasearch and marketplace platforms serving the Middle East and Asia Pacific, Veitch is proof that unconventional beg [...]
Trump, tariffs and travel: How will the turbulence play out in Asia?
Could intra-Asia travel provide a soft landing?
Travel industry leaders around the world are bracing themselves for the fallout of the Trump tariffs announced yesterday, and even more so in Asia, where most countries have been lumped into the “worst offenders” bucket and are facing what BBC de [...]
Fliggy’s tangible AI progress. Spanish govt supports Smartvel. AI uptake could be better. More.
One quarter of travel operators yet to implement AI
A new survey conducted ahead of the 2025 TravelTech Show in London reveals that AI remains the top investment priority for travel operators, with nearly two-thirds planning to boost their technology budgets over the next year. Among 94 surveyed Eu [...]
Asia’s full rebound meets AI revolution: Leapfrogging into the future
Twin forces will produce more use cases in tech innovation in region, says Trip's Schubert Lou
For Schubert Lou, Chief Executive Officer at Trip.com, 2025 marks a defining moment for the travel industry, driven by two forces: the full return of Asia, including China, and the rapid acceleration of a [...]
Africa will chart its own course: AI, tech and local know-how will unlock potential
When Zachariah George, of Launch Africa Ventures, moved to Africa after 15 years ago, there were more mobile phones in Manhattan than the whole of Africa. Today there are more mobile phone lines in Africa than the whole of North America, including Mexico and Central America.
That phenomenal shift [...]
Future Lanes Ep 4: Building Traveller-First Experiences | Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson on tech, direct distribution, and traveller experience
The travel industry is constantly evolving, and few airlines have been as relentless in shaping the low-cost carrier model as Ryanair. In a no-holds-barred conversation on the “Future Lanes” WiT Podcast, Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson shared his candid views on everything from direct distribution to l [...]
The ‘unstandard standard’ airlines are struggling with – and how Sabre plans to fix it
Sabre aims to solve airline content fragmentation and unlock AI's potential in the process
In our latest WiT Studio episode, we chat with Brett Thorstad (Vice President, Agency Sales & Airline Distribution, Asia Pacific, Sabre) and Madhavan Kasthuri (Head of Global Solution Engineering, Sabre C [...]
Private equity firm Creador acquires hospitality marketplace MG Group
B2B hospitality marketplace MG Group has been acquired by Creador, a Southeast Asia-based private equity firm for an undisclosed amount.
The acquisition sets up Indonesia-based MG Group, which claims to have a network of 350,000 accommodation suppliers and 8,000 buyers, for global expansion, a [...]
Kayak’s Steve Hafner likens travel search to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
Twenty years after founding Kayak with Paul English, Steve Hafner remains resolute that there is a future for travel search, even while acknowledging the growth limitations due to the dominance of Google in search and traffic acquisition.“People need a place to compare prices,” he said in an exe [...]
Takaya Shinozuka: Disrupting Japan’s travel tech with punk rock spirit
In the world of Japanese travel startups, Takaya Shinozuka stands out. The founder and CEO of Reiwa Travel, Shinozuka is not only reshaping the travel tech landscape in Japan but also embodying a spirit of rebellion and innovation inspired by his punk rock roots.
Speaking at WiT Seoul, the entrep [...]
