From phone cards to payment cards: Visa’s Tania Platt on powering the Next Age of Travel
Tania Platt didn’t start in travel. She started in telecoms, selling international phone minutes – Mother’s Day and Ramadan were peak days – just as they are now in travel. That deep understanding of human connection and the friction in how it’s facilitated still drives her today in her ro [...]
Trip.com Group increases Q1 revenue, inbound travel bookings surge 100%
Stronger travel demand helped Trip.com Group increase first quarter 2025 revenue by 16% to $1.9 billion.
Accommodation reservation revenue rose 23% to $764 million for the quarter year over year, driven by an increase in reservations.
Transportation ticketing revenue increased 8% to $747 milli [...]
WiT Queenstown to debut in July 2026: Where travel tech meets snow and adventure
WiT (Web in Travel), Asia Pacific’s leading travel tech media and events platform, will make its New Zealand debut with WiT Queenstown in July 2026, marking a milestone for the region as it aims to establish itself as a hub for travel and hospitality technology innovation.
The one-day event wil [...]
Timothy Hughes, the “Cranky Optimist” on travel, tragedy and comedy | Conversations On Turning 20
When you get to the ripe young age of 20, you’re bound to collect lots of stories – not only about the past but lessons for the future.
As WiT marks its 20th year in 2025, we turn the spotlight on our community, our tribe pioneers and leaders, to tell their stories and share their views on th [...]
From beach to boardroom: How dnata Is future-proofing travel with heart and humility
In a candid conversation with Phocuswright’s Pete Comeau at WiT Phocuswright Middle East 2025, John Bevan, CEO of dnata Travel Group, reflects on leadership, legacy travel models, and the future that’s already arriving, but still needs a human touch.
The session started with snow and silence. [...]
Next-gen travel marketing is about Gen Z, sports tourism, and the future of advertising
“What AI is going to do is make personalisation better. But because travel is such an experience, people are still going to want to see and feel a little bit more before they just book.”
As technology evolves and younger generations assert their influence on the travel tech space, the world of [...]
Expedia turns reels on Instagram into bookable travel itineraries, industry-first feature
New APIs for car, activities, insurance, and air unlock end-to-end trip packaging for B2B partners, while the new Reservation Management API saves hotels an estimated 8 million hours and $120 million in annual operational costs
Expedia Group announced a major expansion of its B2B technology platfor [...]
Agoda, Nok Air partner. Malaysia Airlines signs MoUs. Spotnana Debuts TMC Cloud. Protect Group eyes $7B.
Protect Group Targets $7B in Booking Protections by 2025
Protect Group is on track to provide protection for $7 billion in travel and event bookings by the end of 2025, fueled by rising demand for flexible, tech-driven ancillary services. Its Travel, Tours & OTAs vertical has seen a 54% year-on [...]
Story of RAK: Marketing for the Social Generation
“Tom Hardy, please come to RAK”
In a travel world defined by five-second attention spans, DMOs can no longer afford to simply “broadcast and hope.”
Speaking at Phocuswright WiT Middle East, Alka Winter, Vice President of Destination Marketing & Communications at Ras Al Khaimah Touris [...]
ByteDance is tearing up the online travel playbook
In an age where social media has become pervasive, it seems inevitable that holiday bookings would eventually join cat videos and influencer selfies in the endless scroll of your feed. Yet even the most seasoned industry observers might be surprised by the speed at which social commerce has turned f [...]
