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. [...]
Women travellers in Asia driving new hospitality trends in 2025
Agoda recently unveiled the top women’s travel trends in Asia revealing that women across Asia are charting a different course than their male counterparts when it comes to holiday plans.
From a stronger appetite for new destinations to a preference for traveling with family and friends, wome [...]
Chinese travellers go all out on social: “Adapt or miss out”, says Dida’s Rikin Wu
Dida’s CEO Rikin Wu has called attention to changing Chinese traveller demand as well as the significant shift in the distribution landscape, cautioning that hoteliers must “adapt to the new Chinese market needs or miss out on the world’s biggest outbound market”.
Speaking with internati [...]
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 [...]
Asia-Pacific airlines continue to lead passenger demand growth at 9.9%
Meanwhile, load factors fell in every region, for a -1.7 ppt overall decline.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for March 2025 global passenger demand for air travel with the following highlights:
Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), w [...]
Elevating on-site quality and experiences is the next big step to attract high-value tourists to the GCC
Mabrian, a global travel intelligence platform returns as data partner for the Connecting Travel Insights Report 2025, launched at ATM Dubai, a study that reveals trends behind the GCC’s evolution into a top-tier tourism destination and key priorities to be addressed in this journey, including har [...]
Expedia Group expands presence in the Middle East through new travel partnerships
New and expanded partnerships announced across advertising, travel technology, supply and travel agents
Expedia Group has announced a series of strategic travel partnerships aimed at expanding its footprint to additional markets in the Middle East, spanning advertising, technology and sup [...]
Mid-range expansion and upscale realignment, key opportunities for Middle East hospitality market
Mabrian, part of The Data Appeal Company - Almawave Group, has released a new hospitality-focused study uncovering critical insights across six leading Middle Eastern destinations. The analysis highlights three distinct hotel market scenarios—based on distribution, pricing, and satisfaction level [...]
Singapore-based travellers more mindful of tourism impact on communities
Booking.com released the 10th edition of its annual research exploring consumer attitudes and intentions with regards to the social and ecological impact of travel. With insights from 32,000 travellers in 34 countries and territories, and amid growing discussion of the impact of tourism on destinati [...]
