Sectors
Expedia’s Bhogaraju envisions a future in hospitality when “everybody can be a revenue manager”
16/12/2019 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Vivek Bhogaraju is on a mission – he wants to democratise revenue management so that “everybody can be a revenue manager”. The director of revenue management platform for Expedia Group believes that with advances in AI, overall data processing power and data sets – “there are over 20, [...]
Online travel industry figures converge to navigate the “perfect storm” in travel
12/12/2019 by WiT
More than 15 leaders in the online travel industry gathered at a villa on a private island in Miami to brainstorm ideas on how to “navigate the perfect storm”. The half-day Online Travel Executive Retreat, organized jointly by Amadeus and WiT, was held in conjunction with The Phocuswright C [...]
The Wrap: Travelstart takes over management of Jumia Travel’s operations across Africa
11/12/2019 by WiT
News Roundup: South African OTA Travelstart’s new distribution and commercial agreement with pan-African online travel booking portal Jumia Travel, Dubai Airports’ sustainable initiative in banning single-use plastics starting in the new year. OTA: Travelstart takes over management of Jumia [...]
Trends that have shaped the past decade, and those that will transform in the next
11/12/2019 by WiT
Expedia Group and HomeAway jointly identified 10 trends that have shaped travel in the last decade and six emerging patterns that will change the industry in 2020 and beyond. Gabriel Garcia, Global Head Mobile Marketing & App Ecosystems, Brand Expedia, tapped on the rise of mobile, the grow [...]
Paco Rüter on why Amadeus’ hospitality quest is more daunting than a hike in the Arctic
11/12/2019 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
For leisure, Francisco (Paco) Pérez-Lozao Rüter, president, hospitality, Amadeus IT Group, goes on hikes across the Arctic, above the Circle. He’s trudged through thick layers of snow, scaled mountains with deep crevasses and has encountered real dangers including being caught in an avalanche w [...]
Reck on how GetYourGuide is more entertainment, less OTA and why the future belongs to content creators
10/12/2019 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Johannes Reck, CEO and co-founder of GetYourGuide, remembers his first Phocuswright 10 years ago when he had to make about 150 pitches and “everyone was intrigued by our new concept”. “This year, it feels like the OTA was yesterday’s game and that in-destination has gone from side topic [...]
From UK to Malta and Paris, a Europe in turmoil and aviation under pressure
09/12/2019 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
In the UK, the media was full of Brexit uncertainty, a longer running and more dramatic story than the Netflix series, “The Crown”. Who needs historical dramas when one is unfolding right before your every eyes? After a few days in Cardiff, we flew onto Malta, straight into the country’s w [...]
Expedia: What went wrong? Lessons to reflect on
05/12/2019 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
It’s interesting that at Phocuswright last month, I was having a conversation with a senior leader in online travel about the changes going on at Expedia Group. I had just come from Explore ’19, the Expedia conference which, for the first time charged delegates about US$500 to attend, and j [...]
Okerstrom and Pickerill leave Expedia, Diller cites disagreement on strategy
05/12/2019 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Expedia Group has announced the resignation of Mark Okerstrom as CEO and a member of the Board of Directors and CFO Alan Pickerill, effective immediately, with chairman Barry Diller citing disagreement between board and senior management on strategy. The move comes barely a month after Expedia [...]
The Wrap: Agoda‘s new brand campaign promises ‘Less Hassle, More Travel’
04/12/2019 by WiT
News Roundup: Agoda’s new multi-market brand campaign launched, AirAsia’s first fast food restaurant serving inflight meals, China’s airlines and airports growing investments in AI and automation, Perth Airport’s tech boost from Amadeus Marketing: Agoda ‘s new brand campaign promises � [...]