Tale of three startups: Discover, trust, experience and an investor’s take
It couldn’t have been better planned – the Founders & Futures: Global Startup Showcase at WiT Phocuswright Barcelona. On stage were three startups covering three stages of the traveller journey and facing them, Roger Sharp, chair of Technology Queenstown and investor via North Ridge Partners [...]
Expedia Group acquires Layla to bolster its AI-powered trip planning and booking strategy
Acquisition accelerates Expedia Group’s AI-native trip planning offerings spanning the full journey – from inspiration, to planning, booking, and support for travelers worldwide
Expedia Group announced that it has acquired Layla, an AI-native trip planning and booking platform that helps tr [...]
SMEs and the golden AI moment: Lessons on how to seize it
How ready are SMEs to seize the AI moment? That was the question asked at WiT Indie, and moderator Sarah Wan of Klook kicked off the session by asking her panellists to rate their AI-readiness on a scale of 1 to 10.
Vikram Malhi, CEO and founder of ZUZU Hospitality, a revenue management platform [...]
Meet the winners of the 2026 Global Startup Pitch
Eight travel tech startups have been selected as the winners of the 2026 Global Startup Pitch.
The winning companies were among seventeen that presented their pitches live on the Startup Stage at Phocuswright Europe in Barcelona this week.
The competition, now in its fifth year, is jointly prod [...]
Inside the Philippines’ most overlooked $36b digital market
94% of Filipino consumers will share data with AI, so why is an online travel that's set to double by 2030 still owned by foreign OTAs?
The archipelago nation of 7,600+ islands has a travel landscape that's complex by nature - fragmented routes, unbanked communities, and a population that was born [...]
Meet the 17 finalists of the 2026 Global Startup Pitch
Seventeen travel tech startups have been selected for the finals of the 2026 Global Startup Pitch. Now in its fifth year, the competition is jointly produced by WiT, Phocuswright and PhocusWire and seeks to unearth the brightest stars in early-stage travel tech.
The Global Startup Pitch� [...]
This is how the small gets mightier: WiT Indie strikes partnership with Think City, Malaysia
July 3 event will move to Bangunan UAB in heart of George Town, Penang
WiT Indie 2026, the event for independent travel, will relocate to Bangunan UAB in the heart of George Town, Penang, as part of a new partnership with Think City, Malaysia’s urban impact organisation, dedicated to making [...]
Tale of 3 startups: Education through experience, digitising African tour operators and solving payments for small businesses
Africa receives 90 million tourist arrivals a year. Spain alone receives more. A continent of breathtaking biodiversity, ancient culture, and unmatched wilderness experiences is, by most global travel metrics, still flying under the radar.
Three entrepreneurs who have staked their careers on chan [...]
From Autobahn dreams to AI travel: Saad Saeed’s bet on escaping travel’s startup graveyard
Growing up in Pakistan, Saad Saeed dreamt of fast cars and soccer, and it was those two things that brought him to Berlin to study.
Germany’s Autobahn fascinated him. “It’s crazy,” he says. “Out of all the countries, the one with no speed limit has to be Germany – with all the rules.� [...]
APAC startup funding tightens as market matures
While travel demand in Asia Pacific (APAC) remains strong, early-stage startups may find it harder to secure funding.
According to an upcoming Phocuswright research report, “A Market Rewired: Ten Structural Shifts Redefining Asia Pacific Travel,” investors increasingly are prioritiz [...]
