Unpacking the future of money in motion, B2B travel payments with Visa’s Jay Patel | WiT Studio
What does a frictionless travel experience look like, and how do we get there?
In an interview inside the WiT Studio with Jay Patel, Global Account Director - B2B Travel at Visa, we get into the pivotal technologies shaping the movement of money for businesses in the travel sector. Patel sheds lig [...]
From photography, influencing and storytelling, travel’s creative minds reimagine the future
“Always go a little further into the water” – David Bowie
While much is written about the technology toys of the future, the part that too often seems to be lacking is an exploration of just how creative tomorrow’s talent needs to become, in order to help master the challenges ahead of us.
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Charlene Wee: Flying into the future of airline retail
When Charlene Wee took the stage at WiT Singapore, she had just transitioned from heading distribution at Singapore Airlines (SIA) to overseeing operations, a move that bridges two worlds often kept apart: how airlines sell, and how they serve.
After 15 years with SIA, Wee now manages 9,000 [...]
Daryl Lee on B2B’s AI moment and impact on rate parity and value
When Daryl Lee walked on stage for his first public appearance as Group CEO of Dida, he was only three days into the job, yet already crystal clear about what he had signed up for.
After eight years leading global expansion at WebBeds, Lee had made headlines for joining what many considered a fast [...]
USTA’s Geoff Freeman: “We are going the wrong way”
He probably has the toughest job in travel right now – for instance, I had more anxiety travelling to the US than Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where I had just been before making my way to San Diego.
So, when U.S. Travel Association president and CEO Geoff Freeman spoke at Phocuswright, I listened with [...]
Airline distribution and the role of aggregators in a fragmented future, with AeroHub’s Kelvin Fu | WiT Studio
Airline distribution is at a crossroads. The centralized Global Distribution Systems (GDS) is more fragmented, driven by NDC (New Distribution Capability) and direct distribution. In the WiT Studio, Kelvin Fu (CEO and Founder of AeroHub) weighs in on the direction of the industry. He asserts that di [...]
Meili’s McGearty: Rooting for a direct future that puts travellers first
“AI could tilt discovery against suppliers”, he warns at WiT Singapore
Mike McGearty, CEO and co-founder of Meili, believes the next decade of travel will be defined by direct relationships between suppliers and travellers – but not at the expense of balance across channels.
“There wil [...]
Emirates x OpenAI. MOVE adds VietJet. Osaka’s travel hypermarket. Digital-first luxury. Hotels breaking data laws?
Emirates partners with OpenAI, accelerating airline-wide AI adoption
Emirates has entered a partnership with OpenAI to deploy ChatGPT Enterprise and expand artificial intelligence capabilities across the airline, aiming to strengthen operations, solve complex commercial challenges and elevate the c [...]
Young punks to new guardians – Asia’s new kids return in style
Each of them was a previous Startup of the Year pitch winner at WiT. Since then, they have each gone on to build amazing companies, helping to bring even more global attention to this new Asian century.
Now, as the WiT Singapore preview noted, each is now preparing their bid to “take it to the ne [...]
Barry Diller: On truth, end of Google search and travel’s endurance
I’ve long been a fan of Barry Diller, so when he walked onto the Phocuswright Centre Stage in San Diego, 20 years after his last appearance, I was all agog with anticipation – as were the delegates in the room. Let’s just say it was the most packed session of the three-day event.
And so it [...]
