More reflections of the year that will soon end and forecast for 2014. The events, which shifted the needle for travel in 2013, and predictions for 2014 from WIT’s circle of industry experts

Kei Shibata, CEO, Venture Republic

Three events in 2013 that shifted the needle for travel 

1. Metasearch became sexy
2. Mobile play became reality
3. LCCs extended all over the Asia

Three events in 2014 that will shift the needle for travel

1. Mobile play will bring real money.
2. Peer to peer, sharing, social travel services will gain momentum.
3. Metasearch will go mainstream.

Timothy O’Neil-Dunne, Managing Partner, T2Impact

Three events in 2013 that shifted the needle for travel 

1. AA+US Merger and AA emerging out of bankruptcy – the end of consolidation in the USA
2. Kayak and Expedia’s new workflows for B2C
3. The shutting down of the Telegram

Three events in 2014 that will shift the needle for travel 

1. Virgin’s first space flight
2. Sabre’s IPO
3. Non-IATA NDC related new distribution capabilities

Peter Harbison, Executive Chairman, Centre for Aviation

Three events that shifted the needle for travel in 2013

1. The rise and rise of long haul low cost airlines
2. The writing on the wall for the region’s full service airlines
3. The surge in influence of the Gulf carriers as Emirates joined with Qantas, Qatar joined oneworld, and Etihad amassed a range of equity alliance partners

Three events that will shift the needle for travel in 2014

1. A surge in capacity (and new entry) in SE Asia
2. China’s airlines, old and new, spreading their wings
3. Maybe at last we’ll get together on a world shattering new event

Hugo Burge, CEO, Cheapflights Media, Momondo Group

Three events that shifted the needle for travel in 2013

1. Going mobile: More smartphone devices than people on the planet, and sales of tablets overtook desktops in Q3
2. Google Glass prototype and smart watches first generation: The start of a new era of wearables that could define how travel information is used/ made
3. Significant meta-search transactions completed, which underline value and importance of sector: Trivago and Skyscanner
4. Can’t resist one more: Ryanair recognises importance of not pissing off the consumer

Three events that will shift the needle for travel in 2014

1. Virgin Galactic set to commence first commercial space flights: New frontier and era
2. First commercially credible and user friendly wearable
3. Big data: Applications that make it relevant and helpful to the consumer.

Richard Wiegmann, CEO, Trust International

Two events that shifted the needle for travel in 2013

1. Airlines promising a return to civility … for a fee
2. Shift of power to consumers via social media

Two events that will shift the needle for travel in 2014

1. Shift of power to consumers
2. OTAs turning into solution provider

• Photo credit (shaking bamboo cylinder): leungchopan/Shutterstock