“New steps for an old dance” – these are lyrics from ‘Let The Show Begin’, our official theme song for WiT Singapore 2024, which will echo through all our events in the coming year. And what perfect lyrics they were to not only describe the state of travel tech today, but also kickstart the event with a dance number to boot.
We’re 24-hours removed from an exhilarating three-day WiT Singapore, aptly themed ‘Next Generation’, and we’re still abuzz from all the insights gleaned from the event. In the coming days and weeks, we will have more comprehensive articles covering the different sessions that were held, but for now, here’s a quick rundown of just some of the key moments from WiT Singapore 2024.
And who better to tell the story than from you – those who attended as well as spoke, and shared their reviews on LinkedIn.
APAC as the Growth Engine
A core takeaway was the sheer potential of the Asia Pacific region in driving travel growth. With two of the top five global source markets located in APAC, the region is poised to experience exponential growth. Forecasts project an influx of 51 million new travelers by 2028, contributing to a market expansion of $140 billion, said Hermione Joye, Sector Lead, Travel & Vertical Search APAC, Google in her presentation as well as in her remarks in LinkedIn. This represents a significant opportunity for brands looking to tap into this vast, evolving market.
“With 51 million new travelers entering the scene, the region is set to explode with a projected $140B market increase by 2028!”~ Hermione Joye, Sector Lead, Travel & Vertical Search APAC, Google (via LinkedIn, on WiT Singapore)
As APAC continues to emerge as a critical player in global travel, the focus is on leveraging AI, video, social and hyper-personalisation to connect with this new generation of travellers. A key insight from the conference was the importance of balancing technological advancements with data privacy. Brands that succeed will be those that deliver value while fostering long-term trust and loyalty among consumers. The takeaway here is that travel in APAC is no longer a luxury but an essential component of personal fulfillment, as individuals use it to explore, grow, and invest in themselves.
India as the next powerhouse of travel was hammered home by ixigo’s Aloke Bajpai who’s growing his newly-listed company on the back of the next billion travellers. Watch out world, because this market will drive the Next Generation of travel globally.
AI and the evolution of the travel experience
AI was a recurring theme at WiT Singapore 2024, underscoring its impact on the travel industry. To Agoda’s CTO Idan Zalzberg, it’s not only game changing but world changing, a technology that can reason and create for the first time. This raises human aspirations and creates even more demanding consumers – the confluence of which will have great impact on how we sell and deliver on the travel experience.
From AI-powered flight bookings to tools like Google Lens and Maps offering real-time, immersive views for travellers, the technology is impacting every stage of the travel experience, from planning to experiencing it. These innovations align with travellers’ growing preference for intuitive and visual interaction.
Clearly inspired, Jacqueline Low, Director, Business and Experience Development, Sentosa Development Corporation, provided her key takeaways in LinkedIn, taking her cue in a session where panellists were challenged to imagine, What if …
“What if I’m a gen x human in a boomer body, enjoying a gen z experience?
What if I can grab a ride to space at an affordable price
What if I get paid by all the platforms making money out of my search queries?
What if going to a conference feels like a concert?
What if hard giant structures are complemented with immersive storytelling and music from your phones?
E-commerce, m-commerce, social-commerce, video-commerce, quick-commerce!
OTAs, adding contents to enhance booking experience. Content platforms (social and search), adding booking capability to complete the last mile conversion. Hotels, packaging and partnering world class/ themed events to stimulate purpose of visit, and integrative wellness means offering CARE as the ultimate service.
Winning formula by Trip.com – 55443, and customers 1st, partners 2nd, employees 3rd as the mantra.
Klook has priorities for the next 10 years, but sustainability is top.
AI will be glue to a connected trip, more so with in-destination journey.
Variety of choices and options are essentials, but powerful filters are features for conversion.
Finally, we are NOT doomed because the next gen will make great choices like the oldies!”
“OTAs, adding content to enhance booking experience. Content platforms (social and search), adding booking capability to complete the last mile conversion.”
~ Jacqueline Low, Director, Business and Experience Development, Sentosa Development Corporation (via LinkedIn, on WiT Singapore)
The conference also highlighted the rise of video commerce, especially in markets like Indonesia, where platforms such as YouTube Shopping and TikTok are enabling instant gratification. With travellers increasingly expecting to be engaged with video, companies that adapt to these e-commerce and AI-driven trends will likely see continued success. Another major point of discussion was the need for more diverse voices in tech, particularly women, as AI continues to shape the future of travel. Booking.com’s Senior Director of Product, Customer Experience and Platforms for Booking.com, Adrienne Enggist (in image below) said these days, more than half of her team at product and design meetings are women. Way to go.
The changing landscape of travel and inclusivity
Several sessions touched on the evolving landscape of travel, emphasising inclusivity and the growing diversity in traveller preferences.
From discussions on space travel becoming more accessible, with costs significantly dropping from $600,000 on a Virgin Galactic rocket ride to as low as $100,000 for a slow flight in a space balloon for the Overview effect, to emerging trends like ‘searchfluencing’ (earning from search query activities), WiT Singapore explored the futuristic possibilities shaping the industry.
Brett Dyason, CEO and co-founder, Hepstar, who flew in from Cape Town to attend WiT Singapore, said in his LinkedIn post, “It has been a reminder of why I love travel so much, people are at the heart of this industry. Travelling to new destinations not only gives you new perspectives in life, it also teaches us to be kind, grateful and patient.”
“It has been a reminder about why I love travel so much, people are at the heart of this industry. Travelling to new destinations not only gives you new perspectives in life, it also teaches us to be kind, grateful and patient.”
~ Brett Dyason, CEO and co-founder, Hepstar (via LinkedIn, on WiT Singapore)
The importance of creating human-customer-centric solutions was reinforced, with a focus on integrating empathy into product design as well as delivering on travel experiences. Booking’s Enggist, who used to be a chef, spoke about empathy as a key ingredient in the secret recipe for creating a “Customer Love” product.
Companies such as Trip.com are prioritising customer service by ramping it up with AI, ensuring that “within 30 seconds, calls are answered by live person; if there’s an issue with booking, solved within 2m and if unexpected event, customer will be contacted within 2m”. In a world which will become increasingly digital, that human touch in the last mile will be critical to winning trust of travellers.
Human connections at the core
At its heart, the conference was a reminder of the deep emotional connection people have with travel.
The event emphasised that beyond technology and trends, travel remains fundamentally about human experiences. As the industry evolves, maintaining empathy and fostering meaningful interactions will continue to be key drivers of success. The vibrant, community-oriented atmosphere of WiT Singapore served as a testament to the power of travel to bring people together, fostering new relationships and reinforcing long-standing ones.
After 19 years, it felt like a gathering of a multi-generational travel tribe, with new members being welcomed warmly by regular WiT attendees. Klook’s co-founder Ethan Lin kept reiterating how travel is an eco-system and it was how his startup got its start at a WiT Startup competition 10 years ago and was told that to succeed, he needed to build relationships within the industry.
This was expressed by the more than 50 Next Generation leaders and startups, mostly first-timers, who told our team how connected and welcomed they felt by the WiT tribe.
As AI is the glue to building a connected trip, human relationships are the key to building a successful, global business in travel – was one of the key takeaways.
“We need more diverse voices in AI! Initiatives like our Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First are helping to make that happen.”
~ Sapna Chadha, Vice President, Southeast Asia & South Asia Frontier, Google (via LinkedIn, on WiT Singapore)
Supporting the future
In the tradition of supporting startups and future travel changemakers, we awarded two People’s Choice Winners for this year’s Global Startup Pitch, a collaborative effort between WiT, Phocuswright and Phocuswire. After showcasing their startups at WiT Singapore 2024, delegates in attendance chose Nowadays and HotelTreats.com as their favourite Seedup and Scaleup winners respectively.
(From left): Pete Comeau, Managing Director, Phocuswright. Anna Sun, CEO, Nowadays. Yeoh Siew Hoon, Founder, WiT. Adrian Gonzalez Martin, CCO & Co-founder, HotelTreats.com
Nowadays CEO, Anna Sun, and HotelTreats.com CCO and co-founder, Adrian Gonzalez Martin will win a ticket to the Phocuswright Conference (Nov 19-21), WiT Seoul (Nov 26 & 27), and exposure to the audience and entrance into the Startup Program.
“Anti-establishment, do it yourself, rebellion to everything”
In its earliest planning stages, we wanted this year’s WiT Singapore to serve not only as a platform for idea-sharing, but also a stage that encouraged discourse, debate and constructive criticism. We wanted ‘Next Generation’ to be more than a marketing term or buzzword, and we wanted it to encompass more than just “youth”. In short, we wanted to disrupt the way you viewed the ‘next generation’.
Stephan Ekbergh, CEO of Travelstart, said it best in his talk “Dance To Innovation”. During the pandemic, he found his spark and started Innovation City Cape Town to be the “place where creativity could thrive and the next generation to feel at home”. His inspiration came from clubs in New York such as Studio 51 and CBGB.
His message – anti-establishment, do it yourself, rebellion to everything.
You will be able to watch his truly cool presentation on our YouTube channel soon.
Post WiT Singapore, he said, “Siew Hoon has truly created a tribe that embraces the values I admire – a safe place to be unsafe, a place where creating is more important than competing, respect and everyone gets to play, as long as you are not a self-absorbed ….”
One thing became abundantly clear across three days of our flagship event – travel from here on out can be anything but cookie-cutter. As long as travel leaders are willing to think outside the lines, remain creative and question everything, then they are truly the Next Generation.
