Continuing our annual round-up where we ask our industry friends about the lessons and words from 2022 and what they are looking forward to in the new year, as well as the words they will embrace in the new year.
Omri Morgenshtern, CEO, Agoda
Looking back – one word to describe 2022
Pivot
The biggest lesson you learnt from 2022
Friction is all around us, not only on online platforms, and removing friction – by say making visa rules looser, or even a small thing like removing the need to do a PCR test before traveling, leads to a huge impact on people. In many areas of our lives we introduce frictions without realizing the price we pay for it.
Best trip of 2022 – why
South Korea without a shadow of a doubt. Such an amazing market, people. Something incredible is happening there culturally. You see a fascinating combination of old values, and tradition, with young spirit and passion. I think the cultural influence and the economic power of the Korean travellers are only going to grow,
Looking forward – one word to describe 2023
Boom
On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) how you feel about 2023?
9 (Yes, there are recession clouds looming, but I think it won’t impact Asia travel much in 2023)
What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
- Focus – we know what we want to achieve. Keep delivering on being the deal master of APAC, and maintain our talent and tech velocity advantage.
- Innovate in 3 angles:
- Persistent trip – move from items to booking a full itinerary, the more you book, the cheaper, and frictionless it becomes
- Consumer fintech – allow for more flexibility. Better payment options. Better price control. More ability to cancel if required. Smarter recommendations and suggestions. Moving from relying on our suppliers for those, to taking risk, using our scale to improve the customer experience.
- B2B – Using our new Business unit – Rocket Travel By Agoda to help customers find travel on any online platform, and using any loyalty program. Travel tech is tough, but that’s what we do for a living…
What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2023?
- Tech talent. With the turmoil in so many industries, bringing more talent, fortifying our tech advantage is a huge and unique opportunity
What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2023?
Collaborations… it’s true that competition benefits customers, but also collaborations. I think we can do more together in travel if we open up a bit. Be willing to try and measure. If it’s bad business we can always stop, but being open to share inventory, and form strategic collaborations in the industry is a fascinating notion for me
What’s the most exciting new tech you’re keeping your eye on?
ChatGPT – What Open AI managed to do is I believe remarkable. It’s the best version of conversational AI I’ve seen. Too early to understand repercussions I think, but it’s another impressive step towards Ais we can fall in love with J
What’s the one word you’d like to embrace for 2023?
Passion
The (holiday) trip you’re most anticipating in 2023
- Business – Philippines. Never been and it’s such an interesting and important market for us.
- Pleasure – New Zealand Caravan trip on the southern island. Sometimes going far away from civilization is what one desires the most J For a short period of time though…
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or watched that you might not have otherwise?
- Not sure what you mean by “might not have otherwise” here, but I developed a passion for behavioural economics lately. Recommend Dan Ariely – “predictably irrational”. For people that like science and are fascinated by what moves people, this is priceless.
Tao Tao, Co-founder & CMO, GetYourGuide
Looking back – one word to describe 2022
Rebound
The biggest lesson you learnt from 2022
Perseverance pays off.
Best trip of 2022 – why
Tokyo. I haven’t been here in years and it’s simply a magical place with so many things to experience.
Looking forward – one word to describe 2023
Opportunity.
On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) how you feel about 2023?
8
What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
There’s rarely one thing that ensures success. It’s about having the right strategy and a great team to act on it.
What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2023?
There has never been a better time for travel experiences, driven by a massively accelerated digital shift and the accelerated megatrend of more people choosing experiences over things.
What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2023?
Visiting our local teams.
What’s the most exciting new tech you’re keeping your eye on?
Advancements in AI and machine learning.
What’s the one word you’d like to embrace for 2023?
Leadership.
The (holiday) trip you’re most anticipating in 2023
Going on safari in Namibia this winter.
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or watched that you might not have otherwise?
I re-read “The Goal” by Eliyahu Goldratt, a classic story about process design.
Baidi Li, SVP Commercial, APAC, Go City
Looking back – one word to describe 2022
Build
The biggest lesson you learnt from 2022
Live and let live
Best trip of 2022 – why
Summer 2022 road trip to the Yellow Stone National Park. Camping, fishing, white water rafting and horseback riding – Needed this two-week road trip for me and my family to unwind and feel connected with nature again.
Looking forward – one word to describe 2023
Bloom
On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) how you feel about 2023?
8 (and the score is increasing everyday)
What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Focus
What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2023?
Riding the market recovery wave and growing destination footprint quickly across the region
What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2023?
Spending more time with our partners face-to-face
What’s the most exciting new tech you’re keeping your eye on?
AI powered content creation (text, image and video)
What’s the one word you’d like to embrace for 2023?
Balance
The (holiday) trip you’re most anticipating in 2023
Visiting my mom in China – It’s been 3 hard years.
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or watched that you might not have otherwise?
Recently I watched ‘Inside Out’ with my sons as part of their school assignment. It turned out to be a really meaningful movie. All emotions are valuable to our well-being. My sons even invited me to have a ‘mindful’ session with them afterwards which I will forever treasure.
Michael Dykes, Vice President, Market Management, APAC, Expedia Group
Looking back – one word to describe 2022
Re-opening
The biggest lesson you learnt from 2022
No matter how digitized we all become, the physical is simultaneously the great joy and the possible constraint of travel. It’s about the human connection and sensing directly with all five senses. But we’ve also seen its limits this year with labor shortage and flight capacity.
Best trip of 2022 – why
New York City in March: Introduced my “first” hometown to my partner.
Looking forward – one word to describe 2023
Retaking the mountain
On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) how you feel about 2023?
7
What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Creating an environment of innovation and empowerment for local teams
What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2023?
B2B Business as core growth driver for Asia-Pacific
What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2023?
Building relationships with partners in regions that are new to me
What’s the most exciting new tech you’re keeping your eye on?
Generative AI – thinking here of launch of the first large-scale, general purpose chatbot using OpenAI‘s GPT3 AI engine
What’s the one word you’d like to embrace for 2023?
Inclusiveness
The (holiday) trip you’re most anticipating in 2023
Personally, I am trying to make it back to Lombok—but getting family pressure to go to Maldives.
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or watched that you might not have otherwise?
1899 on Netflix, by the creators of Dark—another one of my favourite shows ever. Both are riffs on what “reality” is.
Timothy O’Neil-Dunne, Principal, T2Impact
Looking back – one word to describe 2022
phew
The biggest lesson you learnt from 2022
Lessons not learned
Best trip of 2022 – why
Four weeks in Australia and Asia. Reconnecting.
Looking forward – one word to describe 2023
Tentative
On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) how you feel about 2023?
5
What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Being conservative.
What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2023?
Companies that need help in refashioning their future.
What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2023?
Legal expert witness/knowledge base
What’s the most exciting new tech you’re keeping your eye on?
No code programming
What’s the one word you’d like to embrace for 2023?
Love
The (holiday) trip you’re most anticipating in 2023
Summer in Europe
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or watched that you might not have otherwise?
Numbers Don’t Lie: VACLAV SMIL.
Rod Cuthbert, Board Member, Veltra Corp; Former Chairman & CEO, Viator & Rome2Rio; Chairman, Jayride
Looking back – one word to describe 2022
Finally!
The biggest lesson you learnt from 2022
All things must pass.
Best trip of 2022 – why
Taking my boat across Bass Strait, the dangerous stretch of water between the Australian mainland and Tasmania. Itv was a true adventure, with the very real potential for things to go wrong…
Looking forward – one word to describe 2023
Japan!
On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) how you feel about 2023?
7
What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Reminding executives that more than ever we live in a age where “anything can happen, and often does…”
What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2023?
To take advantage of the renewed interest in travel.
What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2023?
Travelling to see my companies.
What’s the most exciting new tech you’re keeping your eye on?
AI! Blockchain! — No, really, I’m not excited by any tech right now.
What’s the one word you’d like to embrace for 2023?
Rebound!
The (holiday) trip you’re most anticipating in 2023
Sailing in Spain after Phocuswright Europe in Barcelona
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or watched that you might not have otherwise?
The Beatles documentary. Perhaps Yoko wasn’t the terrible person so many people said she was!
