In Phocus

Just weeks into his new role as CEO of Despegar, Gonzalo Estebarena is outlining an ambitious vision for the Latin America-based OTA as it enters its next phase under Prosus ownership. Having previously served as Despegar’s CTO and chief commercial officer, Estebarena said the company has maintained its “startup soul” while gaining the scale and resources of a global technology com...

In this episode, the CEOs of CityUnscripted and Context Travel unpack how distribution in tours and activities is evolving as major platforms like Tripadvisor and Airbnb expand their presence. Nick Whitfield of CityUnscripted argues that while the landscape may appear increasingly commoditized, the reality is more nuanced.

Overwhelming choice and sameness across list...

The conversation around sustainability in tourism may feel more advanced than ever, but real change isn’t keeping pace. Jeremy Sampson, CEO of The Travel Foundation, argues that growing consensus on tourism’s environmental and social impact has created a misleading sense of progress. While awareness has increased, the system itself hasn’t evolved quickly enough to match the acceler...

Hotels are actively exploring AI as a strategic investment, with a strong focus on improving guest engagement and operational efficiency. James Bishop of SiteMinder emphasizes that the real opportunity lies in automation, not workforce reduction, but enabling staff to work more productively. Chris Clayton of Scenic Hotel Group reinforces that AI is not a plug-and-play solution, warning against overs...

Multimodal travel is quickly becoming central to how people plan and experience trips, according to Rome2Rio CEO Wendy Olson Killion. Speaking at The Phocuswright Conference, Killion emphasized that multimodal transportation—combining flights, trains, buses and more—is no longer a niche behavior but a core part of travel. This shift is reflected in Rome2Rio’s data, where 50% of sea...

Nishank Gopalkrishnan, six months into his role as CEO of Dreamlines, is focused on understanding both the cruise industry and how the company can stand out in a relatively under-digitized segment of travel. Drawing on experience across startups and major players like TUI and MakeMyTrip, he sees cruises as a fragmented market with significant room for innovation. Despite representing only a small sh...

Travel companies are entering a far more regulated era as governments in Europe and the U.K. expand consumer protections to reflect how travel is now bought and sold. Historically, regulations like the Package Travel Directive focused on bundled trips, but new rules extend coverage to services purchased within a 24-hour window, even if booked separately across a single platform. According to Rhys Gr...

The airline distribution landscape is entering a new phase as New Distribution Capability (NDC) adoption accelerates and the industry moves toward modern offer and order models. In this episode, Jeremy Jameson, VP of the Americas at Mystifly, and Jesus Monzo Faubel, senior director of flights (west) at PKFARE, discuss how improved servicing and post-ticketing functionality are beginning to drive rea...

Migrating to the cloud is transforming how travel companies operate, innovate and serve travelers. In this episode, Tedd Evers, Global Partner Leader of Travel and Hospitality at Amazon Web Services (AWS), explains why cloud adoption is about more than cost savings. While moving away from traditional data centers can reduce expenses and increase operational efficiency, the real advantage lies in th...

Aven Hospitality may be a new name, but CEO Teresa Mackintosh is already deep into the company’s next chapter.

Following its 2025 acquisition by TPG and separation from former owner Sabre, Mackintosh has spent the past six months preparing Aven to stand on its own. In this episode, she shares how the company is shifting from long-term strategic planning to ...

Travel selling is evolving fast and new players are redefining how trips are discovered and booked.

This episode features Jake Peters, co-founder and chief product and technology officer at Fora, and Maarten van Pijpen, chief growth officer at Unravel, in conversation with PhocusWire senior reporter Morgan Hines. The discussion explores how AI, social media and c...

Gen AI is gaining real traction in corporate travel and this time, it’s more than experimentation. In this episode of In Phocus, Marilyn Markham, VP of AI and automation strategy at American Express Global Business Travel, and Mat Orrego, CEO and co-founder of Cornerstone Information Systems, explore how AI is reshaping the sector.

While early chatbots left...

Skyscanner CEO Bryan Batista is nearly a year into the job, and he’s already uncovered a few surprises about what it really takes to lead one of travel’s biggest metasearch platforms.

Recorded live from the PhocusWire studio at The Phocuswright Conference, Batista joins PhocusWire’s Linda Fox to talk about Skyscanner’s traveler-first mindset...

What happens when the CEO of one of the world’s largest travel companies spends her weekends experimenting with ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity?

You get a front-row view into how Expedia Group is thinking about the next era of travel.

In this episode, Expedia Group CEO Ariane Gorin si...

The definition of luxury travel fluctuates across demographics, and how technology plays into that is also changing with evolving needs and tools like artificial intelligence (AI).

“Luxury audiences ... they vary greatly depending on level of maturity of that wealth, where they're hailing from across the planet, whether or not they're a solo traveler or traveling in a group, [if they are] multi-generational and where they sit...

Travel startup funding remained tough throughout 2025, with Phocuswright data signaling the year would likely fall below $5 billion after a modest recovery to $5.8 billion in 2024. A few headline rounds stood out, including Perk’s $200 million Series E, Klook’s $100 million and later raises from companies like Ramp, Airalo and Peek, but big checks were otherwise scarce and investors cons...

Co-founded by CEO John Lyotier and chairman of the board Chris Jensen in 2013, Vancouver-based TravelAI now operates more than 475 consumer-facing brands.

The company generated over $268 million in gross booking value in 2024, and the CEO expects that figure to be be closer to $500 million in 2025.

TravelAI is actively pursuing its goal of creating the “web of one,” working towards improved personali...

During its its third quarter earnings call in early November, Airbnb shared some early results of its experiences and services launches.

At the time, the company said almost half of those booked were not related to an accommodation booking. Meanwhile, 10% of those who booked a service—think massages and private chefs—were totally new to the platform. 

Airbnb is “super encouraged&...

Connecting the dots of the traveler journey is priority in the ground transportation sector, but tangible examples of connected trip in action are still somewhat “rare.”

Travelers can book a full trip in Sweden, including a train, taxi and a bus, which is working well, but there aren’t many models beyond that, according to SilverRail chief commercial officer Cameron Jones.

D...