Innovation

July 24, 2020

Who Pays for the Needed Upgrade to Travel Distribution?

Tweet As we are in the midst of one of the most devastating events in the history of the travel industry, the Covid-19 pandemic, you might find it odd time for me to write a blog article about the need to upgrade technology infrastructure for travel distribution.  No one has any money, not the airlines, the GDS, the OTAs or […]
June 24, 2020

Will Med-Tech Save the Travel Industry from Covid-19?

Tweet As the industry shows signs of a limited recovery, many hope science, and specifically, advancements in medical technology (Med-Tech), will play a key role in ensuring cleanliness and safety to help the travel industry recover.  Most pundits will agree that without extensive testing and contact tracing, controlling the pandemic is a challenge. Of course, a vaccine is the best […]
June 17, 2020

The Challenge of Being a Disruptor – Changing the Fundamentals of Travel Distribution and Settlement

Tweet It was a Sunday afternoon in 2013 and I did something I normally don’t do; I checked my Facebook feed (I’m not a big FB user). There I discovered a Meetup for Travel Startups scheduled for the upcoming week in San Francisco. It happened to coincide with an event where I was speaking earlier in the day, so I […]
June 1, 2020

Travel Tech Investment Opportunities in a Post Covid-19 World

Tweet With the industry at a near standstill due to the global pandemic, we often forget that over the last decade the travel industry experienced significant investment from Angels, Venture Capitalists and Private Equity, creating new travel/transportation unicorns (e.g. Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, TripActions, Travel Perk and Oyo to name a few).  While post Covid-19 investors need to exercise caution, there […]
August 10, 2018

The Personalization Hype vs Reality

Tweet For the global travel industry, the subject of personalization has never been hotter. The number of articles, conference themes and startups pitches emphasizing personalization has reached the extreme hype phase of the cycle. In reality, the theme of personalization has been around for decades. For the travel industry, personalization has its own set of barriers especially for the infrequent […]
July 31, 2018

The Travel Industry Hype Cycle

Tweet AI will take my job. VR will eliminate the need for travel. AR will enable a new mixed reality travel experience. Travelers demand and expect personalization. Blockchain will put the OTAs and GDS out of business. Voice is the new computer interface. We are in a constant state of hype around emerging technologies and their impact on the travel […]