Over the past decade, mobile has revolutionized the travel industry and is reshaping how every travel organization interacts with its travellers. However, there are bigger changes looming on the horizon, with the emergence of voice search, artificial intelligence and conversational messaging. Combined together, these technologies are reshaping the future of travel, and most importantly, travel agents.

Travel-meta search engine ixigo recently unveiled TARA (Travel Assistant and Recommendation Agent), a 100% AI-driven travel assistant for flights. She takes care of all your flight-related needs across discovery, research, planning, booking and trip management. TARA is exactly like the travel agent of the past, except that she responds instantly and is available 24×7. She has all flight-related information and deals at her fingertips, she is unbiased and knows your preferences, and she doesn’t sleep at night. Her aim is to make sure you simply focus on enjoying your trip. TARA also won the runner’s up award at the Phocuswright Conference this year.

Omniscient digital assistants, from Google Trips to Lola, are set to change the dynamics of travel. New apps are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence to go beyond just helping travellers plan trips, to learning their preferences and even suggesting personalized itineraries. This is great news for consumers, who are going to benefit immensely in terms of convenience, but will it mean bad news for travel agents who are likely to lose traffic to these new assistants?

Ixigo co-founder and CTO Rajnish Kumar at the Phocuswright Conference 2017

Digital travel assistants provide users a single point of contact through which they can book trips, thus vastly narrowing down options, and hassles of connecting with different companies for their travel getaway. For instance, Expedia has partnered with Amazon to offer its services through the Alexa digital assistant, who allows users to book flights or call a cab through Amazon Echo. These tools allow travellers to make requests using more intuitive language and questions; a much more seamless experience than calling or getting on the website.

Moreover, digital assistants cover the entire travel experience. So instead of hotels or airlines sending individual notifications, these apps bring everything together and break the silo, thus bringing them closer to the one-point contact travel experience that passengers expect. Digitization has given them this choice in a big way.

Ixigo’s digital travel assistant TARA

For travel agents, these interfaces represent both a great opportunity and a threat. These conversational apps provide a new tool to resolve simple customer problems, so they can focus on more complicated requests. While they are perfect for today’s mobile environment, they will also require more back-end work to educate customers and provide the right responses.

Whether agents like it or not, consumer behavior will continue to change. The only question that remains is how should they adapt. The executives who manage to get it right will stand to profit the most. Using these AI softwares and platforms, and optimizing for their virtual assistants could be one solution. However, if they can provide a great user experience, they stand a strong chance of competing regardless of how it’s delivered.

Whatever the interaction model that travel agents choose, typing in a mobile web-browser is definitely not going to make the cut in a mobile-first future.

The post IXIGO’s TARA unleashes a new war versus travel agents – who will survive? appeared first on TravHQ.

While rising Internet and smartphone access fuelled growth in Asia Pacific (APAC) in 2016, varied infrastructure development, digital payments adoption and regulations make for an uneven e-commerce landscape across the region. Phocuswright’s Asia Pacific Online Travel Overview Ninth Edition: Online Travel Agencies analyses the competitive dynamics throughout APAC, with insight into online travel agency (OTA) gross bookings and growth rates. The report takes a deep dive into the four major OTA trends in APAC.

APAC is the world’s third-largest OTA region: Gross bookings hit US$44.5 billion in 2015, up 15% over 2014 and are forecasted to reach $96.5 billion by 2020.

1- APAC Is the Fastest-Growing Major OTA Region Worldwide

Internet and smartphone penetration continue to rise, supporting travel bookings’ migration from offline to online channels in the region. With relatively underpenetrated online travel markets such as China, India and Southeast Asia fueling OTA growth, APAC OTA gross bookings grew 21% in 2016.

The supplier market structure also adds to OTA growth in the region. Broadly, the APAC air market is crowded and the hotel segment is highly fragmented, offering OTAs an advantage in aggregating and distributing varied content in one place.

2- Mobile Is the Norm

With ever-increasing smartphone penetration, APAC OTAs are allocating more resources toward mobile product development and marketing. Abetted by sales via apps, mobile share of OTA gross bookings in China hit 45% in 2015 – the highest in the world.

As technology companies, OTAs have a strong lead over suppliers across markets when it comes to mobile development and products. While suppliers largely focus on and distribute a single product/segment, most OTAs distribute an array of products within a single mobile platform, thus appealing more to consumers.

OTAs accounted for the majority of mobile gross bookings share in the region in 2016: India (86%), Japan (54%), China (52%).

Combined OTA mobile gross bookings for China, India and Japan were $14.7 billion in 2015, up 52% year-over-year. Continued discounting and price wars on mobile, however, dragged down transaction values (and put pressure on revenues) particularly in China and India, restraining OTA mobile gross bookings from growing at a faster rate.

3- Online Travel Funding Swells, Competition Intensifies

Aggregate publicly disclosed funding to APAC digital travel startups exceeded $14 billion from 2005 through 1Q16, accounting for 43% of global funding. New entrants are challenging the established order and deploying capital toward price wars to win customer loyalty.

Funding to the region’s online travel companies has accelerated dramatically in the last decade; Chinese startups attracted 75% of the total regional funding.

Incumbent OTAs face competition – and a threat of displacement – from emerging intermediaries, which are tapping into new categories, attracting investor dollars and gaining consumer traction.

4- Consolidation Hits APAC Shores

As the region’s online travel industry matures and growth softens, major e-commerce players and OTAs have made notable investments and acquisitions to strengthen their positions in several markets.

As consolidation looms in the region, it’s eat or be eaten for APAC OTAs.

Want more information on OTA trends in the region? Get it straight from the leaders of APAC’s biggest OTAs at Phocuswright India (February 28 – March 2, 2017, in Gurgaon, NCR, India). This year’s program features several sessions with APAC’s leading OTAs including a Joint Interview of MakeMyTrip and ibibo Group, Keynote by Yatra.com and Joint Interview of Fliggy (Alitrip) and Paytm among others.

View the full program here.

Phocuswright India provides an unmatched opportunity to meet, learn from and collaborate with Asia Pacific’s top decision makers. It brings together a good mix of speakers and attendees carrying wide experiences boosting the value for attendees. You can find details about all speakers here.

Register now to network and learn from Asia Pacific’s most innovative thinkers and leaders in the hospitality, travel and tourism industry.

The post Here are the top four Asia Pacific OTA trends to help you plan ahead appeared first on TravHQ.

Asia Pacific (APAC) continued to fuel the global economy last year, which was otherwise stifled by geopolitical uncertainties, the Zika virus endemic, multiple terrorist strikes in Europe and the related refugee crisis in the Middle East. APAC’s middle class population is at the core of the booming regional economy. Their rising discretionary income makes them a highly attractive demographic for lifestyle and service-oriented companies, including travel suppliers.

Phocuswright’s Asia Pacific Online Travel Overview Ninth Edition analyses the competitive dynamics throughout APAC, providing travel companies and marketers with a comprehensive view of the region’s travel market performance from 2014 – 2020.

Online outpacing total market growth

Varied market and segment online maturity will allow the APAC online market to grow at a faster pace than the total market through 2020.

With China accounting for 39% (and increasing) share of the APAC travel market, its online dynamics – and progress – will significantly influence regional online travel growth.

Most online travel markets within APAC will grow in double digits through 2020, with the exception of Japan and Australia – New Zealand (ANZ). Once the online frontrunners in the region, these countries are experiencing slowing growth due to high online penetration. Japan’s share of the APAC online travel market will shrink eight points to 18% by 2020. ANZ’s share will also reduce, from 10% to 6%, during the same period.

Supplier websites lead online travel distribution

Three out of five online dollars were transacted on supplier websites in 2015. Skewed by direct online distribution mechanisms already in place for low-cost carriers (LCCs) and railways, supplier websites have an upper hand in online distribution.

APAC supplier website gross bookings will climb 89% from US$60.7 billion in 2015 to $114.8 billion by 2020. Chinese airlines will add to supplier websites’ momentum. Per the new government policy, state-owned airlines have to sell at least half of their tickets through online direct channels by 2018.

However, by focusing on underserved segments, OTAs will grow faster than supplier websites and the online travel market. Supplier websites will steadily lost share through 2020.

APAC has the world’s highest mobile travel penetration

With a rising number of APAC travelers having access to the Internet and digital banking via their smartphones, mobile will be the fastest-growing online platform in the region. Combined mobile gross bookings of China, India and Japan will reach $105.9 billion by 2020, up 325% over 2015.

OTAs win at mobile

In APAC, online travel agencies are at the forefront of mobile innovation, development, marketing and distribution relative to the suppliers. In India, OTAs accounted for 88% of the mobile travel market in 2015, while their counterparts in China delivered 60% of the market’s mobile gross bookings in the same year. OTAs will remain the major force behind mobile bookings in APAC.

You can purchase the full report here for the trends, individual market dynamics, projections through 2020 and key findings from various segments and countries.

Want more information on APAC trends? Get it straight from the leaders of APAC’s travel companies at Phocuswright India (February 28 – March 2, 2017, in Gurugram, NCR, India).

Phocuswright India provides an unmatched opportunity to meet, learn from and collaborate with Asia Pacific’s top decision makers. Explore the trends, technology and turmoil affecting Asia Pacific travel market. See industry innovators during Battleground. Hear from the most influential travel leaders during Center Stage. Find practical advice you can put to work in your own business during workshops.

This year’s program features several sessions with APAC’s largest OTAs:

• Joint Interview: MakeMyTrip and ibibo Group. Two of india’s largest online travel companies have merged. Hear from their CEOs, Ashish Kashyap and Rajesh Magow, on where they go from here and what it means for the rest of the market.
• Keynote: Yatra.com. Hear from Yatra’s co-founder and CEO, Dhruv Shringi, on distribution, competition, discounting and running an OTA in the public eye.
• Joint Interview: Alitrip and Paytm. Step by step, Alibaba has emerged as a prominent force – and investor – in the Chinese digital travel distribution space. Hear about Alibaba’s travel ambitions through a combined interview with the heads of its travel businesses in China and India, Tony Duan and Abhishek Rajan.

View the full program here.

This year’s speakers include:

• Oliver Hua, Managing Director, APAC, Booking.com
• Dhruv Shringi, Co-Founder and CEO, Yatra Online Pvt. Ltd.
• Amanpreet Bajaj, Country Manager, India, Airbnb
• Albert Pozo, President, Amadeus Asia Pacific, Amadeus IT Group S.A.
• Geeta Jain, CEO, India, Carlson Wagonlit Travel
• View all speakers

Register now to network and learn from Asia Pacific’s most innovative thinkers and leaders in the hospitality, travel and tourism industry.

The post Here are the top trends you need to know about the Asia Pacific travel market appeared first on TravHQ.

The Asian travellers are demanding in nature. While the massive scale of the market and fast growing internet population provide opportunities for travel brands to set foot and grow, the buyers don’t like to settle for anything less than the best. The trends observed in the market appear to be similar to other geographies but in reality, APAC is a diverse region with multiple niche markets and unique traits.

Phocuswright has been at the centre of the online travel industry for over two decades with research and events. Phocuswright India, their first ever conference centred around the Asia Pacific travel market, was launched last year. It saw participation from the leaders of top travel companies and for 2017, they are bringing back the event carrying the theme “The Asian Advantage”. It will pack together compelling content, top-tier attendees and an electrified atmosphere.

Here is why we think Phocuswright India 2017 is a conference one can’t afford to miss:

Industry leaders

Phocuswright India is attended by the most influential leaders from around the world. At the 2016 event, a third of the attendees were C-level executives while 23 percent were at Senior Director/Director level. This offers a great opportunity for the attendees to connect with the decision makers in leading brands and explore synergies to grow together.

Diverse experiences

The event brings together a good mix of local and international speakers and attendees. The 2016 event saw attendees from 19 countries including major travel markets outside Asia as well. This brings wide expertise and knowledge to the event boosting the value for attendees.

Learning from changemakers

A lot is speculated about the major develops in the travel industry. Whether it is about the travel products by Google, international investments by Chinese brands or the consolidation of leading players, we only get to know what is being talked about. However, the event will bring these leaders under one roof during the ‘Center Stage’ to learn the real story and driving force behind the developments.

Actionable insights

The industry has leveraged Phocuswright research for long and the events serve as an extension to the research. Phocuswright India 2017 won’t be any different. The team brings the learnings from their extensive researches to live discussions during the event. The data driven insights will allow brands to plan better and stay ahead of the curve in the competitive market.

Battleground

Phocuswright India will also give the travel industry innovators a platform to showcase their ideas on a global stage through ‘Battleground’. The innovators get ten minutes on stage to pitch, demonstrate and face off with Phocuswright Dragons-industry’s most informed insiders, to explore opportunities with potential investors, incubators and partners.

Phocuswright India will be hosted at The Leela Ambience Gurugram, February 28 – March 2, 2017. You can find more details and register for the event at www.phocuswrightindia.com. Discounted tickets available until February 3, 2017.

The post Why you can’t afford to miss the upcoming Phocuswright India appeared first on TravHQ.

He is a fitness freak, loves his family and is the Chief Executive at Kayak. Iconic entrepreneur, Steve Hafner certainly doesn’t need a second introduction. When Steve spoke to Phocuswright Senior Research Analyst, Maggie Rauch at the 2016 conference, it turned out to be a fascinating one indeed.

Here are some highlights from the Phocuswright Conference web-stream.

On Trivago

650 million dollars in revenue this year but 1600mn dollars in marketing spends.

Steve Hafner, CEO Kayak at The 2016 Phocuswright Conference | Credits: Phocuswright 2016 Conference Web-stream

On Meta-search Consolidation

We’re all shopping, no one is going to buy us. 5 players is a bit too many in the hotels space.

On Chatbots and AI

I personally won’t use AI. We should notice short term interaction on customer service issues such as cancellation of flight.

On being a CEO

Being a CEO of public company is not that bigger deal, what’s important is being a leader.

On non-travel apps he uses

Uber

On Google

Irritating

On Skyscanner IPO

Would never happen

The post When Kayak’s CEO Steve Hafner spoke at The Phocuswright 2016 Conference appeared first on TravHQ.

Travel industry research authority Phocuswright is bringing its very first event to India. Carrying the theme “The Asian Mojo: Millennials, Mobile and Mania”, Phocuswright India will focus on the factors that have shaped the Asian travel market. The event will bring together the industry stakeholders under one roof to discuss and deliberate on the fast changing travel landscape in APAC.

The tickets to the event are almost sold out however, we are holding onto one ticket to giveaway to the winner of this contest. All you have to do is sign up for our newsletter below using your business e-mail and share this on your social media accounts. The contest is open till the midnight of Monday April 18, 2016 (IST). The winner will be chosen by random selection from the entries and will be announced on Tuesday April 19, 2016.

Phocuswright India will be hosted on April 21-22, 2016 at the Leela Ambience, Gurgaon. You can find more details about the event here. If the form above doesn’t work, you can go directly to the contest page here.

Update (April 19, 2016)- The contest is now closed and the result has been announced on our Twitter account. You can follow us @TravHQ for live updates from Phocuswright India.

The post TravHQ Giveaway Contest: Win a free ticket to Phocuswright India Conference appeared first on TravHQ.

Phocuswright, the leading provider of travel industry research, is going to host the very first Phocuswright Conference in India next month. The Phocuswright events bring together industry luminaries to deliberate over innovations & trends and Phocuswright India will be no exception. With the staggering growth, Asia Pacific market has seen over the past few years, it is important for travel brands to be in sync with the changing landscape. The event will bring together the experts that put together the Phocuswright research reports to share their learnings but before that, we spoke with Chetan Kapoor, Research Analyst – Asia Pacific, Phocuswright to get some insights on the APAC travel market. Here is an edited excerpt from the conversation:

You have been tracking the Indian travel market for over nine years now. What major changes have you observed?

There continues to be a shift towards online booking in India, and what fascinates me now is the new breed of entrepreneurs that have arrived at the scene to take on the establishment.

As we continue to track the industry, every year is a fresh start for us. Every year, we discover new entrepreneurs or incumbent companies testing ideas and that shows growing maturity in the Indian online travel market. Not to forget, customers are ultimately purchasing various goods and services online, which is very encouraging for the overall online ecosystem.

What is you take on mobile wallets? Do they hold opportunities in travel?

Absolutely. In fact, around three years ago that was one of the core topics of discussion at one of our industry roadshows. It has taken time as the use of online wallets has gone through trials and errors, but government and banking regulations have relaxed now somewhat. Few wallet-focussed companies in this space are cash-rich and they are using their resources to educate the customers and get them onboard. Nevertheless, these are the kind of solutions that make it easier for travellers to transact seamlessly.

We saw a lot of action in activity planning and budget hotel space last year. What do you think is the way ahead for these segments?

Activities and budget hotels are both mass-volume driven products. Tours and activities has been challenging to distribute not just in India, but also globally. We see many intermediaries involved in activity technology distribution and booking globally. India had a few startups that pivoted away from activities businesses over the years because it is tough given the fragmentation and lack of standardisation. There might be multiple vendors offering the same product. Ideally, an aggregator should list the best vendors and focus on quality. Even from an activity supplier perspective, online distribution remains a new segment and they need to be trained and incentivised to accept and honour online bookings.

The Indian budget accommodation is also pretty similar. Historically, budget hotels have been relying on walk-ins and referrals via local taxi and rickshaw drivers who pick up travellers from bus stops and railway stations. Brands such as OYO, Treebo and others have been tackling this on two sides – one assuring product standardisation and two, addressing demand. There is certainly room for growth and improvement in this segment but when rooms are being sold at INR 1000, one has to maintain high sales volume to justify millions of dollars of capital the segment has attracted.

We recently saw Ctrip invest into MakeMyTrip. What could it mean for the online travel market in the region?

We have been talking about consolidation in Indian travel sector for a while now. When you look at the journey of Indian OTAs, you will realize that they have been around for a decade now with only one IPO, while others have raised capital on and off. When new companies enter the space and raise hundreds of millions of dollars, competition heightens up and in that environment, some degree of consolidation is inevitable. When you look at India and China, India definitely has a higher online travel penetration, but China is so much bigger from a gross bookings perspective. With Ctrip and MakeMyTrip joining forces, you may expect the latter to increasingly diversify its product portfolio covering all facets of travel – from selling individual segments to creating a travel agency marketplace and then some more – similar to what Ctrip’s done in China. If Indian OTAs are to follow Ctrip’s lead, it could bring some degree of convergence in the the online and offline space.

What are your expectations from the India event?

One thing that is really worth noting is that we have set out to create an APAC-centric travel conference. Our speakers are a good mix of local and international speakers, who will bring in wide expertise and knowledge on stage. Over the years, the industry has leveraged our research and participated in Phocuswright events in other parts of the world. We wanted to host an event in India for a long time. At the end of the day, I hope that our conference and its individual components, be it the Travel Innovation Summit, the Workshops or the Center Stage, is in sync with what the industry expects from us.

Phocuswright India will be held in April this year in Gurgaon, India. Like any other Phocuswright event, it will feature interactive workshops, speakers from top travel brands and the Travel Innovation Summit. You can find more details about the event on www.phocuswrightindia.com. They are offering a USD 100 discount on the final ticket price if you register before March 18, 2016.

The post Chetan Kapoor, Research Analyst – Asia Pacific, Phocuswright shares insights on APAC travel market ahead of their India event appeared first on TravHQ.

Phocuswright is the leader in travel industry research and their events bring together industry luminaries to deliberate over trends and innovations. The events also offer an opportunity for promising travel startups to showcase at the highly acclaimed Travel Innovation Summit. For the very first time, Phocuswright is bringing the event to India. We spoke with Tony D’Astolfo, Managing Director, Phocuswright, to learn more about one of the biggest travel industry events this year. Here is an edited excerpt from the conversation:

What was the driving factor behind bringing the event here?

We have been active in the Asia Pacific region on the research side for many years. To enhance what we bring to the market, the live event comes next on the list. Phocuswright set out on a strategy to bring our live events to other regions around the world where we have been providing research and covering the market for many years. We started with Europe and this will be our third year there. As we got more comfortable with the market in Asia, we decided it was time to bring an event with focus on that market. We selected India because it’s very dynamic. Phocuswright has staff on the ground in the region doing a great job getting Phocuswright research in the hands of professionals there and developing the brand with a strong following. Through the event, we are offering an extension of our research to the region.

Following the India event, should we expect more events in this region?

I think the answer is yes. We don’t have any concrete plans in place yet but we have done some activities already. Last year we created a product called Phocuswright Fast Track. We get asked all the time to speak at conferences, so we created this product to answer these requests and bring our content to different audiences. Last year our inaugural Phocuswright Fast Track was in Bangalore in association with PATA. Then we did second Fast Track at Sichuan, China, in conjunction with GTEC. So yes, you should expect to see more. It might a full-fledged Phocuswright event spread over several days or it might be couple of hours via Phocuswright Fast Track. In fact, we have already renewed our contract with PATA – this time in Jakarta. Asia is a big, fast growing market with lot of opportunities and Phocuswright will definitely expand in the region.

What changes have you observed in the APAC market over the past few years?

Many of the trends are following similar patterns to the market in other regions. There is a shift from traditional to online models and the tremendous influence travellers’ behaviour has over the development of technology. The younger generation is more inclined to leverage social media and mobile phones to seek out multiple sources before making a decision to buy. On top of that they are more interested in exploring and often look for more in destination activities.

APAC is a fascinating and diverse market. You will see that the Indian market is very different from the Chinese market, which again is different from the Southeast Asian market. There are so many different opportunities. Phocuswright helps the companies in the travel space understand the market, travellers’ behaviour, technology trends and how they should be reacting to that particular market. Big markets like this are perfect place for us to be as that is what people expect us to do, get in, understand the market and help them grow.

How would you contrast the travel startup ecosystem in the Americas to that in APAC?

Many of the innovations in the travel industry are being defined by millennial travellers. There is still a lot more traditional activity going on in the East but that is just a difference in pace. I don’t think there is anything surprising. The trends are similar, so it is just a matter of understanding the pace. If you look at China as an example, you will see that the travellers there are using mobile more than anywhere else in the world. Things like that are important to understand as they define where we will see the innovations. With the fast growing middle class, the market in Asia will open up more opportunities. New options are being adopted by travellers in the region and the key to success is understanding their needs and how they experience the destination.

What message would you like to give to the travel community in India?

The travel industry is fast paced and dynamic. Almost all industry sectors are changing rapidly. The airline sector has seen the rise of low cost carriers, the alternative accommodation industry is challenging traditional hotel players, and the ground transportation industry is being challenged by the sharing community with startups that have changed the traditional way of getting around. When I look at that, I always challenge people in the industry, “how are you being informed about these changes?”

Obviously as a research firm we try to dig into how people travel and how technology has an impact on everything. Our goal is to provide information to help people make better decisions and events are a very important part of the whole process. At the events, we take the research classroom and bring it to the people live along with the added component of networking, the opportunity to engage with your peers, meet your next partners, meet your next customers or maybe meet your next investors. Travel brands of any scale stand to gain a lot with Phocuswright events.

Phocuswright India will be held in April this year in Gurgaon, India. Like any other Phocuswright event, it will feature interactive workshops, speakers from top travel brands and the Travel Innovation Summit. You can find more details about the event on www.phocuswrightindia.com.

The post Tony D’Astolfo, MD, Phocuswright talks about the first Phocuswright event in India appeared first on TravHQ.

Travel industry research authority Phocuswright has announced the program and extended schedule for the much awaited Phocuswright India. This will be the first Phocuswright Conference in Asia and will be along the same lines as the conferences hosted in other parts of the world. Carrying the theme “The Asian Mojo: Millennials, Mobile and Mania”, it will focus on the factors that have shaped the Asian travel market.

Phocuswright India would play host to leaders of biggest travel brands in the region. The program includes keynotes from Lee McCabe, Global Head of Travel, Facebook; Ashish Kashyap, Group CEO, ibibo Group and Varsha Rao, Head of Global Operations, Airbnb. It also includes executive roundtables on digitization of customer experience, future of tour operating and future of digital and hospitality.

“We’ve put together a stellar program for Phocuswright India,” says Phocuswright’s managing director, Tony D’Astolfo. “We have keynotes from the leaders of top travel companies operating in the region, including Ibibo Group, as well as executive interviews with MakeMyTrip and The Priceline Group. Executive roundtable topics include ground transportation and metasearch’s evolution from click to touch and search to book. It’s shaping up to be an excellent and thought-provoking Center Stage.”

The event brings together travel leaders to network, learn and explore partnership opportunities with industry leaders and innovators. The event will be held at The Leela Ambience Gurgaon on 21-22 April 2016. To register or check the full event schedule, you can head to the event website. The tickets are available at a discount of $200 for visitors registering before 20 February.

Also read: Here is why India’s travel industry is looking forward to The Phocuswright Conference this April

The post Phocuswright announces program for Phocuswright India appeared first on TravHQ.

The Phocuswright conference has a legacy behind it as its events bring together industry leaders where they learn more about the future of travel. With the theme “The Asian Mojo: Millennials, Mobile, Money, Mania”, Phocuswright is coming to India for the very first time.

The Asia Pacific market has been growing at a staggering pace and everyone is trying to take a piece of the pie. Phocuswright India will focus on this fast changing travel landscape and will bring together the industry stakeholders under one roof. At TravHQ, we are very excited to partner with Phocuswright for this event and are certainly looking forward to discover what lies in store for the online travel industry in India.

Here is why Phocuswright India 2016 is a conference you can’t afford to miss:

#1- Actionable insights

Phocuswright is the leading source of travel industry research that brands can leverage in putting together their strategies and market their product better. The events bring together the experts that put together these research reports and they share their learnings that provide actionable insights that can help travel brands. The Phocuswright analysts run Center Stage like a live research project debating on the hottest topics. Stay tuned for our exclusive interviews with Phocuswright analysts and leadership team.

#2- Interactive workshops

Like all the Phocuswright events, multiple workshops will be hosted for industry professionals to learn about the hottest topics in travel. This will give them an opportunity to interact with the topic experts and hone their skills.

#3- Networking opportunities

The event will be attended by senior executives from top travel brands, not only from India but all over the world. This offers attendees the opportunity to connect with them and explore the possibilities by forging new business relationships.

#4- Lessons from leaders

The event will feature speakers from top brands like Priceline, Cleartrip, Booking.com, MakeMyTrip, Ibibo, HomeAway, Facebook, Airbnb, TripAdvisor, Skyscanner and many more. They will share their vision of what lies ahead and how to prepare for it.

#5- Travel Innovation Summit

Lastly, the highly acclaimed Travel Innovation Summit gives travel tech innovators a chance to pitch and demonstrate in front of industry’s most informed insiders. Hunting for the innovations that hold the potential to transform Asia’s travel landscape, the team filter through the hype to choose the best. If you have a revolutionary idea for travel, this is the perfect chance for you to impress the industry giants.

The event will be hosted at The Leela Ambience in Gurgaon on 21-22 April, 2016. You can learn more and register for the event on Phocuswright India website (discount of USD 300 if you register before January 15).

The post Here’s why India’s Travel Industry is keenly looking forward to The Phocuswright Conference this April appeared first on TravHQ.