THE 2026 THEME

The travel industry is standing on

shifting ground.

Artificial intelligence, platform power, changing traveler expectations and regulatory scrutiny are warping the landscape that for decades has defined travel discovery and distribution. As these forces reshape how demand is created, captured and converted, companies across the ecosystem are confronting the same reality: Pressures are intensifying, power is shifting and pivots are becoming a condition of staying competitive. The industry that thrived through the internet's disruptive rise and withstood the pandemic's near-total shutdown now faces fresh frontiers and challenges.

PRESSURES.

• Technology acceleration. AI and automation are advancing rapidly, but implementation remains uneven. As the underlying capabilities and ROI continue to evolve, legacy companies are being forced to innovate on top of their older tech stacks and are feeling the heat from nimbler, AI-native startups.
• Margin and distribution pressure. Competition for demand remains intense as companies balance the cost of acquisition, the value of direct channels and the economics of platform distribution.
• Great expectations. Travelers increasingly expect seamless discovery, next-level personalization and instant responses across channels. Meeting those expectations requires new capabilities across data, service and product design.
• Regulatory and ecosystem tension. Governments and regulators are scrutinizing large platforms, data access and competitive dynamics. At the same time, partners across the travel ecosystem are renegotiating roles, responsibilities and value creation.
• Global turbulence. Regional conflicts, trade tensions and changing alliances are testing the industry’s resilience, impacting traveler sentiment and disrupting supply chains. Though the travel sector has consistently outpaced global GDP growth, adapting to these challenges will necessitate flexible pricing models and rethinking what were once tried-and-true business models.

POWER.

• Control of demand and visibility. As discovery fragments across search, platforms and emerging AI interfaces, the battle for traveler attention is intensifying. The companies that control how travelers discover options increasingly influence what ultimately gets booked and where.
• The new gatekeepers. AI agents, super apps and dominant technology platforms have the potential to transform influence across the travel stack. As agentic marketplaces emerge—linking supply directly with demand-side agents—the ability to interpret intent, curate options and transact on behalf of travelers could redefine who controls the booking journey.
• Owning the traveler relationship. Loyalty programs, identity, data and personalization determine who maintains a direct connection with the traveler. Suppliers, intermediaries and platforms are all competing to strengthen that relationship and stay relevant throughout the traveler lifecycle.
• Data, identity and the traveler signal. Emerging models such as digital wallets and verifiable identity are transferring more control to travelers, giving them greater say over how, when and with whom their data is shared.

PIVOTS.

• From search to intelligence. The traditional funnel built around keywords and clicks is evolving toward context, conversation and curation. Companies must rethink how they capture intent and guide travelers to decisions.
• From experimentation to execution. After years of pilots and proofs of concept, the industry is moving from testing emerging technologies to embedding them in core products, operations and customer experiences.
• Reinventing the travel stack. Companies are refining how data, content, distribution and service layers connect across the ecosystem. The next generation of platforms will be designed to move faster, integrate more easily and respond to real-time signals.
• Redefining competitive advantage. Success will depend less on any single technology and more on how organizations combine data, partnerships, brand and product innovation. The winners will be those that pivot quickly and align strategy with a highly dynamic landscape.

Now more than ever, travel remains a powerful connecting force, bridging divides in what often seems like an increasingly disconnected world. The Phocuswright Conference is where the industry comes together to examine the pressures reshaping travel, to understand where power is moving and to debate the pivots that will define the next phase of competition.

Join the sharpest minds in travel to test assumptions, challenge strategies and explore what it will take to compete in a market being rewritten in real time.