Industry Roundtables

Topic

The Intermediary Dilemma
OTAs still account for roughly one in four travel dollars globally, yet the model is under pressure from multiple directions — supplier direct strategies, plateauing domestic growth and the looming question of whether AI agents will route around intermediaries entirely or hand them a new advantage. Where does the value of the middleman actually lie in 2026 and beyond, and who gets to define it?

Industry Experts

TBA

Who should join this table

OTAs, Travel Agencies, Tour Operators, Wholesalers, TMCs, Metasearches, GDS, Booking Engines, Distribution Technology

Topic

Hospitality's Growth Ceiling
The post-pandemic demand surge is over. U.S. room revenue growth is expected to hover around 2% in 2025, and the competitive landscape has only gotten harder — STRs, tighter traveler budgets and AI-driven discovery are all reshaping the fight for guests. Meanwhile, direct bookings have actually declined slightly, with OTAs still the preferred channel for travelers under 55. So where does hospitality find its next real lever for growth — and is the industry's infrastructure ready to support it?

Industry Experts

TBA

Who should join this table

Hotels, Hotel Technology, Loyalty Programs, Short-Term Rentals, Bedbanks, Resorts, Serviced Apartments

Topic

From Hype to Hard Decisions
More than 60% of travel businesses are already experimenting with or scaling agentic AI, yet budgets, legacy infrastructure and unclear ROI are slowing meaningful progress. The technology conversation in travel has shifted — it's no longer about whether AI matters, but about which bets are worth making and which organizational changes are actually required to deliver results. What separates the companies pulling ahead from those still running pilots?

Industry Experts

TBA

Who should join this table

CFOs, Treasury and Finance Managers, Payments Managers, Ecom Managers, Digital Transformation Leads, Online Travel Agencies, Airlines

Topic

The Traveler You Think You Know
Travel demand held up in 2025, but the behavior underneath it shifted. Spending tightened as Americans weighed travel against competing financial priorities, with younger travelers — now the largest share of the market — more cost-conscious than ever. At the same time, novelty eclipses repetition for Gen Z and millennials, challenging brands to build programs that reward flexibility and exploration as much as frequency. The traveler is still booking — but the assumptions built into most conversion and loyalty strategies no longer hold. What does the industry actually know about who it's selling to right now?

Industry Experts

TBA

Who should join this table

Business Development, Marketing, DMOs, Associations, Governments

Topic

Experiences' Unfinished Business
Experiences reached $271 billion in 2025, surpassing pre-pandemic levels and growing faster than the broader travel industry — projected to exceed $340 billion by 2029. The demand story is settled. The structural one isn't. Just 33% of gross bookings in the sector take place through online channels, compared to 64% for the global travel industry. That gap is the opportunity — and the problem. How does a fragmented, largely offline sector capture the growth it's already generating, and who actually builds the infrastructure to get it there?

Industry Experts

TBA

Who should join this table

Tours & Activities Tech Providers, Attractions, OTAs, DMOs, Hospitality

Topic

Who's Actually in Control?
Corporate travel in the U.S. is at a turning point — managed corporate travel faces a temporary contraction, nearly 80% of business travel spending now occurs online, and AI is emerging as a game-changer for planning, compliance and back-office functions. But the control question is unresolved: 63% of business travelers book within managed programs, one in four companies has recently tightened policy, yet nearly 20% of bookings still fall outside policy — mainly for convenience, lower prices or loyalty perks. As agentic AI enters the picture, the tension between traveler autonomy and corporate oversight is only going to sharpen. Who sets the rules in a world where the booking agent might not be human?

Industry Experts

TBA

Who should join this table

Corporate Travel, TMCs, Buyers, Airlines

Topic

Marketing a Destination Nobody Told You About
Destination selection is heavily influenced by digital tools, especially among younger travelers, with general search engines and OTAs playing a key role. But that channel landscape is fracturing fast — search engines dropped from 51% of trip research in late 2024 to 36% by the second half of 2025, while generative AI platforms surged from 6% to 15%. For DMOs, this isn't just a media mix question. It's an existential one: if AI agents are assembling itineraries and making recommendations, how does a destination get into the answer? And for the places already drowning in visitors, is being found even the goal anymore?

Industry Experts

TBA

Who should join this table

Destinations, Tours & Activities, Cruises, Tour Operators

Topic

Selling Seats in a Shifting Market
Airlines have more direct booking power than ever, yet average ticket prices fell 6% year-over-year while corporate travel demand dropped sharply — pricing control has not translated into yield control. Globally, the picture is uneven: premium cabins are holding up while economy weakens, geopolitical tensions keep disrupting routes, and low-cost carriers across multiple regions are under serious pressure. Meanwhile, the debate over whether AI agents will favor airlines or intermediaries is intensifying — with OTAs arguing their distribution expertise is the advantage, and suppliers betting that agents will learn to book direct. How airlines position themselves in that shift may matter more than any pricing strategy they put in place today.

Industry Experts

tba

Who should join this table

Airlines, TMCs, Distribution, Retailers

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