CEO Spotlight: Wendy Olson Killion of Rome2Rio

Wendy Olson Killion, CEO of Rome2Rio, sees multimodality as the center of the travel universe.

“Multimodal travel is the heart of all travel when we really think about it,” she said during an interview in the PhocusWire studio at The Phocuswright Conference.

That’s not just a soundbite, according to Killion: Searches for travel within 90 miles are exploding, and multimodal is the biggest growth area her team is seeing.

Fifty percent of searches on Rome2Rio’s platform are multimodal—flights are no longer a sole focus, she said.

“[The] surface is rising, is what we like to say,” Killion said.

Part of the rise in interest comes from European Union restrictions on regional flights, she said. But there’s also a cultural shift, thanks to celebrities and influencers.

“Dua Lipa is posting pictures of her on the train, right? So we're shifting how people are thinking about these different ways of transport,” Killion said.

Killion also touched on her transition from leading Expedia Group Media Solutions to heading up Rome2Rio, her first year as CEO, how the company is combatting overtourism.

Watch the full interview with senior reporter Morgan Hines below.