As we count down to Phocuswright Europe, taking place in Barcelona from June 10 to June 12, PhocusWire is shining the spotlight on a selection of conference speakers in a series of Q&As.
Emilie Dumont, CEO of Digitrips, will take part in an executive panel called “The Bridge Series: Travel Tech Trends Around the World.” The discussion will cover “technology in the New Age of travel,” highlighting product and service enhancements across different markets.
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Below, Dumont opens up about her priorities for 2025, the challenges she faces and more.
What are your priorities this year?
Our key priority this year is to accelerate our growth across Europe, with a strong focus on enabling more non-travel brands to enter the travel distribution space. We’re seeing increasing demand from banks, loyalty platforms and retail brands that want to integrate travel seamlessly into their ecosystems. At Digitrips, our mission is to make that possible by offering flexible, reliable and API [application programming interface]-first solutions that power embedded travel experiences. We’re not just distributing travel; we’re making it easy to sell travel.
Another major focus is leveraging artificial intelligence, not just as a buzzword, but as a strategic tool to create tangible value across the entire chain. We’re currently mainly using AI to improve customer experience in real time to automate internal processes. Whether it’s improving purchase experience, conversational interfaces or intelligent cross-selling, AI shall allow us to deepen both customer experience and operational performance.
What are the greatest challenges you currently face?
First of all, we operate in a world marked by increased volatility, geopolitical tensions, inflation, climate disruption and fast-shifting traveler expectations. This uncertainty is both a challenge and a call for agility.
Our second key challenge is strategic: to identify and prioritize the right investment opportunities in a fragmented European market. As we scale, we must remain selective—focusing on high-value partnerships, local adaptation and scalable innovation. Staying close to our clients while maintaining tech leadership is a delicate balance we must constantly manage.
What do you think are the greatest challenges the industry faces?
Today, we’re all working to integrate smarter, AI-powered solutions, not just to optimize research or efficiency but also to deliver truly contextual experience while maintaining the quality of our conversion. The ambition is clear, but the reality is that we have one or two decades of experience in driving conversion with our "traditional" UX, while we are discovering how "AI" agents perform when answering a client request. Models are drastically evolving almost every two or three months. We need to be ready to rethink our own models while being cautious to avoid going down the wrong path or being lured by appealing but ultimately fruitless ideas.
It will also be key for the industry to address the challenges posed by the growing number of global travelers, while continuing to promote travel as a way for people to connect and foster mutual understanding. Travel tech has a crucial role to play: harnessing data to manage visitor flows, promoting off-season and lesser-known destinations and enabling real-time impact monitoring.
Who do you most admire in travel?
Many, I can’t choose…
What do you know now that you wish you'd known 20 years ago?
That I would love working in the travel industry! I wish I’d realized sooner how energizing it is to work in a sector that’s always evolving—where innovation meets experience and where I’m always pushed to think out of the box.
Phocuswright Europe 2025
Join us from June 10 to 12 in Barcelona where Emilie Dumont of Digitrips, Karen Bolda of Expedia Group and Rajnish Kumar of Ixigo will discuss travel technology trends as part of an executive panel.