Agentic artificial intelligence (AI), social media and economic and geopolitical conditions are areas of concern and excitement across the travel industry—and they were also topics of discussion at The Phocuswright Conference last week.
Between center stage sessions, networking and studio interviews, we touched base with a selection of attendees to gauge their thoughts on ongoing trends. We asked each stakeholder one core question: What are you most optimistic about—and most concerned about—in travel right now?
Spoiler alert: AI was a common thread.
Below, Brett Keller of Priceline, Wendy Olson Killion of Rome2Rio, David Armstrong of HolidayPirates and others shared their takes.
Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Brett Keller, CEO of Priceline (stepping down from the role in 2026)
I'm most optimistic about the access to technology. It's becoming easier and easier to leverage some of the most powerful tech in the world. Companies of our size—who don't necessarily have the depth of AI researchers and/or expertise in those elevated fields—we can now leverage and take advantage of the same tech everybody else can. It's up to us to see how fast we can take it and deploy it and make really great products in our sector, in the field. So, that's what I'm most excited about.
I'm most concerned that everyone in the world is going to try and do the same exact thing. I don't think that they're all going to be successful, because travel is a very challenging ecosystem to work within in terms of aggregating supply, pricing, providing customer service and wrapping that all together, but it could muddy the field and could confuse consumers.
I'm most concerned that everyone in the world is going to try and do the same exact thing.
Brett Keller, Priceline
Ricarda Lindner, regional manager for the Americas and Israel and director of the German National Tourist Office in the U.S. at the German National Tourist Board
For 2026, we are looking forward to growing U.S. interest in cultural travel, culinary experiences and sustainable mobility—areas where Germany is already leading. New attractions, culturally rich city experiences and strong rail connectivity will make the destination even more compelling.
Concerns for 2026 center on economic uncertainty, fluctuating long-haul travel costs and the impact of global tensions on traveler confidence. The priority will be to maintain trust, highlight value and ensure visitors experience Germany as a stable, welcoming and enriching place to explore.
Lindene Cleary, CMO of Tourism Tasmania
I’m incredibly optimistic about Tasmania’s position in today’s travel landscape. Modern travelers are seeking exactly what we offer naturally—authentic experiences, meaningful connections with place and people and destinations that haven’t been overrun. There’s a real appetite for travel that feels personal and unhurried, and Tasmania delivers that in spades. Our scale is our strength: Visitors can meet the makers, walk landscapes that still feel wild and have experiences that genuinely can’t be replicated elsewhere.
My concern is ensuring these very qualities—the personal connection, the authenticity, the human stories that make Tasmania special—translate effectively as travelers increasingly discover destinations through AI and algorithm-driven recommendations. As search behavior evolves and AI becomes the filter through which people plan travel, we need to find ways to communicate what makes Tasmania distinctly "Tasmania" in ways that technology can understand and convey. It’s about ensuring our small-scale, craft-focused, deeply personal tourism offering doesn’t get lost in a digital landscape that often rewards scale and volume. We’re committed to staying true to our brand while adapting how we show up for the traveler of tomorrow.
Mat Orrego, CEO of Cornerstone Information Systems
Living in the world of business travel, in 2026, I’m genuinely encouraged by how the travel and expense world is finally getting serious about cleaning up and connecting its data. We’re seeing real progress in travel operations, with better automation, workflows and end-to-end visibility. The next big test will be how this scales as large buyer organizations try to extend the connected trip into the connected enterprise.
Companies are also moving toward modern, AI-ready data models with real structure, governance and transparency, and they’re asking better questions about the purpose of travel so they can tie every trip back to business impact.
That’s all healthy progress. But we still need to stay clear-eyed. Agentic AI and high-volume automation can drive cloud costs through the roof if they’re not designed with guardrails. Many organizations still wrestle with messy data and years of technical debt, which will undermine any AI initiative that sits on top of it. And with tighter rules around privacy and cybersecurity, we have to innovate responsibly. It’s a moment for optimism, but with the kind of practical caution that keeps the wheels on and avoids disillusionment with this journey.
Nick Whitfield, founder and CEO of CityUnscripted
I’m optimistic that travelers are now looking for travel that feels meaningful, not just efficient. They still want to see the icons, but they increasingly want the kinds of experiences that help them understand the real texture of a place—the small discoveries, the personal interactions, the sense of connection. That shift creates room for companies who focus on authenticity, depth and human connection rather than just volume.
I’m concerned that an over-reliance on scale and automation could flatten travel into a single, homogenized experience. As big platforms get bigger, there’s a risk that the industry optimizes for what’s easiest to sell rather than what’s most meaningful for travelers or sustainable for destinations. That can lead to overtourism on one hand and cultural dilution on the other.
I’m concerned that an over-reliance on scale and automation could flatten travel into a single, homogenized experience.
Nick Whitfield, CityUnscripted
The challenge is making sure technology enhances personalization and disperses demand—rather than simply amplifying the same predictable patterns.
Wendy Olson Killion, CEO of Rome2Rio
What I’m most optimistic about is how travelers and the industry are reimagining movement itself. We’re at an inflection point where people are choosing how they travel as deliberately as where they go. The rise in multimodal journeys—trips that combine trains, ferries and buses alongside flights—signals something deeper: a mindset shift toward connection, consciousness and creativity. That’s exciting, because when travelers explore more intentionally, destinations have the chance to grow more equitably. When people know how to get somewhere, those undiscovered destinations have the chance to attract visitors in ways that can drive positive impacts. Dispersion by design isn’t just good for sustainability; it’s good for discovery. It reminds us that inspiration is the spark, but mobility is the fuel.
The concern—and opportunity for all of us—is that the infrastructure and digital plumbing still lag behind this new intent. We’ve inspired people to explore but haven’t yet made it seamless for them to act on that inspiration. AI is accelerating what’s possible, but the real magic happens when you pair these tools with trusted, human-validated data and local expertise. That’s how we turn information into confidence, and confidence into movement. As an industry, our challenge now is to connect the dots—to make every journey visible, viable and aligned with the values of the next generation of travelers.
David Armstrong, CEO of HolidayPirates
I'm very optimistic about all the opportunity AI is offering for increasing efficiency and driving growth. In our business, we're not focusing so much on consumer facing AI features, as we strongly believe they're not yet able to really solve complex, individual matters yet.
Instead we're applying AI in many areas of your sourcing, editorial and publishing processes on our platforms (web and app) as well as on our social channels. In a nutshell, AI is helping us to increase our output and the relevance of the content we show to every user.
My concerns lie mostly with the global conflicts that are going on and could impact travel in some parts of the world. There are some wars and conflicts going on currently that have affected travel already (Ukraine, Gaza) that haven't ended yet. There seem to be other conflicts on the horizon (Venezuela, Mexico) and who knows what else might come up in other parts of the world. Travel from Europe to the U.S. has also taken a hit for political reasons.
Kei Shibata, co-founder and CEO of Venture Republic and Trip101
I’m encouraged by the continued strength of global travel demand across regions and generations. Even with headwinds like inflation, climate concerns and geopolitical turbulence, consumers’ appetite for travel remains remarkably resilient.
I’m wary of the current AI overhype—not only the risk of a market correction but also the fact that many travel businesses and startups may face even more increasingly limited access to capital if their core value propositions aren’t directly tied to AI. This dynamic could unintentionally distort innovation in our sector.