The next 20 years of tourism: predictions from three industry leaders

After two decades of bringing together the most innovative minds in the travel industry, Web in Travel (WiT) is now resolutely looking to the future. The theme for this year's edition, WiT Singapore 2025, taking place from October 6 to 8 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre, is "The Next 20 Years." To commemorate this milestone, WiT has interviewed some of the key changemakers at the forefront of emerging trends in the travel industry.

Here, Rod Cuthbert, founder of Viator and serial entrepreneur; Timothy Hughes, VP of corporate development at Agoda; and Christine Tan, a veteran at the crossroads of technology and distribution in the hospitality industry, outline the trends and transformations they believe will define the next 20-year chapter of the travel industry:

Trend 1: Rod Cuthbert: "Experiences will become the emotional currency of travel. The industry must escape Google's dominance."

Cuthbert predicts that experiences will be the central focus of global travel over the next two decades. “People don’t collect things anymore, they collect memories,” he says. “Walking tours, wine valleys, cultural immersion—those moments stay in your mind forever. That shift is irreversible and will define the industry.”

Cuthbert warns that innovation is being stifled by tech monopolies. "Google's dominance has been detrimental to tours, activities, and the industry in general. Monopolies are not good. We've all paid their price, and they've given us very little in return."

Looking ahead to the next 20 years, he expects a growing demand for more comprehensive, real-time recommendations, as well as a more diverse content and distribution ecosystem. "We'll need more options, more platforms, and, above all, more authenticity."

Trend 2: Timothy Hughes: "Content will be rewritten and generated in ways we haven't yet discovered. We haven't yet solved the old rules."

From his time at Agoda, Hughes predicts that the next 20 years will be dominated by generic AI and the need to reinvent discovery. “We’re on the cusp of breaking the rules again,” he says. “Content will be rewritten, pushed, displayed, and generated in ways we haven’t yet discovered. We haven’t solved the old rules yet.”

He believes travel remains emotionally unshakeable, but that trust in the content is under siege. "You might be talking to an AI-created version of myself. You could possibly alter this video and make me look like Brad Pitt, and no one would know!"

By 2045, he expects a transformative shift in transportation and immersion. "What we'll experience at destinations will be much more immersive. A fusion of humans, technology, and location."

Trend 3: Christine Tan: "Hotels are succeeding in driving direct bookings. The balance of power is shifting."

Christine Tan, former managing director of APAC at D-EDGE Hospitality Solutions, predicts a fundamental shift in hotel distribution over the next two decades. “From price optimization to personalization, AI will be critical to refining distribution strategies,” she says.

Tan sees a growing interest in customer ownership, first-party data, and loyalty. "Hotels are increasingly investing to strengthen their direct connection with travelers. The rise of direct booking strategies is a reality."

Tan also believes some long-standing practices will disappear. "Check-in should disappear. The rules of checking in at 3:00 PM and checking out at 10:00 AM should disappear. The fact that you can't book adjoining rooms should also disappear."

This year's WiT Singapore 2025 will feature speakers from the travel, technology, finance, and media industries.

“Our industry has always thrived on transformation,” added Siew Hoon Yeoh, co-founder and editor-in-chief of WiT. “These leaders are predicting change and inviting us to join in and help create it. If the last 20 years have been about surviving digital disruption, the next 20 will be about defining what travel means for a new generation.”

Fuente: Web in Travel (WiT)