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Then, meet with innovators and exhibitors one-on-one! The showcase is open for business and abuzz with activity.

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The travel industry is entering a new contest for attention, influence and conversion. AI-powered search, emerging agentic tools and shifting consumer expectations are reshaping the path to purchase and putting pressure on every player in the market. In this candid conversation, Booking.com’s chief business officer discusses how these shifts could change travel discovery and booking, where the competitive lines are moving and what they mean for major platforms.

As travelers shift from traditional search to AI-driven discovery, travel companies are being forced to rethink their product messaging—fast. From building partnerships with AI platforms and emerging aggregators to restructuring content for visibility in large language models, the rules of engagement are changing rapidly. In this session, leading travel companies share how they are reenvisioning product positioning, tech and talent—and review what’s working, what’s not and how they are reallocating resources to stay competitive in an AI-first landscape.

European travelers are making trip decisions at the intersection of convenience, confidence and control. From digital identity wallets and trust in travel technology to concerns about global instability, this session unpacks the forces reshaping consumer behavior. Drawing on new survey data, it offers a market-level view of what matters now and where the travel industry should focus as traveler expectations continue to evolve.

Digital identity in travel is moving closer to reality as the EU Digital Identity Wallet begins to roll out. For the industry, the questions are no longer about what the technology is but about how to prepare for it, where it can create real value and what it will take to make adoption work in practice. This panel examines what travel companies need to understand now about accepting digital ID and how it could change processes such as check-in, verification and service across the travel journey.

Younger travelers are reshaping parts of the market through different priorities around budget, social connection and the role of events in driving travel decisions. In this candid conversation, Gary Morrison, CEO of Hostelworld, discusses how traveler behavior is evolving, what it means for the way travel is discovered and booked, how it affects feature development and what preferences about young people's early travel experiences can teach the rest of the industry.

This session explores why the airport terminal is one of the most undervalued environments today, and how it’s quickly becoming one of the most data-rich media spaces in the world.

AI is starting to compress the path from discovery to decision-making, raising new questions about how travel sellers are found, evaluated and chosen. As agentic commerce develops and interfaces become less dependent on traditional websites, companies may need to rethink the assets, content and capabilities that drive visibility and conversion. This session begins with Microsoft’s perspective on the shift and expands into a broader discussion of what an agent-driven future could mean for travel.

Travel is more fragmented, unbundled, and patchwork than ever - yet traveler expectations for seamless care have never been higher. In this session, Allianz Partners explores how the industry must rethink responsibility across the end-to-end journey, and how travel insurance can ultimately serve as the connective tissue of travel - anticipating disruptions, connecting travelers to real-time support and providing continuity with a human touch when the ecosystem breaks down.

The Middle East was poised for another phase of travel growth. Now conflict is exposing how quickly momentum can shift and how vulnerable the industry remains to geopolitical shock. With traveler confidence under pressure and the region’s role in global connectivity under scrutiny, this panel examines what the war means for travel in the Middle East, how companies are responding and what the wider industry should take from a crisis that reaches far beyond the region.

More journeys now span multiple segments and partners, but travelers still expect the experience to feel seamless. As airlines look beyond traditional network models, new approaches to retailing, partnerships and connectivity are starting to reshape how trips are built, sold and serviced. This panel examines how the airline playbook is changing, what it takes to make more complex journeys work and what the shifts could mean for the wider travel industry.

Find out the winners of The Global Startup Pitch!

AI is generating no shortage of ideas across travel, but the more important question is where it is creating real utility. In this session, three companies share short case studies that show how AI is being applied in different parts of the industry, from identity and personalization to hotel technology and guest experience. The presentations are followed by a panel discussion on what these examples reveal about where AI is delivering value now and where the wider industry may be heading next.

Travel demand is shifting in more ways than one, shaped both by changing traveler preferences and by industry efforts to influence where, when and how people travel. This session begins with new data on the patterns emerging across destinations, then expands into a discussion of how the industry can respond through smarter dispersal, better coordination and a more thoughtful approach to growth. From destination strategy and traveler choice to distribution and transport, the conversation will examine what these shifts could mean for the wider industry.

Tours, activities, and attractions are more than just itinerary fillers—they make up the core of leisure trips and help to give each destination its unique flavor. But this travel vertical is also famously fragmented and hyper-localized. New partnership research between Phocuswright and Arival examines how travelers approach the "fun part" of travel. What are they doing, where are they spending, and who do they turn to when it's time to book? The session continues with perspective from Civitatis on the outlook for experiences and the opportunities ahead.

The Bridge Series brings together executives from across the globe to dissect the modern travel playbook. This session crosses segments and digs deep into product, examining innovative business models and technologies that are rewriting the rules. Get a firsthand look at how regional and global players are leveling up their strategies, winning new customers and adapting to shifting markets and cultures.

As the day comes to a close, this session brings a few thoughtful voices from the audience to the stage to reflect on the ideas, debates and signals that stood out most. What felt genuinely important, what challenged assumptions and what deserves more attention as the industry moves forward? The conversation may also open to the wider audience, creating space for a more candid and collective reading of the day.

Wrap up the conference on a high note! Network and reflect on key takeaways, and celebrate the connections made over the past few days.