Friday Sep 20, 2024
Friday Sep 20, 2024
Friday, 15 September 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Technology as we know evolves every day: The way we consume content over different platforms plays a major role in feeding information, allowing the Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Analytics as we prefer to call it, to push recommendations and take us to hospitality or travel sites. Subconsciously we are then driven to check various sites to mentally map out our itinerary and fit things as per the budget.
The rise of the Online Travel Agent (OTA) platform has made it easier for travellers to plan their next vacation. One will be bombarded with suggestions and at the same time be provided with ratings from fellow travellers. This ensures that you would be able to avoid any discomfort whilst in an unfamiliar location. While a visible shift takes place online, travel and hospitality brands now must compete with these tools to ensure their properties and services are listed on these sites.
Pioneering in setting up OTA sites and campaigning the shift Co-founder of Booking.com Bas Lemmens, Managing Director Dragon Trail Interactive Roy Graff and Partner Swiss Hospitality Solutions Wilhelm Weber will share their knowledge on how Technology is changing the way the travel and tourism industry is interacting with their customers.
Having worked for Booking.com, Ebookers.com, Isango.com, Easytobook.com, Redigo.ru, Roomlr.com, Housetraveller.com; Lemmens now overlooks Business Development for Global Accounts at Hotelchamp.com. He shares his knowledge and research regarding online travel at many Travel and Tourism conferences.
Lemmens will debate on the topic of ‘Fighting for your market share – OTA vs brand.com; during the summit. Should there be a battle between OTA and your brand website? What is the balance that needs to be stricken between traditional operators and online revenue? Type of investment you need to make adopting the latest tech vs. balancing the cost and technology readiness of consumers.
Roy Graff leads Dragon Trail Interactive’s expansion into Europe, Middle East and Africa. Based in London, UK, Roy is Author of the book ‘China, the Future of Travel’ (2015) www.chinafutureoftravel.com. An ‘old China hand’ with over 20 years of experience working in and with China in the tourism, hospitality, luxury retail and digital marketing sectors, Graff will be speaking about ‘The Future of Chinese Outbound Tourism and opportunity in Sri Lanka’.
With the surge of Chinese investments flowing to the country and many Chinese led development projects getting off the ground in Sri Lanka, Graff’s session will be crucially important to our industry leaders.
Since 2005 he has delivered strategic advice, business development, market research, marketing and distribution services to a range of travel, hospitality, luxury retail and transportation companies as well as government organisations. Among them: VisitBritain, UKinbound, Eurostar, Tourism Ireland, PromPeru, Ghana Tourism Board, Peninsula Hotels and Resorts, CitizenM Hotels, Skyscanner, Bulgari Hotel London, Gemfields PLC, Lastminute.com, OKtogo, Viator, G Adventures, ELLE Magazine, and many others.
Furthermore, Graff has held senior management and director roles at multinational travel companies including GTA, Octopustravel.com, Expedia and Travel Leaders Group (wholesale/retail and online) in business development, marketing, sales, distribution and product development.
Starting off his first entrepreneurial exercise by importing mountain bikes from South Korea at the age of 14, to being the youngest Dean at a private business school in Switzerland when he was 31, Weber has had an interesting journey. His passion for the hospitality business brought him to the renowned Swiss Hotel School in Lucerne – the first of various study topics.
He founded SHS Swiss Hospitality Solutions in 2010, together with his business partner Gianluca Marongiu and developed the company into the national market leader. Their team at SHS has proved through various projects that profits can be raised even in difficult market environments. “We are the ‘anti-case’ to anything I learned during my studies – and that’s what makes us successful,” explains Weber.
In addition to various further involvements in different companies, Weber lectures at several business schools and universities and is the author of two books and numerous articles. He was awarded the “Young European Industry Leader” in 2010 for his engagements in the hospitality industry. Weber will be a Conference moderator for the Cinnamon Future of Tourism Summit 2017 and will moderate the second panel discussion of the summit featuring Jeroen Gulickx, Roy Graff and Bas Lemmens.
The Cinnamon Future of Tourism Summit Colombo is powered by Mercedes Benz is endorsed by PATA with CNN Travel as the international media partner. The destination partner for the conference is the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, official airline partner Sri Lankan Airlines, mobile partner Mobitel, digital partner Xiteb, national media partners Daily Mirror, Daily FT and Sunday Times. The Summit is also supported by MillionSpaces, STR Global with Ceylon chamber of commerce as the strategic partners, AV partner Citrus Events, Outdoor media partner Emerging Media and Hotel News Now as the media partner.
Be the first to learn the changing dynamics of travel and hospitality digital marketing at the Cinnamon Future of Tourism Summit 2017. Log on to www.futureiftiurism.co for more information and ticket purchases.
