Queenstown, New Zealand – October 20, 2025 – When WiT (Web in Travel), Asia Pacific’s leading travel tech media and events platform, lands in Queenstown on July 21, 2026, it will bring with it an A-list of travel tech leaders from Asia, Australasia and beyond.
With more than eight months to go, the debut event already boasts an impressive first wave of speakers, marking a milestone for Queenstown as it positions itself as a hub for travel and hospitality technology innovation.
The first line-up of 15 confirmed speakers includes C-suite leadership representing major travel tech platforms including Airbnb, Agoda, Booking.com, Serko, Expedia and more, alongside New Zealand’s most senior tourism industry public official.
A bridge between Australasia and the world
“WiT has always been about blending the best of local, regional and global,” said Yeoh Siew Hoon, Founder of WiT. “Our line-up reflects that – movers and shakers from Asia, Australia, New Zealand and beyond. We’re thrilled to make our debut in Queenstown, not just to inspire on arrival, but to spark a travel tech community and forge new bridges of ideas between Australasia and the world.”
The one-day event is presented in partnership with Technology Queenstown, a not-for-profit agency founded by Roger Sharp, who also chairs global travel business Web Travel Group and tech investment bank North Ridge Partners.
“With this cast of speakers, WiT Queenstown feels like the beginning of a masterclass in travel tech,” said Sharp. “It’s an opportunity to bring the world’s best minds to our beautiful region – and a vital step in diversifying the Queenstown Lakes District economy, where tourism and hospitality today account for more than 50% of GDP.”
Building Queenstown’s tech future
Founded in 2024, Technology Queenstown has a bold mission: to grow the local technology sector to $1 billion in annual GDP within 20 years. Its vision is to shift tech’s share of GDP from less than 2% today to more than 15%, creating high-value jobs and new economic opportunities.
“Launching a globally successful event like WiT is central to building out our travel tech sector,” said Sharp. “By amplifying the talent already here, we want Queenstown to be known not only for its adventure and beauty, but for solving real-world travel problems through technology.”
First line-up of confirmed speakers at WiT Queenstown:
- Omri Morgenshtern, CEO, Agoda
- Katrina Barry, CEO, Webjet
- Darrin Grafton, CEO, Serko
- Craig Gray, CEO, Tourplan
- Sankar Narayan, CEO, Siteminder (checking)
- Rene de Monchy, CEO, Tourism New Zealand
- Rod Cuthbert, Founder, Viator
- Kei Shibata, CEO & Co-founder, Travel.jp & Trip101
- Darrell Chan, Head of Legal Counsel, Airbnb
- Marcus Yong, Vice President, Global Marketing, Klook
- Hermione Joye, Sector Lead – Travel, Google APAC
- Todd Lacey, Regional Manager Partner Services, Booking.com
- Darren Karshagen, Regional Director, APAC, Expedia Group
- Kerry Healy, Chief Commercial Officer for Premium, Midscale & Economy brands, Middle East, Africa, Turkey & Asia Pacific, Accor
- John Boris, President & Chief Growth Officer, Big Red Group (BRG)
Event details:
- Date: July 21, 2026
- Location: QT Hotel, Queenstown, New Zealand
- Organisers: Web in Travel (WiT) in partnership with Technology Queenstown
For the full list of speakers and registration, visit https://www.witevents.com/witqueenstown/
About WiT
WIT is a community for anyone passionate about travel technology, distribution and marketing. This basically means if you love travel in terms of wanting to understand how technology is changing travel and travellers, you are one of us. We provide news through our website and social platforms, and run events that are strong in content and different in style and delivery. We launched our first event in 2005 and have been spreading learning through events in Singapore and Asia, including Malaysia, Seoul and Tokyo, and the Middle East and Africa. As part of the Northstar Travel Group, we also have taken our events to Europe and the US.
Our purpose is to take your mind to new places so that together, we can accelerate travel innovation to delight travellers and support local communities.