The Next 20 Years of Travel: Three Trailblazers on What’s Coming, and What Must Change

Web in Travel marks its 20th anniversary with a bold look ahead, spotlighting three leaders shaping tomorrow’s travel industry

 

SINGAPORE, July 31, 2025 – As Web in Travel (WiT) celebrates its 20th year, it has interviewed three industry changemakers – Morris Sim, entrepreneur-turned-educator and pioneer of social travel marketing; Timothy O’Neil-Dunne, principal at travel technology consultancy T2Impact; and Deep Kalra, founder and group chairman of MakeMyTrip – to share their predictions for the future of travel, from infrastructure reform to emotional transformation. 

 

• Trend 1: Morris Sim: travel is the antidote to digital isolation

Sim believes travel’s greatest value isn’t transactional, it’s transformational. “Truth has become contextual.  Nations don’t need firewalls anymore; people build them themselves,” he says, pointing to the social media bubbles reshaping human perception.  “But when you follow someone’s itinerary from Instagram and encounter things they didn’t mention, that’s where the world opens up.”

 

He also calls for reinvention within hospitality.

“Quiet luxury is rising; it’s not about bling anymore, it’s about craftsmanship and service,” he says.  But staffing remains a crisis: “We have more jobs than people willing to take them.  Not everything can be automated.  We need to make this industry a career people aspire to; not one they flee.”

 

• Trend 2: Timothy O’Neil-Dunne: AI agents will outpace travel brands

O’Neil-Dunne believes the next two decades will be defined by a reckoning, not just of tech, but of trust. 

“We’ve made it so difficult for consumers to buy travel… with all the add-ons and opaque pricing… that they’ve lost faith in brands,” he says. “AI agents will be trusted more than suppliers themselves.  That’s a steep hill for many to climb.”

 

He’s unapologetically critical of airline rhetoric around “retail.” “They haven’t grasped what real e-commerce looks like.”  He believes the future will be led by companies that understand true merchandising, and warns that legacy systems are now the biggest roadblock.  “We need to rebuild the back end to support smart, contextual agents.  Hope is not a strategy.”

 

• Trend 3: Deep Kalra: India’s future as a tourism superpower depends on sustainability

Kalra sees India’s tourism potential accelerating, but only if sustainability takes center stage.

“India has all the makings of a top global destination,” he says.  “But we need to build model destinations, fix last-mile connectivity, and retain visitors for two to three days with meaningful experiences.”

 

He predicts India’s sustainable tourism market will surge from $37 million to $216 million in the next decade, yet warns that only 1-2% of current activity qualifies as sustainable. “We must integrate carrying capacity into our planning. Overtourism is already straining our hotspots, we need resilience.” He also sees mixed reality and slow travel gaining traction. “Urbanization will drive a craving for silence and authenticity. Travel’s emotional currency can’t be digitized – it’s what makes the experience transformative.”

 

These insights will take center stage at WiT Singapore 2025, held 6th to 8th October at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre.  The event will gather global travel tech leaders to explore the theme “Fueling the Next 20”, with sessions on AI, infrastructure, sustainability, and the future of customer experience.

 

“We’ve spent 20 years chronicling the evolution of travel; now it’s time to shape what comes next,” said Siew Hoon Yeoh, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Web in Travel.  “The leaders we’ve interviewed aren’t just forecasting trends; they’re issuing a challenge.  If we want travel to remain meaningful, we must rebuild trust, rethink infrastructure, and reimagine what it means to serve the traveler of tomorrow.”

 

For more on the Conversations on Turning 20 series, visit WiT Studio on YouTube.

 

And don’t miss more discussions and predictions like these at WiT Singapore, which will take place at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore from October 6th-8th.  Find out more about the event here.

 

About Web in Travel (WiT)

WiT is a leading global community and knowledge platform for travel and tourism professionals. It provides a platform for industry leaders to connect, share insights, and explore the latest trends in travel technology and innovation.

 

WiT is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northstar Travel Group, the leading B2B information and marketing solutions company serving all segments of the travel industry including leisure/retail, corporate/business travel, business and sports, meetings, incentives and travel technology.

 

For more information, please visit https://www.witevents.com/witsingapore/.