Phocuswright Europe 2022: How intermediaries are mastering the middle

While many traditional travel agencies shuttered in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, consumers have grown more comfortable with online and mobile channels for travel planning.

According to Phocuswright Research, Europe online travel penetration is projected to rise to 64% by 2025, up from a projected 55% in 2021. In 2025, online leisure/unmanaged business gross bookings will reach €123 billion – well above the 2019 value.

However, the supplier-direct channel is the largest online channel, accounting for 36% of total gross bookings compared to 19% for online travel agencies, and the supplier-direct channel is only expected to grow, representing 71% of all online gross bookings by 2025.

So where does this leave the intermediaries if suppliers remain focused on expanding their online footprint to reduce their reliance on OTAs? What opportunities for innovation does the current online environment create for those in the middle?

And how can intermediaries build new products all the while keeping travelers, investors, partners and employees happy?

To unpack this and more, Trivago CEO Alex Hefer, Etraveli Group senior vice president of corporate development Lisa Katsouraki and Hopper chief strategy officer Dakota Smith will join Phocuswright’s Coney Dongre for a live Center Stage session at Phocuswright Europe.

Click here to register for the event now.