Our CEO John Mangelaars recently spoke at two of the biggest global events in travel: The Phocuswright Conference and Skift Aviation Forum.
John joined some of the most prominent names in the industry to talk about how travel will build back smarter, better and bolder.
He shared his learnings from the pandemic and the opportunities that lie ahead as travel continues its recovery, his vision for the future of metasearch, and the innovations required to succeed in the new normal.
Phocuswright: ‘The Evolution of Metasearch’
“I believe strongly in collaboration in this industry. To understand the traveller, we’ve got to figure out what they want and connect our networks to build the product they need.”
John Mangelaars, CEO, Skyscanner
John joined Axel Hefer, MD & CEO of Trivago and moderator Linda Fox from Phocuswire in-person in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to discuss the following topics:
- The biggest challenge for travellers right now: anxiety and complexity – and why it’s essential for metasearch to simplify the booking process.
- How our traveller-first solutions like our COVID-19 map and travel insurance have led to increased loyalty and more bookings today.
- The exciting opportunities that now exist to increase brand marketing and brand advocacy as the world starts travelling again.
- How COVID-19 has changed traveller behaviour and why metasearch must keep up by including alternative ways to travel, such as trains.
- The growth of the holistic travel search – people are no longer looking just for flights, but hotels and cars at the same time.
To watch the session recording and the other on-demand videos, click here.
Skift Aviation Forum: ‘What consumers want and how to rebuild trust’
“The nice thing about the flexibility of a metasearch is that we can change the product based on the needs of the customer in a contextual environment.”
John Mangelaars, CEO, Skyscanner
At Skift’s online event, John spoke with Julie Kyse, VP of Global Air Partnerships at Expedia Group and moderator Dennis Schaal, Skift’s Executive Editor on several topics, including:
- The future of metasearch and OTAs and how they’ll adapt to meet ever-changing traveller needs.
- Why removing complexity and reducing friction is key to improving the traveller experience and making booking simple and enjoyable.
- The growing role of forward-looking data and the way it’s helping our partners make better decisions and increase their yields.
- How the pandemic led to an erosion of trust and what providers must do now to build it back up.
- Low prices are no longer a top factor when booking – travellers want greater ticket flexibility and easy refunds.
- Destinations are growing in confidence and marketing themselves on a scale on par with 2019.
To find out how to watch the on-demand videos at Skift Aviation Forum, click here.
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