A Milestone for Booking Convenience: How Online Travel Agencies Transformed the Industry

In 2026, ITB Berlin celebrates 60 years of shaping the global travel industry – six decades filled with encounters, innovation, unforgettable moments, and milestones. As this anniversary approaches, ITB Berlin is reflecting on the defining moments that have reshaped global tourism. One of the most pivotal of these was the rise of online travel agencies (OTAs) in 1996.

Before OTAs, most journeys were still arranged through traditional travel agents. The arrival of platforms such as Expedia and Booking.com changed that dynamic fundamentally. For the first time, flights, hotels, and experiences were gathered in one place, just a click away. Travelers could compare options side by side, explore endless choices, and book on their own terms – anytime, anywhere.

To explore this milestone and its continuing impact, ITB Berlin spoke with James Waters, Senior Vice President and Chief Business Officer at Booking.com. Having spent a significant part of his career at the company, Waters has witnessed and helped forge this transformation from its early days. In this interview, he reflects on the legacy of OTAs, Booking.com’s role in leading the transformation, and how technology – particularly artificial intelligence – is set to define the next era of travel.

Looking back at 1996, what impact did the emergence of OTAs have on the travel industry - and on you personally?

It’s incredible to think how far Booking.com, and the world of online travel platforms in general, has come since 1996. We pioneered and scaled online travel booking in the early days of the internet when the world was used to doing that over the phone, in person or by fax. If we didn’t have the right inventory to meet demand, we hopped in the car, drove over borders, and built partnerships that unlocked incredible experiences for travelers and incremental growth for our partners. From those humble beginnings, to a world where travelers can book with more ease than ever, choosing from more than 31 million accommodation listings around the world, flights, attractions and more, and millions of industry operators are able to tap into that global demand - the industry is a very different place 30 years on. 

On a personal level, I’ve spent the majority of my career at Booking.com. At a time when we were scaling rapidly, I was lucky enough to work across almost every area of the organization and lead teams through major transition and hyper-growth, making great strides on our mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. It’s a legacy I am immensely proud to be a part of. 

What role has Booking played in shaping this transformation over the years?

Booking.com has a strong history of anticipating and leading change in the travel industry. We led the way with mobile-first experiences as that technology took hold, even when some said apps would never be universally prevalent: today mobile is over 50% of our business. As the world evolved, we forged ahead to meet and exceed the needs of our travelers and partners: branching out from accommodations to incorporate new verticals, from flights to cars and attractions; adding new capabilities like FinTech and payments; but also pivoting and sunsetting initiatives that were no longer delivering. Our Genius program transformed loyalty to become one of the largest, most accessible and most utilised programs worldwide. And now we look at the rise of GenAI, and how we respond to that, already deeply integrating the technology across the journey to benefit our customers. At the same time, the competitive landscape has shifted immensely, and that’s a great incentive for all players as we continue to adapt and innovate.

How do you see technology – especially AI – shaping the future of travel in the next decade?

GenAI is a game-changer, and we are embedding it deeply across our organization to enhance customer experiences, deliver more, improve efficiency and unlock innovation. Crucially, we balance that thirst for innovation with true customer needs; we don’t experiment for the sake of it, the technologies we adopt must add value for our customers. We have a rich history in AI and ML - for over a decade, models have played a key role in driving more personalized experiences for customers and delivering on their needs, surfacing relevant recommendations and ultimately matching travelers with their perfect experience. Recognizing the amplified capabilities of GenAI, we’re further examining our entire customer journey to see where we can leverage the technology to better capture intent and deliver deeper personalization across the entire end-to-end trip experience. That landscape is moving so fast, I don’t think we can predict what it will do in the next decade, but being part of that change and adapting to a new future is something we are ready for.

60 years of ITB Berlin – 60 years of global travel stories: since 1966, ITB Berlin has been shaping the world of travel with curiosity, passion and the conviction that tourism builds bridges. ITB Berlin takes a look back at defining moments – from its first steps to the introduction of the euro and pioneering platform revolutions. Find out more about our 60th anniversary here.

Discover inspiring anniversary stories, brand-new industry news and in-depth expert knowledge at ITB 360° – compactly presented in interviews, articles and podcasts on the most important topics in the travel and tourism industry.