Who is shaping the future of travel?
The new Executive Brief from ITB Berlin and Phocuswright details the industry’s key questions for the future up to 2046.
On 3 March during ITB Berlin 2026, ITB Berlin and Phocuswright launched the Leadership Exchange at the CityCube Berlin – an exclusive think tank specifically aimed at taking traditional conference formats a step further. A select circle of high-profile, international industry representatives discussed key structural issues facing the global travel industry – beyond day-to-day operations and with a clear focus on the year 2046. The meeting took place under the Chatham House Rule, ensuring a safe space for open discussion in a spirit of trust.
A few weeks later the findings are now available: an Executive Brief 2026 which details the main insights of the event and makes them accessible to a wider expert audience. The focus is on four strategic key questions which the participants identified as game changers: Who builds trust in an AI-driven world? Where will value be created in the future? Is travel a right or a privilege? And is the industry moving towards consolidation or fragmentation?
The Leadership Exchange by Phocuswright and ITB Berlin. © ITB Berlin
One of the key findings is the following: AI reduces complexity along the entire customer journey – while simultaneously altering the power dynamics within the system. Value creation is shifting increasingly towards data-driven models, intelligent agents and those players who can build and secure trust.
“The travel industry is facing a structural transformation of a kind that we have not seen since the early days of digitalisation,” said Dr. Mario Tobias, CEO of Messe Berlin. “The decisions we make today regarding trust, data and value creation will shape the industry for decades to come.”
Among those taking part in the Leadership Exchange were executives from companies such as Sunweb Group, HBX Group, Protect Group and T2Impact. Their perspectives fed into the discussion on trust, value creation, accessibility and future market structures.
Trust is becoming a key deciding factor. Along an increasingly fragmented, AI-driven customer journey, it is no longer established at a certain point but is built through many individual interactions – and must be actively cultivated. At the same time, a challenge is emerging to clearly assign responsibility within complex, technology-driven processes.
The logic behind value creation is also undergoing a fundamental shift. As intelligent systems take over searching, comparing and booking, traditional mechanisms are losing their significance. Instead, the focus is moving towards personalised products, reliable data and technological connectivity.
At the same time, the issue of travel access is becoming more acute. Technological progress can offer broader access to travel. However, clear limits are now emerging due to overtourism, regulation and economic inequality. Travel is thus increasingly caught between the conflicting forces of broad accessibility and growing exclusivity.
It remains to be seen whether the industry will become more fragmented or continue to consolidate. One thing is clear, however: both these developments are already under way and will shape market structures in the long term.
The Executive Brief 2026 presents these dynamics in a concise format, thus providing a sound basis for strategic consideration of the future of global travel up to 2046.