World Travel Market London – the world’s most influential travel event has turned its 2025 spotlight squarely on technology, and how artificial intelligence, data, and digital transformation are reshaping the very fabric of global travel.
When the WTM London Technology Summit convenes on 5 November at the ExCeL Centre’s Purple Stage, the tone will be less about gadgets and gizmos and more about strategy, resilience, and realism qualities the travel industry could use in abundance right now.
RX Global organises the summit’s agenda, which reads like a snapshot of travel’s evolving priorities: AI-driven disruption, data accountability, payments innovation, and the shifting power play between legacy carriers and digital-first upstarts.
The Business of Reinvention
Twelve sessions, curated by WTM’s technology advisor Timothy O’Neil-Dunne, aim to challenge comfortable assumptions. A veteran of Expedia’s founding team and now Principal at consultancy T2Impact Ltd, O’Neil-Dunne describes the summit as “a frank and future-focused conversation,” built to help the industry “reimagine travel in a changing world.”
In his view, travel technology has reached a defining juncture. “Attendees will hear from an eclectic mix of experts, all of whom have strong and sometimes differing opinions on the topics dominating today’s travel technology conversations,” he explains.
He grins, “We’re taking a broad approach to AI, but I’ve structured the summit so that data, payments, airlines and more also get a look in. Then we finish with the key question of now: is AI good or bad for travel?”
Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe?
The question may sound rhetorical, but it’s anything but. The summit’s centrepiece debate, “Connected Futures: Tech, Data and the Power of eSIMs”, will feature Pablo Gómez Fernandez-Quintanilla, CEO of Holafly, in conversation with O’Neil-Dunne. The pair will unpack how eSIM technology reshapes connectivity and cost structures for travellers and suppliers alike.
Later, Stephen Joyce of Prospect Group and Christian Watts of Magpie Travel will wade into the day’s most contentious question: whether AI is travel’s ally or adversary.
Given the recent hype surrounding generative AI, expect a lively exchange. The travel industry, after all, has never been short on opinions or acronyms.
Lawyers, Investors, and a Data Dilemma
AI’s reach extends well beyond automation. Two partners from travel law specialists Fox Williams, Rhys Griffiths and Farina Azam, will dissect the legal and regulatory maze surrounding AI adoption, from privacy compliance to intellectual property.
If anyone thought “data ethics” was merely an academic exercise, Griffiths and Azam’s session should disabuse them of the notion. “Travel companies are dealing with consumer data that is highly personal, contextual, and often cross-border,” notes Griffiths in pre-event commentary. “The stakes couldn’t be higher.”
On the finance front, Andreas Nau of Ennea Capital Partners and Min Liu of Cambon Partners will explore how investors interpret the AI boom or, depending on your view, the AI bubble. Their session promises a candid look at what venture capital is rewarding, what it’s avoiding, and how valuations are being reshaped by algorithmic ambition.
Travel Agents and the AI Evolution
Once upon a time, travel agents fought off the internet. Now, they’re courting algorithms. A dedicated panel featuring James Lever of DataArt and Gulce Rozenveld from Oojo.com examines how AI redefines the consultant’s craft from itinerary generation to client communication.
They argue that AI doesn’t eliminate the human touch; it amplifies it, provided the technology is used intelligently. As Lever says, “The best agents are becoming data interpreters, not data entry clerks.”
Meanwhile, Sally Bunnell of NaviSavi will explore how video content, boosted by AI-driven personalisation, transforms trip inspiration. With travellers consuming more short-form video than ever, the message is clear: attention is the new currency of travel marketing.
Data, Dollars, and Digital Payments
Data may be the lifeblood of AI, but money remains the oxygen of business. Economist Dave Goodger of Tourism Economics will outline how travel companies can blend macroeconomic indicators with sector-specific data to make smarter strategic calls. This topic feels particularly timely amid ongoing global uncertainty.
Elsewhere, Thomas Dillon from A3M and James Spalding from Trip.com Group will tackle the delicate balance between personalisation and privacy. The tightrope is getting thinner in a world where travellers demand seamless digital experiences but regulators demand restraint.
Payments, always the unsung hero of tech conferences, also take centre stage this year. Representatives from Stripe, Trust My Group, actuary.aero, and Almosafer will trade notes on how embedded payments and fintech drive efficiencies for consumers and B2B operators.
As James Lemon from Stripe points out, “The goal is not just faster payments but smarter ones — transactions that create trust and transparency at scale.” For an industry still wrestling with post-pandemic chargebacks, that sounds like progress.
Airlines Take Flight on Data
If travel tech once belonged to startups, 2025’s lineup proves the airlines want their seat back. Filip Filipov from OAG will offer a concise “five-minute snapshot” of the latest flight data trends, setting the stage for a deeper discussion led by Amanda Campbell from T2RL and Nadine Wood, formerly of Qantas.
Their focus is on how low-cost carriers’ digital discipline is now informing legacy airline strategy. From distribution to dynamic pricing, the lessons are pragmatic and mildly humbling for traditional carriers.
Beyond the Screen: Virtual and Augmented Horizons
And in case anyone thought virtual reality had quietly left the chat, Roman Townsend of Belvera Partners will close the summit by showcasing how AR and VR are carving out practical use cases in marketing, training, and immersive booking experiences.
It’s a fitting finale: a reminder that for all its data and debate, the travel industry still trades in imagination.
Reimagining Travel, Responsibly
WTM London’s Technology Summit isn’t just another industry talkfest. It’s a call to arms for a sector navigating rapid transformation. By placing AI, data, payments, and aviation under one spotlight, the event reflects a truth many in travel tech already grasp: innovation without responsibility is simply disruption by another name.
Or, as O’Neil-Dunne might say, the real challenge isn’t whether AI is “good or bad” for travel, but whether travel is ready to grow alongside it.
By Bridget Gomez – (c) 2025
About the Author
Bridget has never been one to sit still. Of Portuguese heritage, she first trained as a nurse. She threw herself into work at the Commonwealth Veteran Affairs Repatriation Hospital, tending to old soldiers with stories almost as colourful as her own would become. It was rewarding, steady work — but wanderlust has a louder voice than routine.
So, she swapped starched uniforms for a backpack and set off on a twelve-month gallop around the globe. Along the way, she scribbled in journals, capturing the dust, the laughter, the odd missed train, and the occasional glass of wine too many. Those notebooks soon became a travel blog, her way of reliving and sharing the journeys with anyone willing to read.
Eventually, Bridget stumbled across Global Travel Media and, in her words, “the rest is history.” Now she writes with the same mix of heart and mischief that fuelled her travels.
