For the past three years, you couldn’t attend a travel conference without someone uttering the words “artificial intelligence” every second sentence. Frankly, many delegates were probably one keynote away from asking ChatGPT where the nearest bar was.
Now, it seems the industry is finally ready to move the conversation on.
The Travel Trends Podcast has announced the first speaker line-up for its Virtual Summit V3, and significantly, the event’s theme for 2026 isn’t simply AI. Instead, organisers are boldly calling it Beyond AI, a subtle but important acknowledgement that travel leaders are now grappling with much bigger questions than whether a chatbot can recommend a boutique hotel in Bali.
Scheduled for 28-29 October, the virtual event has also dramatically expanded capacity, increasing complimentary registrations to 2,500 as industry support continues to surge.
That’s no small feat in an industry where “free” often means “we’ll tell you the price later”.
Since launching in 2024, the Travel Trends Summit has quietly become one of the travel sector’s most influential online gatherings. Attendance has doubled every year, drawing executives, entrepreneurs, investors, tourism leaders, advisors and technology specialists from across the globe.
This year’s growth reflects a simple reality: travel is changing at breakneck speed, and nobody wants to be the executive who discovers the future after their competitors have already booked it.
The summit’s Beyond AI theme will explore how the industry is evolving as artificial intelligence moves from experimentation to everyday business practice.
Yes, AI remains part of the discussion. But the agenda is shifting.
Travel companies are increasingly wrestling with profound questions around distribution, customer loyalty, sustainability, changing traveller behaviour and entirely new business models that could reshape the industry over the next decade.
And make no mistake, these are boardroom conversations.
Among the first speakers confirmed are some of travel’s most influential thinkers and innovators, including Chris Hemmeter, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Thayer Ventures; Shane O’Flaherty, Global Director of Travel and Hospitality at Microsoft; Janette Roush, Senior Vice President, Innovation and Chief AI Officer at Brand USA; Jake Peters, CTO and Co-Founder of Fora; Susan DeBottis, Vice President and General Manager at Lonely Planet; and Stuart Greif, Chief Innovation Officer at Forbes Travel Guide.
It’s a heavyweight line-up by any measure and suggests organisers are aiming squarely at senior decision-makers rather than simply assembling another collection of talking heads.
Dan Christian, Host and Founder of the Travel Trends Podcast, said the industry’s enthusiasm had exceeded expectations.
“We are incredibly grateful to our partners who made it possible for us to expand attendance,” Christian said.
“The industry’s response has exceeded our expectations. Beyond AI isn’t just about technology, it’s about understanding how travel itself will evolve. The organizations that succeed over the next decade will be the ones that can connect innovation, customer experience, operations, and human insight into a cohesive strategy. That’s the conversation we’re bringing together at this year’s Summit.”
The expansion has been made possible through strong backing from an impressive roster of partners, including TourRadar, Kaptio, Fora, Travel AI, Railbookers, Propellic, Belvera Partners, Pinerary, Tripian, Deloitte, TripRecos, iWander, GuestOS, Arival and Phocuswright.
Collectively, they’re helping ensure that attendance remains free, opening the doors to travel professionals globally at a time when budgets remain under pressure.
Attendees can expect keynote presentations, executive panel discussions, destination leadership sessions, technology briefings and extensive networking opportunities.
Additional speakers and the full agenda are due to be released in July.
One suspects there will still be plenty of discussion about AI. This is travel, after all, and our industry does love a shiny new toy.
But for perhaps the first time in years, the conversation appears to be maturing.
And that’s a trend worth watching.
Travel professionals wishing to secure one of the 2,500 complimentary registrations can do so now via the official summit website.
By: Sandra Jones – © 2026.
Read Time: 4 minutes.
Author Bio:
Sandra has spent a working lifetime quietly rescuing journeys, one itinerary, one anxious caller, one impossible connection at a time. Years in Australia’s finest travel agencies taught her the art of calm, how to find a flight in a fog of cancellations, how to soothe a traveller when luggage wanders, how to turn nine frantic days in Europe into something resembling sense. Qualified, seasoned, endlessly patient, she learned that good travel advice is part logistics, part listening.
But the storyteller in her was always waiting for her turn. Writing offered a new map, a way to turn experience into reflection, detail into delight. At Global Travel Media, Sandra now writes the truths only insiders know: the mishaps, the laughter, the grace found between gates and goodbyes. She reminds us that travel, for all its fuss, is still one of life’s better ideas.
