As World Travel Market (WTM) 2025 draws to a close at Excel London, Trip.com Group showcased its global leadership by sharing insights and innovations shaping the future of travel. Across key sessions, the company led conversations from global and European perspectives, focusing on the strategic evolution of travel, from digital transformation and personalisation to sustainability.
Evolving Travel Motivations
In his panel on From Snowfields to Screens: How Sports, Stories and AI Are Powering the Next Wave of Chinese Outbound Travel, Mr Boon Sian Chai, Managing Director and Vice President of International Markets at Trip.com Group, highlighted how the company is driving the next phase of global travel recovery through collaboration and technology. Drawing on insights from the Group’s joint report with Google, Why Travel
?, he noted that the motivations behind travel have shifted from escape to connection.
Travellers today are more intentional, seeking meaning, authenticity, and value in every journey,” he shared. “Our Why Travel? report shows a shift from escape to connection, with longer stays, rising interest in nature- and culture-based itineraries, and greater engagement with eco-certified accommodation. For Trip.com Group, that means partnering globally to create accessible, personalised, and responsible travel experiences.
For instance, the report notes a 53% year-on-year rise in searches for slower-paced cultural experiences such as “Japanese tea ceremonies,” alongside surging wellness demand, with searches for wellness-sport pairings such as “golf & spa resorts” up 300% and “ski & spa” packages up 250% year-over-year.
AI-Driven Personalisation and Support
At the Future of Travel Technology session, Mr Andy Washington, General Manager for Europe, introduced Trip.Planner, a one-stop travel planning hub that combines trip building, bookings, and curated inspiration to enable travellers to seamlessly design end-to-end trips.
Trip.Planner combines itinerary creation, dynamic recommendations, and real-time updates in a single intuitive platform,” said Mr Washington. “It is built for today’s travellers who crave flexibility, transparency, and inspiration in how they explore the world.
He added that the UK launch marks the start of broader European expansion, aligning with the Group’s mission to localise innovation. “Our investment in smart planning tools is about empowering both travellers and partners, making travel hyper-personalised to the unique needs of every market and individual.”
Building on this, Mr James Spalding, Regional Flights Director at Trip.com Group, highlighted how the Group’s AI systems are redefining customer engagement and supportive service across the customer journey.
“AI isn’t replacing the human touch, it’s amplifying it,” he emphasised. “By combining data intelligence with empathy, we’re transforming how travellers interact with us before, during, and after their trip.”
Sustainability: Turning Intent into Action
In a session on Cool Tripping, Slow Tourism and the Sophisticated Traveller, Ms Jane McFadzean, Senior Director of Global Sustainability, highlighted rising interest in more responsible travel and emphasised the travel industry’s role in turning consumer intent into action.
Our research shows that 92% of travellers express interest in more sustainable travel, but fewer than 60% have acted on it,” Ms McFadzean noted. “The gap between awareness and action shows why platforms like Trip.com play a role in making responsible choices visible and effortless.
Trip.com Group’s presence at WTM London 2025 highlights the full breadth of its global expertise, spanning AI innovation, sustainability leadership, and insights into evolving travel trends. Together, these pillars underscore the company’s commitment to shaping a smarter, more sustainable future for global travel.
About Trip.com Group
Trip.com Group is a leading global travel service provider comprising of Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, and Qunar. Across its platforms, Trip.com Group helps travellers around the world make informed and cost-effective bookings for travel products and services and enables partners to connect their offerings with users through the aggregation of comprehensive travel-related content and resources, and an advanced transaction platform consisting of apps, websites and 24/7 customer service centres. Founded in 1999 and listed on NASDAQ in 2003 and HKEX in 2021, Trip.com Group has become one of the best-known travel groups in the world, with the mission “to pursue the perfect trip for a better world”. Find out more about Trip.com Group here. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
