Rama Poola, CEO at SkyHi, joins Travel Tech Con 2018
Great to see our friends at SkyHi joining us for Travel Tech con 2018 to moderate a killer panel on the future of air mobility — expect tons of good insights and perspectives from the top innovators in the space!
See the panel with Rama on June 9th. TTC18 Lineup is now LIVE: https://www.traveltechcon.com/ttc18-speakers/
If you’re a startup — save $200 and get your TTC18 startup pass till May 1 here.
We asked Rama a few questions on his vision for travel tech developments.
Rama, what in your opinion drives innovation and leaps forward in travel industry today and how is it different from say 10 years ago?
The main driver, in my opinion, to leaps forward in the travel industry are the changes in user behavior. What people want to do and how much they are willing to explore has increased over the years. I’d say a lot of this has to do with millennials growing older, having more disposable income, and craving experiences. That behavioral change has led to vast growth in the industry, particularly with leisure travel. I think so many of the successful travel companies of the past decade recognized that trend and build products specifically to cater to that demographic.
What do startups building next generation travel tech products need to understand about travel industry evolution and future opportunities?
The travel industry moves slow, has fairly outdated technology, and has a lot of regulation. That makes it difficult to innovate in, but also makes it an industry that is desperate for innovation. It is really great to see stalwarts in the travel industry looking to support and fund new startups. The increase in the want for travel is definitely driving new startups to help create better products. I do believe that as that continues to happen, there will be deep, long-lasting change to how the travel industry functions as a whole. I think new travel companies shouldn’t try to capture the entire market, but create real innovation for smaller demographics. Overall, those demographics are still large enough to create wildly successful businesses.
What are some of your favorite travel tech products, projects or innovation initiatives that the industry should be paying attention to?
I commend all the products that are helping form communities in the travel space. To me, travel has always been a lifestyle. So many of the travel products of the past 20 years focused on being a utility to make travel booking easier, but don’t really help once a traveler gets to their destination. I travel solo often, and before I leave, I find communities to connect with or well curated experiences. Journy is one of my favorites since they create high end, custom itineraries.
Join Rama for the panel on the future of air mobility at Travel Tech Con 2018.
