Join RateHawk Futurecast as we celebrate 10 years of supercharging travel and bring together RateHawk leaders and external industry voices to explore how agencies, traveler expectations, technology, and business growth may evolve in the next decade.
What’s next for travel professionals? RateHawk Futurecast marks 10 years of supercharging travel and looks ahead to the forces reshaping the industry.
A brand-new white paper produced in collaboration with PhocusWire will explore what will supercharge travel business in the next decade. We’ll unpack its key findings on agencies, technology, and the future of travel.
Gen Z is reshaping travel discovery and booking, while Gen Alpha is influencing family trips and future demand. We’ll explore what younger travelers expect and how agencies can stay relevant.
Global shifts and geopolitical changes are putting travel businesses under pressure. We’ll discuss how they can adapt faster, build trust, and keep growing.
From technology investment to content and customer focus, we’ll explore the tools and strategies shaping the next stage of the travel business.
Emerging Travel Group
RateHawk
Emerging Travel Group
PhocusWire contributor
Travelport
MakeMyTrip
Lufthansa City Center International Headquarters
TikTok
June 23, 2026 10:00 am
to
10:00 - 10:10 Opening remarks
A short anniversary opening followed by a look at RateHawk’s 10-year milestone and the ideas behind Futurecast.
Astrid Kastberg,
Managing Director, RateHawk
10:10 - 10:30 Fireside chat - The future of Travel we create
A forward-looking conversation inspired by the new PhocusWire white paper and the trends reshaping travel. Felix Shpilman and Matthew Parsons will discuss how data, AI, technology, and market expectations are redefining distribution — and how RateHawk is preparing for what comes next.
Felix Shpilman,
CEO and President, Emerging Travel Group
Matthew Parsons,
Travel journalist and PhocusWire contributor
10:30 – 11:00 Panel discussion: Supercharged travel: Trends that will shape the industry in the next decade
Expert voices from across the travel ecosystem will discuss new traveler generations, AI-driven change, technology partnerships, and strategies for building resilient travel businesses. Ask the panelists about the shifts shaping the travel business.
Matthew Parsons,
Travel journalist and PhocusWire contributor
Siiri Palisaar,
Senior Director Sales Steering, Lufthansa City Center
Vaibhav Singh,
Chief Business Officer, International Hotels and Hotel Supply, MakeMyTrip
Sinéad Reilly,
Senior Director, Global Enterprise Sales, Travelport
Ilya Kravtsov,
Chief Commercial Officer, Emerging Travel Group
11:00 - 11:20 Keynote session -From inspiration to booking: Winning the modern traveler on TikTok
Today’s travelers are inspired long before they reach a search engine or booking site. In this keynote, TikTok will explore how digital communities, authentic content, and creator recommendations are changing the way people discover, research, and book travel — and how travel businesses can use TikTok-first media and creative solutions to turn discovery into bookings.
Mikel Njeim,
Client Partner, Tourism and Events, Global Business Solutions, MENA, TikTok
11:20 – 11:30 Closing remarks
A final look at RateHawk’s next priorities across technology investment, content, and customer focus.
Astrid Kastberg,
Managing Director, RateHawk
Felix Shpilman
Emerging Travel Group
Astrid Kastberg
RateHawk
Ilya Kravtsov
Emerging Travel Group
Matthew Parsons
PhocusWire contributor
Sinéad Reilly
Travelport
Vaibhav Singh
MakeMyTrip
Siiri Palisaar
Lufthansa City Center International Headquarters
Mikel Njeim
TikTok
