Arival, an information and insights provider for the in-destination experiences industry, will be hosting Arival | Activate Bangkok from 12 – 14 June 2023. This event offers opportunities for networking, peer-to-peer learning, and on-trend sessions with industry leaders. Ahead of the event, Arival has outlined some of the key themes and trends that will be explored, including TikTok, generative AI, sustainability and the industry’s recovery in Asia.
“In the vastly diverse and incredibly unique region of APAC, there is a lot going on from technology development to reopening challenges and everything in between,” says Arival editor Janelle Visser. “We’ve assembled a program packed with expert speakers ranging from the region’s leading online travel agencies to innovative travel tech companies to TikTok.”
Reopen, Recover, Reactivate
The key theme of Arival Activate | Bangkok 2023 is ‘Reopen, Recover, Reactivate’. Attendees will learn about key trends in Asia as it recovers from the impacts of the pandemic, with insights from Southeast Asian tourism research expert Hannah Pearson from Pear Anderson and Arival CEO Douglas Quinby. They can also learn about destination trends in a session featuring leading national tourism organisations from across the region.
The agenda will also look at the fastest-growing booking channel, online travel agencies, including an in-depth interview with Klook, the welcoming sponsor of the event. There will also be insights from other OTAs including China’s Trip.com, Korea’s MyRealTrip, plus Viator and Agoda. Attendees can get tips on driving direct bookings through Google Things to Do and collaborating with content creators, and will also learn about other distribution opportunities such as working with inbound tour operators and cruise lines.
Looking at the return of tourism in China, the agenda will include a feature session with an in-depth presentation on Chinese traveller trends and a Q&A with the head of distribution partnerships for Tours & Tickets of Trip.com, China’s largest OTA. Breakout sessions will also focus on Japan, Koria and India.
In a session with the head of tourism for TikTok, attendees can learn about the future of short-form video and what it means for experiences and tourism. Other tech trends will be on the agenda as well, including super apps, restechs, ChatGPT, booking systems, cashless payment systems and generative AI Travel tech veteran and visionary Brett Henry will dive into the topic of super apps and how they are shaping the future of digital commerce
Sustainability will also be high on the agenda, with sessions covering topics from sustainable experience design to driving bookings through sustainable practices. There will be speakers from global travel sustainability leader Intrepid Travel, India’s No Footprints and Nepal’s socialtours.
Connect in Bangkok
As well as the educational sessions, there will be plenty of opportunities for attendees to make connections with leaders and peers from across the sector. All of the APAC region’s top OTAs for experiences will be present, including Arival premier partners Klook, BeMyGuest, Go City, Headout, Tui and Viator, as well as many leading travel technology providers focused on the experiences sector.
To find out more or to register for the event, please click here.
Earlier this year, Arival held its first European event for 2023 in Berlin, and Visser provided blooloop with a summary, looking at the key trends and topics that were discussed over the course of the three days.
Top image credit Anek Soowannaphoom / Shutterstock
