[Press Release]

TIDESQUARE Successfully Concludes ‘WiT Seoul 2025’

AI, Data, and Fintech: Shaping the Next 20 Years of Travel

- TIDESQUARE Concludes ‘WiT Seoul 2025’ Conference with Strong Industry Participation

250 attendees from 130+ domestic and global companies, including airlines, OTAs, and tourism boards

- Focus on hyper-personalization, smart hubs, and AI agent-powered search

- Exploration of how AI, data, and fintech are transforming the Korean travel industry

- Insightful perspectives shared by leaders from Korean Air, NOL Universe, Google, HanaTour

- Discussions also emphasized the irreplaceable human essence of travel

Travel tech company TIDESQUARE successfully hosted the global travel technology, distribution and marketing conference WiT Seoul 2025 on November 27 in Seoul. The event drew 250 travel professionals representing over 130 companies across airlines, OTAs, and tourism boards—including Korean Air, NOL Universe, Google, and HanaTour—reflecting the industry’s strong interest and engagement.

This year’s theme spotlighted AI, data, and fintech as core drivers of change in the global travel market, offering a glimpse into what the next 20 years of travel might look like. Attendees explored how these technologies are expanding the travel experience—impacting everything from traveler engagement

to payment ecosystems and emotional value.

AI and Data: Reshaping Airline and Travel Services

Korean Air’s Senior Vice President & Chief of Passenger Business Division, Kwangho Ko, drew high interest with his session “Sky 2045: Inside the Cockpit”, presenting AI-driven innovations in airline operations. He shared how Korean Air is already automating maintenance scheduling, using predictive flight systems, and deploying 24/7 AI-powered customer service chatbots—boosting both operational stability and cost-efficiency.

Mi Sun Song, CEO of HanaTour, focused on hyper-personalization in her session “HanaTour’s Next Chapter”. She emphasized strategies that go beyond basic recommendations to deliver tailored products based on full customer journey insights, including motivation, age, and spending habits—sharing data-backed strategies for increasing loyalty and repeat bookings.

Jessica Park of Google Korea, offered a preview of AI agent-based travel search. Through the Gemini platform, Google is moving toward a system where AI handles travel search, comparison, and booking in “task units,” reshaping the entire search ecosystem.

Super Apps and Payment Innovation Across the Travel Journey

In “From Yanolja to NOL: Then, Now & The Future,” Chanhee Lee (CPO) and Cheolwoong Lee (CMO) of NOL Universe shared their super app strategy to integrate every part of the travel journey—from booking and payments to activities and experiences—into one seamless platform. This data-rich approach aims to deliver more accurate personalization.

In the panel “Fintech x Travel in the Next 20,” payment experts from Airwallex, Toss Payments, and Adyen discussed how to optimize payment experiences for travelers. Notably, they shared that 55% of users abandon bookings if their preferred payment method isn’t available. Topics included AI-based routing, authorization rate improvements, and multi-currency virtual card solutions. Airwallex introduced a solution that resolves double currency conversion issues for OTAs, while Toss Payments emphasized building infrastructure that allows foreign tourists to use their home country payment methods.

Travel's Human Core: The Irreplaceable Element

Amid the tech-heavy agenda, the “From Clicks to Community” session delivered a heartfelt message: “Travel is ultimately about people.”

In Part 1, Eric Green, founder of Green Acres Penang, championed slow tourism and the irreplaceable warmth of human experience, noting that no technology can replicate emotional connection.

In Part 2, Yongsoo Moon (Klook) and Jeongmi Lee (Haenyeo Kitchen Group) shared how AI may assist in content discovery, but it’s real-world interactions that bring travel stories to life. They also discussed how the influence of K-culture is evolving from filming locations to deeper narratives, like the lives

of Haenyeo (female divers) and local storytelling.

Looking Ahead

WiT Seoul 2025 wasn’t just a technology conference—it outlined a three-pillar future of travel built on operational efficiency through data, payment

innovation via fintech, and human connection.

Yoon Min, CEO of TIDESQUARE, said:

“This conference reminded us that while technology will transform travel in powerful ways, the human connection remains irreplaceable. The Korean and wider Asian markets are well-positioned to lead this next chapter, grounded in tech-enabled and human-centered experiences. WiT Seoul will continue to grow as a core platform for industry innovation and global exchange.”

Participating Companies:

Korean Air, HanaTour, NOL Universe, Google Korea, Green Acres Penang, DerbySoft, Dida, LaivData, Rakkojae Hanok Collection, MyRealTrip, Virtuoso, Veltra Corporation, Booking.com, SocialSeal, Cirium, Agoda, Adyen, Airwallex, Wego, eTraveli Group, Incheon International Airport Corporation, KamMui, Klook, TIDESQUARE, Toss Payments, Travel JP & Trip101, Trip.com, Tripbtoz, Trinity D&C (The Weekend Resort & The Connoisseur Hotel), Flitto, HalalTrip & CrescentRating, Haenyeo Kitchen Group, B-Factory, HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions), JCB Card International, MG Group, OAG, WiT, X Korea

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About TIDESQUARE

www.tidesquare.com

TIDESQUARE is a travel tech company delivering differentiated travel services with proprietary technology. Since launching the premium travel brand

PRIVIA Travel in 2010 and acquiring SK Tourvis, it has expanded its market share in OTA and corporate travel. It ranked 3rd among Korean travel agencies as of November 2022 (BSP) and partners with major platforms like Kakao Mobility, SKT, and Naver. TIDESQUARE is the first Korean travel company to receive IATA NDC certification.

About WiT

www.webintravel.com

Founded in 2005, WiT (Web in Travel) is a travel technology and marketing platform that runs global conferences themed around the future of travel. WiT events are held annually in cities including Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Dubai, and Cape Town.