PhocusWire's theme months for 2018 - all in one place

Our daily coverage of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry touches on many subjects that are (or will be) having an impact on brands.

But "news" rarely lends itself to deeper analysis of a particular topic.

This is where our theme months have kicked in so successfully during 2018, giving us the chance to explore a trend or new technology in much more detail and talk to leading figures in the market for their take.

We plan to repeat the theme month idea in 2019 (with new subjects) but, for now, here some of the highlights from each month during 2018.

January

• How airlines gain an edge through pricing (Part One)
• How airlines gain an edge through pricing (Part Two)
• Airlines should consider these critical trends (or fall behind)

February

• Decoding blockchain, part 1: Travel ID and security
• Decoding blockchain, part 2: Travel loyalty programs
• Decoding blockchain, part 3: Flight data management
• Decoding blockchain, part 4: Cross-border payments
• Q&A: Trust, truth and transparency at the heart of TUI Group’s blockchain work
• Pulse check: Blockchain not a panacea to disrupt web travel

March

• Voice tech in travel, part 1: Brand adoption
• Voice tech in travel, part 2: UX and design
• Voice tech in travel, part 3: The Skyscanner story
• Voice tech in travel, part 4: Expedia’s experience
• PODCAST: Phocuswire PundIT Show #10 - voice tech special edition
• Finding a unique voice in travel technology

April

• AI analysis, part 1: Travel tech giants
• AI analysis, part 2: Watson's world
• AI analysis, part 3: The brains behind Hopper
• AI analysis, part 4: Digital marketing
• How AI is rewriting content creation for travel
• In The Big Chair - Gilad Berenstein of Utrip
• How TripAdvisor is using AI to "humanize" its review community

May

• Unlocking travel security, part 1: The threat landscape
• Unlocking travel security, part 2: The looming GDPR deadline
• Unlocking travel security, part 3: Biometric ID
• Internet of Things for hotels - great, until a hacker calls
• Travel, data security and false narratives around Facebook

June

• Modern travel marketing, part 1: SEO strategy
• Modern travel marketing, part 2: Social media
• Modern travel marketing, part 3: Email campaigns
• Modern travel marketing, part 4: Paid search
• Listen up: Travel marketers need to pay attention to voice search
• Behold a new era of digital marketing in travel
• How Google, Instagram and more are shaking up hotel digital marketing
• Q&A: How brands are using WeChat to attract travelers
• QOTW: Something about how easy it is to burn cash

July

• Reimagining customer experience, part 1: digital design
• Reimagining customer experience, part 2: Brian Solis on iteration vs. innovation
• Reimagining customer experience, part 3: Airport innovations
• Reimagining customer experience, part 4: Hospitality happenings
• Q&A: Why test-and-learn is at the heart of improving customer experience
• Alexa For Hospitality is a seminal moment in the industry (despite challenges)
• Q&A: Data, context and the impact of Amazon on air travel

August

• Surveying the travel startup landscape, part 1: The investors’ perspective
• Surveying the travel startup landscape, part 2: Front line tips from the founders
• Surveying the travel startup landscape, part 3: The support systems
• Surveying the travel startup landscape, part 4: Exit strategy
• Travel startups: What's the ten-year investment, growth and failure picture?
• QOTW: Something about not moving fast enough
• Q&A: Terry Jones on the challenges of creating a successful travel startup
• In The Big Chair - Bonny Simi of JetBlue Technology Ventures

September

• Back in the offline world, part 1: Travel agency endurance
• Back in the offline world, part 2: Travel agency technology
• Back in the offline world, part 3: Tours and activities
• Back in the offline world, part 4: High-tech versus high-touch hotels
• QOTW: Something about an agent's endurance
• How travel agents are working differently with technology

October

• The metasearch model, part 1: All things Google
• The metasearch model, part 2: The transition to meta-book
• The metasearch model, part 3: The complexity of multimodal
• The metasearch model, part 4: Startup space
• QOTW: Something about a losing battle for venture capitalists
• It's the end of the hotel metasearch model as we know it
• The true cost of hotel brand participation online

November

• Technically Speaking - Ari Balogh of Airbnb
• Technically Speaking - David Thompson of Amex Global Business Travel
• Technically Speaking - Rajnish Kumar of Ixigo
• Technically Speaking - Bobby Healy of CarTrawler
• Technically Speaking - Laura Miller of InterContinental Hotels Group
• QOTW: Something about a special relationship in tech

December

• A review of 2018, a preview for what's next: Blockchain in travel
• A review of 2018, a preview for what's next: Travel marketing
• A review of 2018, a preview for what's next: Voice technology
• Fallacies and travel: Making sense out of 2018
• Travel startup investments 2018 - a year in review
• PhocusWire's newsmakers of the year 2018
• Will airline growth be dependent on mobile and smart technology?
• Believe the hype? 14 travel blockchain startups to watch in 2019
• The most popular articles on PhocusWire in 2018
• QOTW: Something about... a 20,000-word mini-thesis on travel in 2018