The Next 20 – At The World’s Edge
Every journey across time and place eventually arrives somewhere unexpected. Not at the centre of power. But at the edge of perspective.
Over the past year, “The Next 20” has travelled across continents, asking what the future of travel demands.
In Singapore, we marked the first digital revolution that moved travel online and reshaped an industry.
In Africa, we saw emergence – Leap, Build, Belong – fast growth, leapfrogging innovation, untapped potential.
In the Middle East, the signal was unmistakable: Game On – ambition funded and futures being built at scale.
In Japan & North Asia, the mood deepened into Precision, Reinvention & Quiet Power.
In Penang, we returned to the human heart of travel, where Small Is Mighty and meaning lives in the independent.
Now, the journey reaches Queenstown.
A place known not for scale, but for adventure, fragility, reinvention and possibility. Which makes it the perfect place to ask the final, most important, question: What should the next 20 years of travel truly become?
Across two days, leaders from OTAs, destinations, airports, airlines, hotels, fintech, experiences, food, startups and investment gather to confront what is changing:
▪ AI rewriting discovery, demand and distribution – and the battle for traveller intent
▪ Destinations balancing growth with sustainability and community trust
▪ Platforms redefining value across accommodation, experiences and payments
▪ Founders scaling global businesses from remote edges of the map
▪ Food, culture and identity shaping deeper reasons to travel
▪ Capital and technology determining who builds the future — and how
These are not distant trends. They are live decisions, happening now, and at the world’s edge, they feel clearer, because distance sharpens thinking and nature reminds us what is at stake.
WiT Queenstown is more than the final stop in our “Next 20” journey. It is a threshold moment. A place where founders, builders, investors and dreamers step back to see the full horizon of what travel could become.
Because edges are powerful places, where we choose the future we want to build.
