Demand, tech capabilities position Apac and AI as Skyscanner’s next growth frontiers: CEO Bryan Batista

The Asia-Pacific region is a key growth market for Skyscanner, a travel aggregator that provides comprehensive travel supply and pricing information to help travellers make informed booking decisions. CEO Bryan Batista expects Apac to be the fastest-growing region for the company, driven by the region's appetite for travel, surging flight capacities, and digital savviness. With over half of travellers not having fixed plans, Skyscanner also serves as a discovery channel for potential bookings.

Skyscanner has over 5 million accommodation listings and works with more than 100 car rental partners, providing access to a vast array of travel options. The company monetizes its services through a cost-per-click and cost-per-acquisition model, working with online travel agencies (OTAs) and direct service providers. Skyscanner's presence in Apac is not new, but it is ramping up investments in the region, with South Korea and India being significant markets.

South Korea is a mature market where Skyscanner recognises a strong meta-search competitor in home-grown brand Naver, while India is a high-growth market that Skyscanner has already invested in substantially, with its office there doubling its monthly users to about 21 million.

In Apac, Skyscanner is focusing on localized strategies, such as adapting its app interface to local preferences and supply nuances, such as the dominance of OTAs vs airlines. The company has launched an app on ChatGPT's marketplace, which combines Skyscanner's trustworthy data with ChatGPT's conversational interface. This AI-driven approach is expected to be quickly adopted by Apac travellers, who are already using AI to plan and book travel at a rate of 65 per cent.