Laura Houldsworth, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Booking.com, opened her WiT Singapore 2026 interview by choosing Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” to represent a new beginning. She said the song reflects critical decisions she has had to make in her life. The WiT event marks its 21st year in Asia, and Houldsworth was asked if she felt the same excitement as she did at 21. “I feel as excited as I did when I was 21,” she replied. “A bit less naive, but otherwise the fear and the excitement are the same.”
Her role involves championing Asia within an American company, a task she says has become easier. The region’s growth over the past 21 years is now visible to the rest of the world. “I don’t need to spend too much time preaching about the opportunity size of Asia, because the size and scale are enormous,” she said. “The future of travel is very much here.” When asked what she fights for today, Houldsworth pointed to localisation.
Asia as an Innovation Hub
Asia is ahead in customer adoption of AI, according to Booking.com’s own research and Google data. The company found that 64% of APAC travellers use AI to plan trips, and seven of the world’s top 10 markets for AI usage are in the region. Houldsworth considers the region an innovation lab. “I’d love to say we are,” she said, acknowledging the region’s habit of skipping technology generations to adopt what’s next.
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Hyper-personalisation is a key part of that strategy. WiT founder Yeoh Siew Hoon suggested that makes fast localisation nearly essential, especially against rivals like Trip.com and Agoda. Houldsworth responded that payments are where the focus begins. Asia isn’t a single payment market, and travellers want options, including the ability to spread costs. “That is critical, and that is the space we’ve focused on.”
Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel has been highlighting the company’s AI investments. Its newest bet is Lola, an AI agent from KAYAK co-founders Steve Hafner and Paul English. It plans, recommends, books, and executes trips for users on a membership model. Another new venture, Vayo, promises to build trips from inbox confirmations, track price changes, and secure hard-to-get restaurant reservations. It has a planned $100 million investment from Booking Holdings and is currently in a beta phase.
A Personalised, Social Future for Travel
When asked if a fully agentic model works in Asia— a region of super apps and local ecosystems—Houldsworth believes it will scale well. “We don’t need to make it specific for Singapore or Malaysia or Japan. It’s unique to you. It takes personalisation and localisation to a whole other level.” She noted the advantage of testing AI across several brands simultaneously. “We don’t know what 21 years looks like. We don’t even know what 21 months looks like in this space.”
Asia is intensely social, and social media is a critical channel for winning customers. “Social is absolutely critical, and it has been for quite some time,” Houldsworth said. It helps people visualise travel well before it happens. Her phrase for it: “Travel starts with intent, not a destination.” The session then turned to the “why” of travel and happiness.
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Booking.com recently launched its first Travel Happiness Index for the Asia Pacific region, surveying over 10,000 travellers across 10 markets. Houldsworth said she would bet on necessity travel, trips for wellbeing, in the next two years. The data shows 84% of APAC travellers believe travel helps them reset mentally and emotionally, and 98% associate it with positive emotions. When asked if travel is a vitamin or a dessert, the audience poll leaned towards vitamins. “Travel used to be dessert,” Houldsworth explained. “Now it’s a vitamin, something people aren’t willing to give up.”
This resilience is reflected in another finding: when plans are disrupted, 90% of APAC travellers would rather adapt than abandon their trip. Houldsworth also noted what the industry often forgets: many travellers enjoy planning, sometimes more than the trip itself. The Happiness Index found 60% of travellers enjoy the process. “Planning should be much more fun,” she said, viewing it as the industry’s job to improve that number. For an online travel agency, the promise of AI is not just faster bookings, but removing the stress from the planning part of the journey, which should be half the joy.
The Path Forward
Looking ahead, Houldsworth stressed the importance of listening to the customer. The needs of travellers are constantly evolving, and the company must adapt to meet them. This requires a continuous feedback loop between users and the business. The data from the Travel Happiness Index is one such tool to inform this strategy.