We are travel. And over the past year, MMGY leaders have shared their expertise around the world, guiding editorial coverage, trend roundups and human-interest stories in publications including Ad Age, USA Today and many more. From innovative thought leadership on AI’s role in PR to the pull of nostalgia in younger generations, here are some of our favorite sound bites you might have missed in 2025.
Katie Briscoe, CEO of MMGY Global, talked travel and Trump’s tariffs with MSN: “Even in the face of economic uncertainty and polarizing headlines, the American traveler continues to show remarkable resilience.”
Simon Moriarty, VP of Syndicated Research at MMGY Travel Intelligence, shared data and his perspective on accessible travel with Selling Travel: “The travel industry must move beyond compliance and towards meaningful inclusion.”
Craig Compagnone, President of MMGY Global, dug into data on international travel demand from MMGY’s Portrait of American and Canadian International Travelers™ for Yahoo!: “Travelers from North America are spending at consistently strong levels, but with that spend comes a new set of expectations that include greater personalization, local authenticity and considerations for safety.”
Craig also spoke on AI’s role in the agency for American Business Journals: “If not thoughtfully used, AI could serve as a shortcut or a crutch for brands or agencies that want to use these tools to manipulate creative that is not authentic. The silver lining is I do believe consumers will push back and correct that.”
Chris Davidson, EVP of MMGY Travel Intelligence, mused about nostalgia as inspiration for travel in younger travelers with the Miami Herald: “We’ve done more and more research into the power of nostalgia. You would expect nostalgia to run richest in the Boomer generation or possibly the Gen X generation these days. But we’re also seeing it appealing to younger generations.”
Irina Tsernjak, Senior Market Research Analyst for MMGY Travel Intelligence, spoke about AI and Europeans’ travel planning behaviors with Selling Travel: “Despite the growing use of AI for researching and planning trips, just under half of European travellers still intend to use a traditional travel advisor for an international holiday within the next two years.”
As a bonus, here’s a round of Q&A with MMGY leadership pulled from articles featured on City Nation Place:
Q: What one emerging media or marketing opportunity should places take note of in order to truly maximise the investment they make into place promotion?
A: The ability to track and understand the right traveller is vital. Once we identify which audiences drive the most economic impact in a place, we can focus our media and channels precisely. Through technology and key data partners, we now track visitors in-destination, understand spending habits and monitor regional dispersal. With this rich data intelligence, destinations can identify and target their highest-value visitors with precision while optimising marketing spend for measurable ROI across the traveller journey—turning place promotion from an art into a science.
—Samuel Hancock, Deputy Managing Director and SVP, Media & Creative UK, MMGY, “The essential marketing opportunities place leaders can’t afford to ignore”
Q: From social listening to surveys to interrogating generative AI, what should place leaders be doing to keep on top of how external audiences perceive their place?
A: “Two ears, one mouth” was a saying often repeated in my household growing up, and it still guides how we advise clients today. Listening more than speaking is essential when navigating the evolving landscape of consumer sentiment. With so much noise and increasingly blurred lines between authentic feedback and misinformation, place leaders must balance controlled data like visitor surveys and commissioned research with uncontrolled sources like online reviews and social media. When thoughtfully analyzed together, these inputs can inform messaging that stays agile when needed but remains consistent with the core identity of a place.
—Beth Freedman, EVP and Managing Director UK, MMGY, “Six ways to keep your finger on the pulse of your place’s reputation”
Q: Cities, regions, and nations are frequently “competing” with places with similar assets and quality of life propositions. Who’s doing a good job of differentiating their place branding and marketing to avoid homogenisation, and what makes them successful?
A: Toronto has done an exceptional job differentiating its place brand in a category where many global cities sound alike. Its “Toronto 100%” platform avoids generic claims about diversity or vibrancy by framing them as an attitude—bold, unapologetic, and grounded in lived multiculturalism. The campaign’s visual system, including the iconic Toronto Subway typeface and expressive “100%” illustrations, creates an instantly recognisable identity. Most importantly, Toronto unifies tourism, culture and economic development under one coherent narrative. The result is a place brand that feels confident, authentic and impossible to confuse with any other major city.
—Detlef Freiherr von Weitershausen-Haner, EVP, Business Unit Central Europe, MMGY Global, “Nine cities and regions successfully resisting homogenisation”
Q: What training should place leaders be providing their teams to ensure they have the skills they need for the year ahead?
A: In a travel industry projected to grow 6-9% annually through 2026, leaders must prepare teams with skills that transcend roles and sectors. With AI expected to reshape 70% of job skills by 2030, per LinkedIn’s Skills on the Rise report, success will depend on pairing tech fluency with human strengths like design thinking, adaptability, customer engagement and stakeholder management. Travel marketers need cross-industry agility: the ability to merge analytics with empathy and automation with relationship-building. At MMGY Global, we’re investing in skills amplified by technology, where human judgment and digital tools work in harmony.
— Oksana Kovalenko, CHRO, MMGY Global, “Eleven essential training areas place brand teams should be focusing on in 2026”
