One of Europe's most influential online travel markets is set to leave the European Union. How will the U.K. go it alone, and which markets and major players will feel the brunt of Brexit? A group of experts came together at Phocuswright Europe 2019 to discuss new borders and old partnerships, fresh challenges and smart solutions, as well as practical ways to maneuver around the surrounding legislation. It's obvious that Brexit and its ongoing uncertainties remain a key challenge for the travel industry across Europe.

We're halfway through 2019 and the global Phocuswright analyst team continues to produce reports at an unprecedented rate. It's a perfect time to highlight the trends and data that shape our research and reflect the ever-evolving dynamics of online travel. This is what's defining the global travel market in 2019.

Travelers from these markets only take a few leisure trips a year, but travel is rarely far from their minds. Mobile devices mean that information is always at their fingertips, and travelers are eating it up. Destinations and travel marketers need to consistently entice travelers to remain top of mind.

Though there are several shared themes across markets in the destination-decision process, different travel markets will always have particularities. However, no market stands out as strongly from the herd as Chinese travelers. According to Phocuswright’s latest research on how travelers choose where to go, how Chinese travelers view themselves, how they research destinations, what influences them, and what they seek in a destination paints a picture unlike the rest.

Travelers carefully consider many destination attributes during their decision-making process. Whether gathering information about available activities, lodging options, cost, weather, culture, customs and more, travelers contemplate many components when assessing if a place will align with personal desires and requirements.

Asia Pacific (APAC) is the world's largest regional travel market. With rapid infrastructure development across airports, seaports, railroads, hotels and highways, and disposable incomes on the rise, travel opportunity continues to expand regionwide.

Indoor mapping technology has rapidly evolved over the last several years, and airports are some of the prime beneficiaries according to Phocuswright's latest travel research, Consolidation in Indoor Mapping Technology Market. Deployments from FRA to SFO have seen successful results, with impressive revenue, efficiency and customer satisfaction metrics. While GPS will continue to direct travelers to the airport, indoor mapping is enabling seamless continued navigation within the facility from parking to gate. Consumer demand is strong among seasoned and infrequent travelers alike.

According to Phocuswright's latest Public Online Travel Roundup, Full Year 2018 travel research publication, growth rates in the world of public online travel once again slowed in 2018, but remained in double-digit territory, rising more than twice as fast as the total global travel market. Read the insights into regional focuses for the world's biggest OTAs.

From perfectly filtered social media posts to heartfelt recollections of friends, visually stunning scenes from movies, and glossy magazine covers, travelers are exposed to an array of inspiration sources that seed ideas of spectacular places they hope to one day see. But with a world of options, travelers must carefully whittle down their options to the one that most speaks to their wishes.

Eight innovators presented at the Phocuswright Europe Battleground, the pitch competition for startups, and four innovators presented at Launch, the platform for established companies to introduce new products.