In Memoriam
Phocuswright's illustrious founder, Philip Wolf, passed away on March 16, 2021.
He championed online travel in the late 1980s, an insanely unpopular position.
He was CEO of a venture-funded travel booking engine pioneer... in 1991.
He launched Phocuswright, the Internet travel research authority, pre-Web... in 1994.
He began sizing the online travel marketplace -- region by region, sector by sector -- when it was a zero-billion dollar industry.
He coined the phrase “OTA.”
Meet Philip Wolf.
After graduating Duke University with a BA in Public Policy Studies and Vanderbilt University with an MBA, cutting his teeth as assistant to the CEO of a New York Stock Exchange retailer and dirtying his fingernails in the lamp manufacturing business, he stumbled into the travel industry -- 10% of global GDP -- in 1989, as the head of a small agency inside Travelmation. Subsequently, as CEO, he quickly made a name for himself.
Travel, tourism and hospitality leaders, struggling to grasp the Internet’s seismic impact, quickly recognized his unique outlook, digital DNA and business acumen. After decades of analyzing, scrutinizing and opining on strategic change and market trends, he has built a brand around his trademark catchphrase: "Strategically correct, not politically correct."
The company he masterminded is now the premier source for travel, tourism and hospitality intelligence. Nearly every industry pitch and presentation today contains a slide stamped: "Source: Phocuswright."
Architect of the annually-acclaimed, dream-demographics Phocuswright Conference, Philip has taken the stage one-on-one with many industry elite. His probing perseverance for the truth (and not letting go without real answers) continues to leave audiences buzzing.
After selling Phocuswright in 2011, Philip retired from an executive role. He embarked on a journey as mentor and serial board director and hasn’t looked back yet. Having served as an independent board director for 25+ private and listed companies on four continents -- including India's MakeMyTrip (NASDAQ: MMYT) -- Philip currently serves as board director for Hopper (Canada/USA), TrustYou (Germany/Japan), Blacklane (Germany), bd4Travel (UK), SmarTours (USA) and Mobi Systems (USA), as well as board advisor to DataArt (Russia/USA), Hudson Crossing (USA), dnata (UAE), ITB (Germany/India/China), RedDoorz (Singapore/Indonesia), RateGain (India), Videc (India), Arival (USA) and Vertoe (USA).
He remains outspoken, well‐connected and passionate about making a difference.
Areas of Research
Philip is a world renowned and respected travel industry expert. He is a proponent and driver of travel innovation and through speaking engagements and Phocuswright's own events, he motivates travel professionals
to embrace technology to improve the travel experience.