What Phocuswright does

Phocuswright is a B2B travel market research and intelligence company that produces syndicated research, proprietary data products, and industry events for the global travel ecosystem. Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Rutherford, New Jersey, it operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Northstar Travel Group (acquired 2016) with a global analyst team covering 30+ countries across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Core products include the Open Access company-wide research subscription, individual reports priced $395–$2,295, the Phocal Point interactive data platform with projections through 2026 and historical data back to 2009, a Travel Startups Interactive Database tracking companies since 2005, and multi-client Special Projects sold at Gold and Platinum sponsorship tiers.

Name

Phocuswright

Legal name

Northstar Travel Media LLC

Website

https://phocuswright.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Phocuswright is a B2B travel market research and events company serving travel suppliers, OTAs, tech providers, DMOs, financial firms, and tours/activities operators across 30+ countries with syndicated research, data subscriptions, and industry events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Industry Market Research

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B / Industrial Market Research (MPAAALAA)

Keywords

• Travel market research
• Industry intelligence
• Travel data analytics
• Consumer travel surveys
• Travel conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

Rutherford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Research Reports: Sale of individual reports and market data products at varying price points ranging from $395 to $2,295 per report. Reports cover market sizing, consumer trends, technology innovation, and regional analysis across 30+ countries.
2. Open Access Subscriptions: Company-wide subscription providing access to all expert-driven research reports, interactive data, and AI research assistant. No seat limits or paywalls. Includes Phocal Point and travel startups database.
3. Special Project Research Sponsorship: Multi-client sponsored research projects where companies gain exclusive unpublished insights and elevate industry standing. Gold and Platinum sponsorship tiers with varying deliverables including slide decks, PDF reports, analyst presentations, and custom survey questions.
4. Event Attendance and Sponsorship: Revenue from conference registrations, event sponsorships, speaking engagements, and startup program participation. Includes The Phocuswright Conference, Phocuswright Europe, Travel Marketing AI Summit, and co-branded events.
5. Custom Research and Consulting: Bespoke research projects tailored to specific client needs including B2B surveys, consumer studies, focus groups, executive interviews, and desk research. Consulting partnerships with A Bright Approach, Travel Again Advisory, Mapie, and Travel Tech Consulting Inc.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Phocuswright sells B2B travel industry market research and intelligence, including company-wide research subscriptions (Open Access), individual research reports, interactive market data tools (Phocal Point), an AI Research Assistant, custom research projects, sponsored special projects, and a portfolio of travel industry conferences and executive education programs. Customers are travel suppliers, OTAs, technology providers, destination marketing organizations, and financial/consulting firms.

Product overview

Phocuswright is a travel industry market research and intelligence company offering a portfolio of research products, data platforms, events, and advisory services. The core offering is the Open Access Research Subscription — a company-wide subscription providing access to the full library of expert-driven travel research reports, interactive data via Phocal Point, the AI Research Assistant, and curated insights articles. Individual reports are available for a la carte purchase. The product suite also includes a Travel Startups Interactive Database, Custom Research engagements, and Special Projects (multi-client sponsored research). Phocuswright's events arm spans The Phocuswright Conference (annual, Fort Lauderdale), Phocuswright Europe (annual, London), the Travel Marketing AI Summit (one-day executive forums on AI in travel marketing), and the Global Startup Pitch competition (jointly with WiT and PhocusWire). Innovation programs include the Hot 25 Travel Startups list, Innovation: Launch stage, Startup Stage editorial features, and the AI Advantage for Travel Leaders executive education program developed with GLIDR.ai. PhocusWire provides daily travel industry news. Consulting services include speaking engagements, thought leadership solutions, and custom research methodologies (surveys, focus groups, interviews, desk research).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PhocusWire: Daily news service providing travel industry news, interviews, analyses and opinions powered by Phocuswright research.
• The Phocuswright Conference
• Phocuswright Europe
• Travel Marketing AI Summit
• Global Startup Pitch
• Open Access
• Phocal Point
• Travel Startups Interactive Database
• WiT (Web in Travel)
• Hot 25 Travel Startups
• AI Advantage for Travel Leaders

Products and services

• Open Access Research Subscription Company-wide subscription providing unlimited access to Phocuswright's full library of expert-driven travel research reports, interactive data (Phocal Point), long-form reports, decks, data products, insights articles, and the AI Research Assistant. No seat limits or paywalls, with tailored answers via 'Ask an Analyst' and a dedicated concierge. Sold to enterprise travel organizations.
• Phocuswright AI Research Assistant An AI-powered research assistant that lets users ask natural language questions and receive cited, instant answers sourced from Phocuswright's full catalog of expert-driven research reports, decks, and data products. Available exclusively to Open Access subscribers in the travel industry.
• Phocal Point Interactive Data Platform Interactive data visualization platform included with Open Access that enables custom charts across 35+ markets by segment, channel, device, region, and country, with proprietary market sizing data, projections through 2026, and historical data back to 2009. Includes short-term rental sizing as of 2024.
• Individual Research Reports A la carte purchase option for single long-form reports, decks, data products, and interactive charts without a full subscription. Reports cover market sizing, consumer trends, technology innovation, and regional analysis across 30+ countries, with prices ranging from US$395 (market briefs) to US$2,295 (comprehensive series).
• Travel Startups Interactive Database Interactive database tracking thousands of travel startups founded since 2005, with filtering by founded year, total funding, HQ country/region, vertical category, and business focus; funding trend visualization; and company-level data and investor information. Sold as a standalone data product.
• Custom Research Tailored research projects built around specific client needs, employing B2B surveys, consumer surveys, focus groups, executive interviews, and desk research, leveraging Phocuswright's proprietary data and analyst expertise.
• Special Projects (Sponsored Multi-Client Research) Multi-client sponsored research projects diving deep into high-impact travel industry topics, offering sponsors early access to data, brand recognition, thought leadership, and analyst engagement. Available in Gold and Platinum sponsorship tiers with varying deliverables including slide decks, PDF reports, analyst presentations, and custom survey questions.
• The Phocuswright Conference Annual premier U.S. travel industry conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, featuring targeted networking, 1:1 conversations, and high-level content covering travel innovation, technology, and investment. Scheduled for November 17–19, 2026, with paid attendee registration and sponsor packages.
• Phocuswright Europe Annual European travel industry conference held in London, U.K., covering technology, innovation, distribution, and marketing trends. Scheduled for May 24–26, 2027, with paid attendee registration and sponsor packages.
• Travel Marketing AI Summit One-day executive forum focused on AI applications in travel marketing, featuring keynotes, case studies, and high-level peer discussions with travel industry executives. First edition March 24, 2026 in New York; second edition September 8, 2026 in London.
• TravelTech Show Europe's dedicated travel technology event for buyers and suppliers, held at Excel London in June 2027, connecting senior decision-makers with innovative technology solutions through a 1:2:1 meetings programme.
• Global Startup Pitch Travel startup pitch competition jointly produced with WiT and PhocusWire, held across multiple rounds from May through October with Grand Finals at Phocuswright Europe in Barcelona. Categories include Seedup (under 3 years, under $5M raised) and Scaleup (3–8 years, under $10M raised) across Asia Pacific, Emerging Markets, Europe, North America, and Wildcards.
• AI Advantage for Travel Leaders A 4-week live online executive learning program developed by Phocuswright and GLIDR.ai, designed to help senior travel leaders use AI tools (including GLIDR.ai, Claude Code, Gemini, Replit, Lovable, Figma, and Canva) to build, test, and iterate real business opportunities. Runs mid-September through mid-October 2026 with a meetup at The Phocuswright Conference in Fort Lauderdale.
• Speaking Engagements Phocuswright analysts available for paid conference presentations, workshops, panels, and roundtables on digital travel trends, hospitality, market research, and consumer behavior topics.
• Thought Leadership Services Custom thought leadership solutions leveraging Phocuswright's premier events, industry research, PhocusWire news, white papers, and access to global travel executive networks to help organizations establish industry authority.

Quantifiable outcome

• Phocuswright research supports significant business decisions across the travel industry ecosystem
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• Visit Benidorm FoundationminorOthers · 20 July 2026Visit Benidorm Foundation participated in a panel discussion at Phocuswright Europe 2026 regarding EU digital ID initiatives and traveler familiarity with digital identity wallets.
• SICPAminorOthers · 20 July 2026Digital identity specialist SICPA participated in the Phocuswright Europe 2026 panel on EU digital ID initiatives, discussing European Digital Identity Wallet adoption.
• Northstar Travel GroupcoreOthersPhocuswright is a wholly owned subsidiary of Northstar Travel Group, which provides corporate infrastructure, resources, and additional media properties including PhocusWire, TravelAge West, Hotel News Resource, and other travel industry publications.
• WiT (Web in Travel)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerWiT co-produces the Global Startup Pitch competition with Phocuswright and PhocusWire. The competition is now in its fifth year and features regional categories with winners showcased at WiT Singapore and Phocuswright events. American Express Global Business Travel serves as Strategic Partner of Innovation.
• GLIDR.aiflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGLIDR.ai co-developed the AI Advantage for Travel Leaders executive education program with Phocuswright. GLIDR.ai serves as the core innovation operating system for the 4-week program, which runs mid-September through mid-October 2026.
• ArivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhocuswright and Arival produce joint research reports on the global tours, activities, and attractions market. The joint reports include comprehensive market sizing, operator and consumer behavior analysis, projecting the experiences sector to exceed $340 billion by 2029.
• Travel Guard (Chubb)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTravel Guard sponsored Phocuswright's Travel Forward: Data, Insights & Trends for 2026 annual report, gaining visibility and thought leadership positioning within the research publication.
• American Express Global Business TravelcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAmerican Express Global Business Travel serves as a Phocuswright Strategic Partner of Innovation, supporting the Global Startup Pitch competition and innovation programs.
• A Bright ApproachminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerA Bright Approach is a management consultancy providing travel companies expert insight into technology, sales, marketing, PR, and events management. Partnership extends Phocuswright consulting reach.
• Travel Again AdvisoryminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTravel Again Advisory brings clarity to complex travel industry issues and partners with Phocuswright to deliver consulting services to clients.
• MapieminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMapie is a Brazilian management consultancy specializing in hospitality, working with local and global hotel chains on operations, marketing, and distribution effectiveness.
• Travel Tech Consulting Inc.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTravel Tech Consulting Inc. is a leading authority on emerging travel technologies and e-business, providing technology consulting services for travel companies.
• InntopiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhocuswright and Inntopia partnered on the Shifting Slopes special project studying trends, behaviors, and preferences of snow activity and mountain travelers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Skift: Skift is a digital media, research, and events company focused on the travel industry — offering Skift Research reports, daily news, and the Skift Forum events. It is the closest direct competitor to Phocuswright in combining B2B travel research with events and content.
• STR (CoStar Group): STR provides hotel performance benchmarking data, market intelligence reports, and consulting for the global lodging industry. It is a direct peer to Phocuswright in B2B travel market research and data subscriptions, with deep overlap on the lodging and hotel segment.
• HotStats: HotStats provides monthly hotel performance benchmarking, profit-and-loss data, and market intelligence for the global hospitality industry. It overlaps directly with Phocuswright's lodging research and data products.
• HVS Global Hospitality Services: HVS produces hotel valuation, consulting, and market research reports across global lodging markets. It competes with Phocuswright in travel hospitality research, particularly on lodging trends and feasibility studies.
• Tourism Economics: Tourism Economics is an Oxford Economics subsidiary that produces travel industry forecasts, economic impact studies, and market sizing — directly comparable to Phocuswright's Phocal Point market sizing and forecast products.

Broad incumbents

• Euromonitor International: Euromonitor is a global market research firm covering travel, consumer goods, and many other industries. Its Travel and Tourism practice overlaps with Phocuswright's market sizing and consumer research offerings, though Euromonitor serves broader verticals.
• CBRE Hotels Research: CBRE's Hotels Research team publishes market intelligence, forecasts, and trends reports on global hospitality real estate. It is a broader commercial real estate incumbent with a hospitality research practice comparable to Phocuswright's lodging segment.
• S&P Global Market Intelligence: S&P Global Market Intelligence provides financial, industry, and market data across many sectors including travel and transportation. It competes at the broader market intelligence level with Phocuswright's enterprise research and financial services customer segment.
• Amadeus Market Intelligence: Amadeus, a global travel technology GDS provider, publishes market intelligence and travel trends reports for airlines, hotels, and agencies. Its research and data products partially overlap with Phocuswright's distribution and technology research.
• JLL Hotels & Hospitality: JLL's Hotels & Hospitality group provides hotel investment, advisory, and research including market outlook reports and trend analyses. It is a broader real estate services incumbent with travel hospitality research comparable to Phocuswright's coverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/phocuswright
• Facebookfacebook.com/phocuswright
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/phocuswright

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Phocuswright