In a candid conversation with Phocuswright’s Pete Comeau at WiT Phocuswright Middle East 2025, John Bevan, CEO of dnata Travel Group, reflects on leadership, legacy travel models, and the future that’s already arriving, but still needs a human touch.
The session started with snow and silence.
A photo of John Bevan and his son skiing in Switzerland, the kind of travel that disconnects you from devices and reconnects you with life. “You can’t use your phone on the slopes,” said Bevan. “It’s just fresh air, family, and freedom.”
It was a grounding moment for a session that quickly lifted off into the complexities of running one of the most diverse travel portfolios in the industry: 30 travel brands spanning leisure, corporate, trade, tech, and destination management, across 20+ countries.
“I had to take a step back to see how big the picture really is.”
Bevan, who has been with dnata for nearly eight years, took over as CEO of the global travel group four years ago. The move from a UK leisure-focused role to Dubai came with a major shift in scope. “Suddenly, I was overseeing corporate travel, GSAs, DMCs, a bedbank, even travel tech. I had to reassess everything, what we had, what we didn’t, and how each piece plays its part.”
He credited corporate travel as a key growth engine post-COVID, especially in the Middle East where recovery reached 100% far faster than the US or Europe. “When we became the Amex GBT partner for the GCC, it added 40% to our business and 140 new clients in just a year,” he said. “We had to hire 130 agents fast.”
But unlike other markets, the Middle East continues to blur the lines between business and leisure. “Our agents here don’t just handle corporate bookings,” said Bevan. “They’re booking Maldives holidays for execs too.”
“80% of bookings here are still offline”
While the global travel industry rushes toward digital, Bevan made a strong case for the continued relevance of retail storefronts and human agents, especially in the Middle East and the UK. “We’ve added new stores in both markets. For complex, tailor-made trips, especially once kids enter the picture, people want advice. They want assurance.”
That trust, he said, is often delivered face to face, not through a chatbot.
On AI: “This is the biggest change since the internet”
While embracing AI cautiously, Bevan acknowledged its power. One standout use case? Voice sentiment analysis across call centres. “We used to monitor 2% of calls. Now we monitor 100% with AI. You can pull up every ‘lost luggage’ call, see the tone, and take action,” he said. “Call volumes doubled. Our team size didn’t.”
He’s also experimenting with a Gen Z-led team to rethink how people will search for travel in the future. “Google search is broken. GenAI will let us curate holidays like human agents do, asking a few questions and narrowing things down.”
But he remains grounded: “We won’t be the first in, but we’ll be smart. Let the startups jump in headfirst, we’ll walk in with a strategy.”
John Bevan, CEO of dnata Travel Group (Right), chatting with Phocuswright’s Pete Comeau (Left) about leadership, legacy travel models, and the future of travel tech in the region
On talent: “We’re lucky to have 144 nationalities and counting.”
With over 100,000 people across Emirates Group, and 5,000 in his division, talent isn’t a top concern yet. “We get 3.5 million applications a year,” said Bevan. “Dubai’s allure has flipped. Friends used to ask why I moved here. Now they’re asking how they can.”
On Trends: Luxury, wellness, events
- Luxury: “Dubai went from 872 millionaires to 82,000. In months. Thank you, UK government.”
- Wellness: “Always relevant. Sometimes it’s SHA in Spain, sometimes it’s packing trainers.”
- Events: “The Swiftie effect is real. Concerts are driving demand. Coldplay, Ed Sheeran – these are trip-worthy events now.”
“Self-service will handle the simple. But humans win when it matters.”
When asked what wins in 2030, AI or agents, self-service or human touch, Bevan didn’t hesitate. “Self-service for the easy stuff. But when something goes wrong, or when it’s complex, people want people.”
The future may be automated. But for Bevan, the next age of travel is still very much personal.