Decius Valmorbida thinks the industry competes too hard on closed ecosystems and cooperates too little on the plumbing. His bet: open, shared foundations grow the pie for everyone. We'll test whether rivals actually build them together at Skift Global Forum this September.
LinkedIn X Facebook Email Does a longevity-first investment approach risk falling behind competitors moving faster on AI? What specific standards or identity frameworks is Amadeus backing to enable interoperability? How can players with the most valuable data be incentivized to share it in an open ecosystem? Select a question above or ask something else
Amadeus has spent four decades as the connective tissue behind the booking, and its President of Travel, Decius Valmorbida, who speaks at Skift Global Forum, September 22–24, 2026, wants the next decade to look more open than the last. Ahead of his session in New York City, Valmorbida lays out the thinking behind that view.
Skift: The pace of change is only increasing. When you’re trying to make a decision, what’s the test or rule you use?
Decius: As Amadeus approaches our fortieth anniversary, we’ve gained a unique perspective on transformation across the travel technology industry. We’re constantly evaluating options for the future and, when we decide where to invest, our rule of thumb is to focus on longevity, asking ourselves which of today’s innovations are likely to have the greatest long-term impact.
This helps us avoid jumping on every passing bandwagon, be that a new technology or trend.
The test I use is whether something strengthens our long-term strategy and solves a real customer problem, not whether it’s generating excitement today. We’ve invested consistently through good years, bad years and even the pandemic because lasting advantage comes from building capabilities over time, not reacting to hype.
If a decision helps us create more value for travelers, strengthens our technology foundation, and moves the industry forward over the next decade, it’s worth investing in.
Skift: The customer journey keeps getting longer and more fragmented. How has your thinking changed about traveler choice and how your company curates products and offerings?
Decius: The only way to respond to a travel experience that is becoming more complex is to put the traveler more firmly in control. Travelers don’t think in terms of separate providers, channels or touchpoints. They want to be able to shape their journey around their own needs, with the confidence that the industry is working together behind the scenes to make that possible.
That requires a shift in mindset. The more individual companies try to curate closed ecosystems, the less freedom and value we ultimately give to travelers. Instead, we need to move toward a more open and collaborative model, where data can be shared responsibly across the ecosystem and used to give travelers more choice, transparency and control.
Technology is what enables that shift. AI, biometrics and digital identity can help connect different parts of the journey and remove friction, but they are also not the end goal. The goal is to create a travel experience where the traveler is in command, and where the industry works together to make each trip feel simpler, more personal and more seamless.
Fragmented journey, less freedom and value
Skift: How are you thinking about how the traveler/customer relationship has evolved, and…