ConX 2025: A Conversation with Gerardo del Rio, President-International at TBO.com

TBO.com was among the standout sponsors at this year’s ConX and AfterX 2025, delivering timely insights into the rapidly changing landscape of hospitality tech. In this exclusive interview, President- International, Gerardo del Rio, discusses the company’s contributions and what’s next for the sector.

About TBO.com

Simplifying Travel, Enabling Growth

We are one of the leading global travel distribution platforms, simplifying the travel business and enabling growth for both our suppliers and our buyers is our Strategic goal. Our suppliers include hotels, airlines, cruises, car rentals, transfers, and rail services. Our buyers consist of retail and API buyers such as travel agencies, independent travel advisors, and enterprise buyers including tour operators, travel management companies, online travel companies, super-apps, and loyalty apps. As a publicly listed company on the NSE (National Stock Exchange of India Limited) and BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange Limited), we reinforce strategic vision and commitment to sustainable business practices.

Our platform enables seamless transactions between these parties, connecting over 159,000 buyers with over 1 million suppliers across 100+ countries.

The travel industry is often seen as fragmented with many moving parts. From your perspective, how important is it for all industry stakeholders to be ‘connected’ in today’s market – and how does your company foster these connections? Can you share a success story that illustrates these connections in action?

In today’s dynamic travel landscape, connectivity among industry stakeholders is paramount. By interconnecting the different pieces, we are able to provide a seamless and frictionless experience to our customers as well as to the end consumer. 
At TBO, through our technology as well as through our partnerships, we are able to provide a better service, increased customer satisfaction and reduce response and resolution times. Now even more so with the aid of AI technology embedded in our system and processes. 

In our increasingly digital world, traditional human connections sometimes take a backseat. How does your organization ensure that personal, human interactions continue to thrive, both internally and with your customers? What specific initiatives or technologies are you employing to make digital interactions as meaningful as face-to-face engagements?

While digital transformation is reshaping the travel industry, maintaining human connections remains essential. Our organization integrates AI-powered solutions with the intent not to replace the human element but to provide better, faster and more accurate tools for the benefit of the clients and to enhance the quality of our work.

We are a business with a very large Travel agency network, by nature and definition we deal with numerous clients and provide many services through our state of the art platform, yet the human element remains of utmost importance as the trust, relationship and continuous interactions with them (through our sales and supply teams as well as with a dedicated local, regional and global customer service team) is one of the reasons and values that sets us apart.

Internally, we utilize collaborative platforms to foster team engagement, celebrate across the world many holidays (and we encourage it!) to enjoy and rejoice from our cultural diversities which in our case bring us closer. Yes data and technology are incredibly important to us but even more is our most valuable asset – our team.

Every industry faces its own challenges, and travel is no exception. What do you believe are the most pressing challenges in the travel industry today, and how is your company planning to tackle them? How do you see these strategies evolving with the continuous changes in consumer behavior and technology?

Clearly many challenges and if I were to name a few I would mention the Geopolitical and economic uncertainty, consumer behaviour shifts and technological threats. If prepared properly, some of these can be mitigated, minimized or even converted to opportunities, as long as your strategy is clear, your company values are aligned and embedded in the teams and you are flexible and fast enough to adapt to change. 

As an example, we are using technological enhancements (from proprietary tech, AI, machine learning, and many more.) to increase the productivity of our teams not to replace them but also we are sharing these tools with our partners so they themselves can become more efficient, prosperous and relevant for years to come.

Events like ConX and AfterX emphasize the value of building relationships – not only between companies, but also with customers and partners. Could you discuss how you view these connections and why they are essential for mutual growth? How do you measure the impact of these relationships on your overall business success?

These Industry events play a pivotal role in fostering relationships that drive mutual growth. These gatherings facilitate knowledge exchange, collaboration, and the formation of strategic partnerships for long term mutual benefit.

By actively participating in such events, we stay attuned to industry trends and strengthen our network, which is instrumental in our ongoing success. We certainly have some kep ROI metrics yet a long lasting partnership should be able to demonstrate the value.

B2B travel distribution is a rapidly shifting landscape. What is your perspective on the current trends in B2B travel distribution, and what do you foresee in the near future? Are there any emerging technologies or partnerships that you are particularly excited about in this realm?

In terms of trends for the B2B travel distribution landscape certainly AI, blockchain, machine learning and robotics are leading the charge. AI enhances personalization and efficiency, blockchain ensures secure and transparent transactions, and ML and automation enables real-time data collection for improved decision-making.  

As a tech company ourselves, we are very excited yet cautious and responsible at the same time about the integration of these technologies to create more seamless and secure travel experiences. Collaborations with tech innovators and startups is also important to always stay ahead and further enriching our service offerings.

How do you believe events like ConX help to unify the fragmented travel industry and drive innovation and growth? What advice would you give to other industry players seeking to strengthen their networks and relationships in today’s dynamic environment?

Events like ConX serve as convergence points for the diverse segments of the travel industry, promoting unity and collaboration in an open and transparent forum. They provide platforms for sharing insights, exploring partnerships, and collectively addressing industry challenges as well as a great platform for larger topics such as sustainability, responsible employment and Geopolitical trends and mitigation strategies and tools.
For industry players aiming to strengthen their networks, active participation in such events is crucial. Engaging in open dialogues, embracing innovation, and fostering collaborative relationships can lead to shared growth and the advancement of the industry as a whole.