CEO Highlight: Wendy Olson Killion of Rome2Rio

Rome2Rio

Wendy Olson Killion stepped into the CEO function at Rome2Rio in September 2024 after main Expedia Crew Media Answers.

Primarily based in Melbourne, Australia, Rome2Rio assists vacationers with door-to-door go back and forth making plans together with flights, ferries, buses and extra.

Wendy Olson Killion, CEO of Rome2Rio, sees multimodality as the middle of the go back and forth universe.

“Multimodal go back and forth is the guts of all go back and forth after we in point of fact take into accounts it,” she mentioned all the way through an interview within the PhocusWire studio at The Phocuswright Convention.

That’s no longer only a soundbite, in step with Killion: Searches for go back and forth inside of 90 miles are exploding, and multimodal is the most important enlargement house her group is seeing.

Fifty p.c of searches on Rome2Rio’s platform are multimodal—flights are not a sole focal point, she mentioned.

“[The] floor is emerging, is what we adore to mention,” Killion mentioned.

A part of the upward thrust in passion comes from Eu Union restrictions on regional flights, she mentioned. However there’s additionally a cultural shift, because of celebrities and influencers.

“Dua Lipa is posting footage of her at the educate, proper? So we are transferring how individuals are fascinated with those alternative ways of shipping,” Killion mentioned.

Killion additionally touched on her transition from main Expedia Crew Media Answers to heading up Rome2Rio, her first yr as CEO, how the corporate is combatting overtourism.

Watch the entire interview with senior reporter Morgan Hines underneath.