Interview with Dmitrijus Konovalovas, Director & CEO of Wowtickets

An exclusive interview with Dmitrijus Konovalovas, Director & CEO of Wowtickets, a leading travel booking platform

Welcome to an exclusive interview with Mr. Dmitrijus Konovalovas, the Director and CEO of wowtickets, a trailblazing travel booking platform that has revolutionized the way millions of travelers around the world experience and plan their journeys.

With a commitment to simplifying the travel experience, Mr. Konovalovas has played a pivotal role in the success and growth of wowtickets.com. Under his leadership, the platform has become synonymous with efficiency, innovation, and customer satisfaction in the ever-evolving travel industry. Join us as we delve into the insights and perspectives of a visionary leader who has reshaped the landscape of travel booking.

He brings to the table a wealth of over 14 years of profound expertise as a seasoned Internet Professional, Entrepreneur, and a specialist in Online Travel Technology, Media, and Data.

Dmitrijus Konovalovas has expertise in pivotal areas of the travel sector, including Metasearch, Online Travel Agencies (OTA), and Global Distribution Systems (GDS), which are instrumental components of the travel industry’s landscape.

Prior to founding Wowtickets Dmitrijus held several leadership and consulting positions in some of the leading travel companies, including Expedia, Skyscanner, HotelCombined/Booking.com, Sabre, Omio.com / GoEuro, besides a few startups.

In pursuit of academic excellence, Dmitrijus obtained his MBA from the University of Edinburgh Business School in the United Kingdom in 2022. He also enriched his knowledge with a one-year course in E-Commerce Design from the University of the West of Scotland in 2010, following his graduation in Philology from Vilniaus Universitetas/Vilnius University, where he studied from 1997 to 2002.

Dmitrijus is widely acknowledged for his meticulous professionalism and keen attention to detail. His approachability and profound knowledge make him an invaluable asset to any organization. He empowers sales leaders and business owners to surpass their targets by equipping their sales teams with the latest, practical sales tools and methodologies.

Can you provide an overview of wowtickets and its mission in the travel booking industry?

Dmitrijus Konovalovas: Wowtickets is on a mission to redefine the travel booking industry by making it simpler and more convenient for people to explore their dream destinations and plan their journeys. Our vision is to provide a comprehensive travel platform that addresses all aspects of travel, from inspiration and mode selection to itinerary planning. We believe that the travel booking process can be complex and fragmented, and we aim to streamline it for the benefit of our customers.

Q: What inspired you to start wowtickets? What unique value does it bring to travellers compared to other booking platforms?

Dmitrijus Konovalovas: I have always been intrigued by the concept of simplifying customer journeys in the travel cycle. The inspiration for wowtickets stemmed from the complexities of planning and booking travel. The question that drove me was, “Why do travelers need to visit multiple websites and apps to plan their trips and activities?”

While we are continuously working to refine our platform, we’ve already introduced some unique features. One of them is the guarantee of itineraries even when carriers cannot fulfill them, providing travelers with the peace of mind and flexibility they need, especially in a post-pandemic world. Essentially, we cover the costs of travel disruptions, making us stand out in the industry.

How has the travel industry evolved in recent years? What role has wowtickets played in adapting to these changes?

Dmitrijus Konovalovas: The travel industry has made considerable headway over the past few years in adopting various platforms in order to serve a mixture of purposes—for instance, mobile operating systems for easy access, chat bots for enhanced efficiency, data storage and use for optimizing costs. Besides, the latest trend is AI technology for resolving complex business issues.

We’re a technology-driven company and have always believed in making technology work for our customers. We’ve built algorithms to create itineraries that other booking platforms can’t. Moreover, machine learning helps us understand our customers better by predicting behaviour patterns of the customers and alter our solutions accordingly to display tailor-made options.

In a competitive market, what strategies have you implemented to maintain wowtickets’ position as a leading travel booking platform?

Dmitrijus Konovalovas: The main focus of all our activities is our ‘customer-first’ approach. We always prioritize value for our customers in everything that we do. Even from the perspective of growth, our priority is scalability and sustainability of channels. To compete with big corporate houses, we have to be innovative and more technology savvy.

India is a competitive and price conscious market. In airline, the margins are also limited. While India has many big players in this segment, we are staying relevant by competing with them on price by either offering the same price to the customers or adjusting to go lower to attract the customers. We have competitive edge in international routes and we will continue to offer cheap flight ticket options on such routes and pass on the benefits to our customers.

At present, we are sustaining a good organic growth and foresee good demand for our ticketing products in India.

Wowtickets likely has a diverse customer base. How do you ensure that the platform caters to the needs and preferences of a wide range of travelers?

Dmitrijus Konovalovas: Diversity is one of the tenets our company values the most. We not only promote it, but also sing paeans to diversity! In the different markets we operate in, we have local experts who offer us in-depth understanding of how to approach their culture, business etiquette and opportunities.

Our local teams enable us to ensure all flights to various destinations of the country are listed at a very competitive price while also ensuring support in other services while booking the tickets. Our local experts also suggest allied services that makes the customers life easy.

Personalization is increasingly important in the travel industry. How does wowtickets use data and customer insights to provide tailored travel solutions?

Dmitrijus Konovalovas: As I mentioned earlier that the AI solutions that we are working on will exactly do this, enabling us to super personalize the customers visit on our website. Once a customer searches for relevant route on the website, they can customize their results using filters and all allied services will be personalized based on that specific search.

Our website visitors can access their search history on the homepage, even if they’re not logged in. Customers who have signed up enjoy additional benefits, including access to promo codes for discounted travel and relevant offers. We see ample opportunities in leveraging data and customer insights, and we are continually investing in features that will enable our customers to save more on their favorite destinations.

Wowtickets is known for its customer support. Could you explain the company’s approach to delivering exceptional customer service and handling any challenges that may arise during travel?

Dmitrijus Konovalovas: We believe that empathy goes a long way. We take the help of our own website and app to treat our customers the way we want to be treated. I also believe it’s very important to be in close touch with our customers because they’re the reason we are in business.

Every Wednesday, I personally go through requests from customer and reply to their queries straightaway because this helps me understand their challenges better, fine-tune our strategies and communication.

In conclusion, our interview with Mr. Dmitrijus Konovalovas has provided a fascinating glimpse into the world of wowtickets and the visionary leadership that propels it forward. As the Director and CEO, Mr. Konovalovas’s dedication to simplifying the travel experience has not only elevated the platform to new heights but has also contributed significantly to the convenience and satisfaction of millions of global travelers.

His insights into the challenges and opportunities within the travel industry, as well as his innovative approach to addressing them, showcase the dynamic and forward-thinking nature of wowtickets. We extend our appreciation to Mr. Konovalovas for sharing his time and expertise, offering a unique perspective on the past, present, and future of travel through the lens of wowtickets.

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