Travel industry research authority Phocuswright Inc. has announced the award winners of The Travel Innovation Summit, held on Nov. 11, the first day of The Phocuswright Conference currently underway in Los Angeles, Calif. Each year, 32 innovators are selected to demonstrate groundbreaking applications and solutions that are set to change the travel industry. The winners represent the best of this elite group.

"New travel startups and legacy travel companies alike are finding incredible ways to push the travel industry to new heights – making travel easier for both the consumer and the company," said Phocuswright vice president, research, Douglas Quinby. "This year's presenting companies are amongst the most exciting we've seen present to date at The Travel Innovation Summit, and we look forward to seeing each make a greater impact on the travel industry in the future."

Winners are chosen by a panel of judges comprised of travel and technology experts, who determine the top innovation in each of three categories – startup, emerging and established. Awards were also presented for the $100,000 General Catalyst Award for Travel Innovation and the Brand USA Marketing Innovation Award. Attendees of The Phocuswright Conference determined The Travel Innovation Summit People's Choice Award.

WINNERS

• The General Catalyst Award for Travel Innovation: PassportCard International
• The Brand USA Award for Travel Marketing Innovation: bd4travel GmbH
• The 2014 Travel Innovation Summit People's Choice Award: Options Away
• The Most Innovative Startup Company: VacationFutures
• The Most Innovative Emerging Company: PassportCard International
• The Most Innovative Established Company: WorldMate Inc.

RUNNERS-UP

• The General Catalyst Award for Travel Innovation: Mozio
• The 2014 Travel Innovation Summit People's Choice Award: Nor1
• Innovative Startup Company: TableGrabber
• Innovative Emerging Company: Options Away
• Innovative Established Company: Amadeus

FINALISTS

• Innovative Startup Company: Tripscope
• Innovative Emerging Company: Distil Networks and Mozio
• Innovative Established Company: Nor1

"The Phocuswright Travel Innovation Summit has a long history of identifying companies that are transforming the travel industry by applying cutting-edge technology to innovative business models," said Joel Cutler, managing director of General Catalyst Partners. "We've had the good fortune of investing in some of the travel industry's leading technology companies and by bringing our experience to the table, we can help ensure that the great ideas uncovered at The Travel Innovation Summit have the resources they need to succeed. PassportCard International is a perfect example of innovation at work, and we're excited to watch and help them become one of the next successful brands in travel."

"As the national tourism marketing organization of the United States of America, we view innovation through a specific lens. Through our partnership with Phocuswright and as a sponsor of The Travel Innovation Summit, we are able to connect with an incredible range of talent. The Brand USA Marketing Innovation Award demonstrates our commitment to companies that are driving the future of tourism marketing," said Carroll Rheem, vice president, research and analytics for Brand USA.

ABOUT THE COMPANIES

Options Away allows travelers to lock in flight prices for days or weeks while finalizing their travel plans. VacationFutures is a rental marketplace that guarantees income for all rental weeks in one transaction. Worldmate Inc. helps travelers save big on hotels. Distil Networks protects price listings, online content and brand reputation from bots. TableGrabber provides dynamic pricing for restaurants. Mozio is your ground transportation technology partner. Nor1 delivers targeted, relevant upsell offers to guests. bd4travel GmbH is customer-centric shopping brought to life. Amadeus' new mobile app puts the passenger first. PassportCard International is real-time travel insurance. TripScope modernizes the travel agent experience through interactive mobile technology.

View all Travel Innovation Summit demonstrations, Center Stage presentations and more via the free online ticket. On-demand content is available through March 31, 2015.

ABOUT PHOCUSWRIGHT INC.

Phocuswright is the travel industry research authority on how travelers, suppliers and intermediaries connect. Independent, rigorous and unbiased, Phocuswright fosters smart strategic planning, tactical decision-making and organizational effectiveness.

Phocuswright delivers qualitative and quantitative research on the evolving dynamics that influence travel, tourism and hospitality distribution. Our marketplace intelligence is the industry standard for segmentation, sizing, forecasting, trends, analysis and consumer travel planning behavior. Every day around the world, senior executives, marketers, strategists and research professionals from all segments of the industry value chain use Phocuswright research for competitive advantage.

To complement its primary research in North and Latin America, Europe and Asia, Phocuswright produces several high-profile conferences in the United States and Europe, and partners with conferences in China, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Industry leaders and company analysts bring this intelligence to life by debating issues, sharing ideas and defining the ever-evolving reality of travel commerce.

The company is headquartered in the United States with Asia Pacific operations based in India and local analysts on five continents.

Phocuswright is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northstar Travel Media, LLC. (116 32nd Street, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10001 United States). www.phocuswright.com

ABOUT NORTHSTAR TRAVEL GROUP

Northstar Travel Group is the leading provider of business-to-business news, information, data, transactions and custom content solutions for the travel, meetings and hospitality industries. Brands under the Northstar umbrella include Travel Weekly, Travel Weekly China, Travel Weekly Asia, TravelAge West, Business Travel News, Phocuswright, Meetings & Conventions, M&C China, Web in Travel and Inntopia. Northstar is the industry leader in marketing solutions, custom content communications, content licensing and database management serving the travel and meetings industries. The company produces more than 52 face-to-face events, taking place in North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Northstar is based in Secaucus, NJ, and is a portfolio company of EagleTree Capital. www.northstartravelgroup.com

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