Philip Wolf, founder of Phocuswright, died on March 16, at the age of 64, after a short illness.
Philip championed online travel in the late 80s. According to the Phocuswright website, he “stumbled” into the travel industry in 1989, as the head of a small agency where, as ceo, he quickly made a name for himself.
He was ceo of a travel booking engine pioneer in 1991, and launched Phocuswright, the internet travel research company, in 1994. This all happened before the internet was a reality for most citizens.
Philip coined the phrase “OTA.”
“Travel, tourism and hospitality leaders, struggling to grasp the Internet’s seismic impact, quickly recognised his unique outlook, digital DNA and business acumen.. The company he masterminded is now the premier source for travel, tourism and hospitality intelligence. Nearly every industry pitch and presentation today contains a slide stamped: "Source: Phocuswright.", said a biography on the site.
Phocuswright managing director Pete Comeau said: “Philip was more than our founder; he was Phocuswright’s guiding light. A legend and pioneer of online travel and travel tech, he touched so many in the industry. He gave freely of his knowledge and expertise, and we are all poorer with his loss.”
