Tourism Hub Podcast with Despina Karatzias

Author: Institute of Excellence

Do you live and love tourism? Want to build and grow your tourism business and career? Tourism Hub will provide inspiration and education that will empower and ignite your excellence. Each week, I, your host, Despina Karatzias, will share insights and journeys of entrepreneurs and leaders in tourism. Our main aim is to learn proven strategies in tourism, digital marketing and social media and everything in between together to inspire YOUR excellence. Subscribe now and ignite your tourism excellence today. If you want to help ignite the tourism industry with a message of excellence Subscribe on iTunes (http://apple.co/2cbmgVx) and stay connected with special experience maker interviews, insights and inspiration to grow your tourism business and career.
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088 | Driving Regional Tourism Through Technology, Data, and Innovation
Episode 88
Monday, 29 June, 2026

In this episode, recorded live at the Australian Regional Tourism Convention in Adelaide, Despina Karatzias sits down with Gary Fog of Bookeasy to talk technology, distribution and the visitor economy. Gary shares his 20-plus years across commercial tourism, from the Wyndham Group to a start-up with Beyond a Holiday and how a tap on the shoulder led him to Bookeasy. The conversation covers Bookeasy's recent acquisition by the G'day Group and the capital investment now fuelling its technology, the mission of keeping commissions and bookings local rather than flowing to overseas OTAs, and how the platform helps smaller regional operators digitise and distribute their product. Gary also offers practical guidance for operators weighing up off-the-shelf SaaS versus bespoke software, building a clear distribution strategy and a direct database, and where AI might take the industry next. In this episode: Gary's journey through 20-plus years of commercial tourism and how he landed at Bookeasy Bookeasy's acquisition by the G'day Group and what the capital investment unlocks Keeping it local, why retaining commissions regionally matters alongside the OTAs Helping smaller and newer operators digitise their business and get their product to market Off-the-shelf SaaS versus bespoke software, and choosing a proven, well-integrated platform Building a clear distribution strategy, chasing direct bookings and nurturing your own database Episode Chapter 01:07 Gary's background: 20+ years in tourism and joining Bookeasy 02:13 Where Bookeasy is now: the G'day Group acquisition and capital investment02:46 Keeping commissions local and helping smaller operators digitize03:39 Why marketing has a cost: bringing new operators on board04:48 AI and the future of the visitor-servicing network05:01 Bookeasy's role with visitor centres, RTOs, and distribution channels06:04 "Think global, start local": distribution and the circular economy06:39 Off-the-shelf SaaS vs. building bespoke software07:59 Advice for operators starting fresh or switching platforms09:23 CRM, databases, and marketing to guests directly Connect with Gary Fog LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-fog-3833984/ Bookeasy: https://www.bookeasy.com/ Subscribe: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com/podcast/ Spotify: https://bit.ly/4nN1Faa Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/47zOkM4 Despina Karatzias: https://www.despinakaratzias.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/despinakaratzias/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/despinakaratzias/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@desikaratzias Institute of Excellence: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Excellence HQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tourismhubpodcast/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/instituteofexcellence/