As we count down to Phocuswright Europe, taking place in Barcelona from June 10 through June 12, PhocusWire is shining the spotlight on a selection of conference speakers in a series of Q&As.
Pablo Castillo, chief technology officer and CEO of Chain4Travel, will take part in a hot spot session on June 11.
Below, Castillo opens up about what he’s currently working on, the challenges the travel industry faces and more.
What are you working on currently that excites you?
We’re working on several interesting projects, but one of the most exciting right now is connecting the travel industry to Camino Messenger, the blockchain-based distribution platform. Lufthansa Group is pioneering this movement with us—they recently hosted a hackathon involving 13 partners to explore concrete applications.
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What truly excites me is the potential to reduce distribution costs by up to 98%. That’s transformative for an industry long burdened by legacy systems and high distribution and payment costs.
And it doesn’t stop there: Camino Messenger is also 75% faster to integrate (cutting time-to-market from months to just five to 10 days), 50% more sustainable (with significantly lower carbon dioxide emissions) and enables 25% faster response times compared to traditional tech.
We’re also proud to be collaborating at the European level—contributing to initiatives around the EU ID Wallet [EU Digital Identity Wallet] and the digital euro. This adds another layer of innovation: secure, interoperable identity and payment infrastructure designed for real-world travel use cases.
What are the greatest challenges you currently face?
Gaining attention for new tech isn’t the issue—the industry is curious and recognizes the need for change. The real challenge lies in turning that curiosity into action. Innovation is often deprioritized in favor of maintaining existing systems, which consume enormous resources. The result: limited bandwidth for strategic transformation. We’re working to shift that mindset by showing not just the necessity but the immediate benefits of innovation.
What sectors in travel are ripe for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and why?
Travel technology companies in travel are especially ripe for M&A. Many companies have built niche solutions that are either not scalable or deeply siloed. Consolidating these could create interoperable platforms that streamline distribution, payment and communication across sectors. Additionally, travel fintech—especially companies solving cross-border payment and settlement—is gaining momentum and interest from larger players looking to innovate with new solutions, e.g. stablecoins.
What has been your greatest missed opportunity?
In hindsight, we could have engaged the airline sector even earlier. Their distribution challenges are enormous, and the Camino Messenger could have added value months ago. But as with many innovations, timing and market readiness are everything—and now the momentum is here.
What do you think are the greatest challenges the industry faces?
The biggest challenge is the discrepancy created by legacy infrastructure. Many systems in travel tech were not built to scale or integrate with others. This fragmentation creates inefficiencies and hinders innovation. In addition, upcoming EU [European Union] initiatives such as digital wallets or digital payments will reshape the way the industry operates—and those who don’t adapt quickly risk becoming irrelevant.
Phocuswright Europe 2025
Join us June 10 to 12 in Barcelona, where Pablo Castillo of Chain4Travel will take part in a hot spot session.