Travel prices are expected to rise sharply in 2019, with hotels going up 3.7 percent, and flights 2.6 percent, driven by a growing global economy and rising oil prices, according to the fifth annual Global Travel Forecast, published by the Global Business Travel Association and Carlson Wagonlit Travel with the support of the Carlson Family Foundation. Michael W. McCormick, GBTA executive director and COO, said that while most major markets appear to be trending in the right direction, downside risks remain for the global economy given the rise of protectionist policies, the risk of stoking trade wars and Brexit uncertainty. Kurt Ekert, CEO of CWT, said the future of corporate travel can be summed up as “accelerated personalization” – with mobile technology, artificial intelligence, machine learning and predictive analytics all playing their part. He said, “Success is tied to technology, with sophisticated data-crunching at the very heart of it.”