5 November 2009 We need people to make the online world go round That was the clear message that came across at WIT - the industry's growth will be hampered by the lack of talent. So what are we going to do about it, asks Yeoh Siew Hoon. Yesterday, I popped into a new salad bar opened by a hotelier friend and his son and amid chomping on healthy greens, we talked about what were some of his biggest problems he faced opening this new business...MORE Conversations from the Online Chat Room, Part 1 So there they were, the three heads of three of the region's leading online travel websites... The toughest thing Robbie Cooke, CEO of Wotif, had to do in the last 18 months was to make the decision to invest despite all the signals saying the world was headed for Armageddon...MORE More bites from the online chat room Meta-search will still be evolving in three years time Mobile is already here, and will be a hygiene factor: Robbie Cooke (Wotif), pictured right, and Adrian Currie (Agoda). Social media: There's something there but we aren't sure. All are dipping their toes... MORE Tapping Vietnam, India and China Vietnam, India and China - what do they have in common? Opportunities abound for anyone willing to venture into these three rather "volatile" and challenging markets to tap their potential but to tap them, one has to know about their traits and idiosyncrasies. Three leading travel players in these markets share their know-how on working their markets at the recent... MORE Webjet defies no-fee challenge Sales continues to grow in October Webjet Australia continues to defy critics who said their sales would falter in the face of no booking fees from competitors Expedia and Travelocity. The company announced a further significant acceleration of TTV (Total Transaction Volume) growth in October. ... MORE Let the tweets tell the story, Part 2 Here's a summary of the rest of the tweets during the WIT Ideas Lab on October 22-23. Karthik Siva: Raise value instead of cutting costs Tony Fernandez is my hero - Patrick Imbardeli,CEO Pan Pacific Starbucks is my hero - Simon Nowroz of Travelport... MORE Official Daily Publication: 4Hoteliers.com Hoteliers and OTA's, Partners or Opponents? 27 Oct 2009 - The firestorm, which began when the negotiations between Choice Hotels and Expedia broke down on October 15th, stirred-up a lot of deep-seated feelings about OTA's and Expedia in particular...MORE Other News 29 Oct 2009 MyStrok@WIT raises funds for local communities in Thailand 29 Oct 2009 10 ideas to tame the social media beast 29 Oct 2009 Let the tweets tell the story, Part 1 29 Oct 2009 Collaboration, the way of the future

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