Independents in travel will gather in Penang this week to focus on recovery and sustaining strategies as the industry copes with the global travel and tourism fall-out.
“Whether we are in the midst of a crisis or not, creating and running sustainable businesses should always be our agenda. As independents and entrepreneurs, this becomes even more critical.
“William Bao Bean of SOSV Capital says it’s the cockroaches, the survivors, who can really take advantage of this tough environment to build the next generation of leaders. We will consider those at WiT Indie to be the survivors and leaders,” said Yeoh Siew Hoon, founder of WiT.
The third edition of WiT Indie, to be held at the Penang Institute, will feature not just travel personalities, but outsiders and creatives to hold conversations with entrepreneurs in the food space; discussions around how independents should navigate the OTA landscape and control their own distribution destiny; in-destination opportunities; selling in the digital age; and the future of startups.
One of the highlights will be an interview with Reza Cockrell, founder of The Habitat Penang Hill who will share his ideas on leading Penang’s eco-tourism charge and his influence and impact beyond Malaysia, and how he intends to make his business sustainable, both financially and for the environment.
This week, the Wit Podcast was launched featuring an interview with Singapore Tourism Board’s CEO Keith Tan. Asked how destinations in hot zones should move forward, Tan’s advice is not to focus on visitor numbers. “What’s more important is to preserve your destinations, brand equity, double down on what is distinctive about your destination, and focus on that. keep hammering on those attributes in your recovery marketing efforts. And make sure that people don’t forget those attributes”.
To take part in these conversations, register for WiT Indie. The full programme can be found here.
In 2020, WiT will hold the following events:
• WiT Indie, Penang (March 13)
• WiT Europe @ Phocuswright (May 18 –20)
• WiT Africa, Cape Town (May 28)
• WiT Japan & North Asia, Tokyo (July 2 – 3)
• WiT Singapore 2020 (September 28 – 30)
• WiT Seoul (October 29)
• WiT Middle East, Dubai (November 24)
