The Wrap: Lost or delayed baggage a thing of the past with AI?
In the news: Airlines and airports look to AI revolutionise baggage management; videos to facilitate searching and booking travel; an airline on quest to make customers happy
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Lost or delayed baggage a thing of the past with AI?
One of the biggest nightmares of m [...]
WIT launches Indie event to champion creators of unique, local experiences
WIT is launching an Indie event aimed at empowering independents and creatives at the long tail of the travel experience. The first edition of WIT Indie will be held in Penang, Malaysia, on April 13, and is supported and sponsored by Penang Institute, one of Malaysia’s leading think tanks.
T [...]
Redeam closes US$7.7M in series A funding to boost paperless ticket processing for tours and activities
Automatic ticket processing company, Redeam, has successfully raised US$7.7M in series A funding, led by Vertical Venture Partners with Thayer Ventures, JetBlue Technology Ventures, Tallwave Capital and Peninsula Ventures in participation.
Redeam develops technology that automates ticket proc [...]
Four Asian sustainable tourism startups to participate in the 2018 Booking Booster Programme
Four Asian social enterprises have qualified as part the top ten travel startups to participate in this year’s Booking Booster Programme, by Booking.com. They will join six others in Amsterdam this May to take part in a three-week long accelerator programme, designed specifically for startups work [...]
Cruising in Southeast Asia picks up steam with STB-CLIA partnership
Singapore’s ongoing efforts to develop the rapidly growing cruising industry in the city-state, as well as in Southeast Asia, receives a boost with the inking of a new three-year partnership between the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
In anno [...]
Listen to the sounds of the US: Exploring the country in immersive 3D audio
With so much attention on virtual reality to simulate a realistic experience one may tend to forget the power of sound to do the same. And that’s what Brand USA and Expedia Media Solutions are leveraging to draw travellers to the United States – through immersive 3D audio.
They recently launc [...]
Contiki launches chatbot Tiki, but asserts that travel agents are still all about the ‘human touch’
Millennial-geared tour operator Contiki has ramped up efforts to invest in smarter technology with the launch of its own chatbot, “Tiki” on Facebook Messenger.
Launched end of January, the chatbot is designed to help users (and agents) better understand which of the eight Contiki “travel st [...]
AccorHotels sells majority stake in property business arm, to use proceeds for expansion
AccorHotels announced February 27 the plans to sell a 55%t stake in its AccorInvest real estate unit for 4.4 billion euros (US$5.4 billion) cash.
The new investors are the sovereign wealth funds of Saudia Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Singapore’s GIC.
Institutional investors in [...]
The Wrap: Everyone can now say ‘hi’ from the sky
In the news: Airlines take the stage this week, not only in conferences around the region, but in touting new services for its guests. In the limelight – AirAsia, Hong Kong Airlines and, indirectly, Travelport and ACI with a new solution for airline passengers.
AVIATION: Everyone can now say [...]
In The Big Chair – Brian Chesky of Airbnb
This article was originally published in Phocuswire. Written by Jill Menze.
In just 10 years, Airbnb has grown from a modest home-share site into one of the biggest disruptors in travel. It's enjoyed the kind of success most startups can only dream about - and with a new slate of product offerin [...]
