Free mobile guide to ITB Asia
Visitors to this year’s ITB Asia from October 19-21 can download a free guide to the show on their mobile phones.The ITB Asia Mobile Guide features a map of the ITB Asia exhibitions grounds, programme of the ITB Asia and partner events, press conferences, list of all exhibitors, places of inte [...]
Copenhagen has found its new niche: organic cuisine
Copenhagen has found a new focus! Organic, fresh, Scandinavian inspired cuisine.It's been a few years since I've been to Copenhagen. Of course there is the world renowned Little Mermaid, which I unexpectedly saw again last year at the Danish pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai. And then t [...]
Court’s ruling in Singapore Tourism Board’s favour ends Listen saga
The Court of Appeal of Singapore, on 10 February, dismissed with costs an appeal by British event organiser Anthony Hollingsworth (Hollingsworth) against an earlier High Court order on, inter alia, a sum of over S$6 million (US$4.7 million) to be returned to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).This ru [...]
Expedia counts on exclusive AirAsia inventory as it executes JV in S’pore, India and Japan
Just got back from my catch-up with Dan Lynn, managing director of Expedia AirAsia, and what should I see on the way home? A bus emblazoned with Expedia.com.sg saying, “Don’t let the best travel deals pass you by”. Expedia Singapore (pictured below) is the first full service Expedia brand [...]
Destinations brace for Japan travel fallout but other markets remain strong
Countries in Asia Pacific are bracing themselves for a sharp drop in travel to and from Japan following last Friday's earthquake and tsunami but Europe, US and ASEAN may fill the void, observers say.Buying patterns at a recent travel fair and statistics from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA [...]
Discovering Hong Kong the virtual way
Cathay Pacific and the Hong Kong Tourism Board have created an app, in conjunction with McCann Erickson and XS2Theworld, that is touted as "a world class app for a world class city".Whether you want to hang out in a funky bar, go for some retail therapy or book a room, the “DiscoverHongKong. [...]
Dispatch from Dubai, Part 2: No longer as bold but still the biggest Transit Cafe
The last time I visited Dubai, the you-know-what had not happened. So I was curious to see how much had changed post-The Big Bubble Pop.For one, the traffic is lighter. It took me no time to get from Park Hyatt Dubai to the Palm Jumeirah, for instance. The new monorail and two additional expressways [...]
‘I didn’t build my business on algorithms’
“I didn’t build my business out of algorithms. I built it with people.”That’s the message I will most take away from the past two weeks as I traveled through Jakarta, Bali, Bangkok and Phuket, meeting and listening to hoteliers and restaurant owners whose fortunes are affected in one way or [...]
Smackdown: Those who know travel vs those who know technology
Attending the WTTC’s Global Travel & Tourism Council Summit in Las Vegas last week, I was struck anew by the divide between the traditional side of the travel business – those who’ve built up the business the brick and mortar way – and those who’ve used technology to disrupt it.It is c [...]
A stark warning from an old master who should know better
Four or five years ago I used to attend seminars and presentations with eager young things championing the Internet as the place where people should really be investing large parts of their marketing budget.Often these views were challenged and, in some cases positively lambasted, by others (often f [...]
