View from Abacus: Asia’s the place to be and mobile favours intermediaries
While air passenger volume has moderated in the second half of the year, Asia’s the best place to be at right now, affirmed Abacus International at its International Conference in Seoul this week.
“The industry is still healthy, growth is still ahead that of last year and the money is [...]
Letter from Seoul: A land of high status and fast connectivity
I think I’ve still got garlic on my breath from my 36-hour whiz biz trip to Seoul. They consume raw garlic there like they do their gadgets.Must say bulgogi (left) wrapped in green leaf topped with raw garlic and soy bean paste is yummy-licious and because everyone’s doing it, no one notices it [...]
Keep it simple and loyalty works, plus it defends against disintermediation
Hotels.com is seeing good traction with its Welcome Rewards loyalty scheme which was rolled out in Asia a year ago. Globally, the programme has six million members.Johan Svanstrom, vice president and managing director for Asia Pacific, said it was seeing “great pick-up in all markets, particularl [...]
Unplugged 480: How a start-up in wired Tokyo survives the challenge
Ian Ishida, CEO of Japanese start-up Trippiece, left the digital world for 48 hours and not only passed the test but, in the process, discovered the analog world is just as important for him.6 October 2012 Start of the Unplugged 480 challengeDay 1Every morning my iPhone alarm usually wakes me up, b [...]
The Wrap: Jetstar’s first travel shop debuts in Jakarta
In the news – Jetstar, Tiger Airways, Trust, ONYX, Asiana, Sabre, SATS, SITAJetstar’s first Travel Shop debuts in JakartaThe Jetstar Group has opened its first travel shop in Jakarta, Indonesia, making it even easier for Indonesian customers to book and pay for any fare across the entire Jets [...]
Taiwan: A change is gonna come
I recently returned from Taipei, love the city and its street life – a quirky mix of Chinese and Japanese flavours – and it made me realize it’s the only market in North Asia now that doesn’t have a home-based low cost carrier. Ya, sad.Most people go to Taipei to rave about the beef noodles [...]
If video is the new text, it needs different story-telling skills
Once upon a time, there was a guest who stayed at the Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney. His name was Philip Bloom and his website lists him as a film maker and director.He shot a timelapse film of Sydney Harbour Bridge filmed over one night – his blog tells the making of the video which he uploaded o [...]
WIT start-ups get chance to plug into AirAsia’s TuneLabs in new partnership
Entrepreneurs taklng part in the WIT Start-Up Pitch next Monday in Singapore will have the opportunity to test their ideas with AirAsia’s customers, following an agreement struck last week between Web In Travel and Asia’s largest low cost carrier to spur innovation and entrepreneurship in As [...]
Win an AirAsia X ticket to Taipei – Instagram Competition #unpluggedwit2012
So you missed out on being a braveheart in our Unplugged 480 experiment? That’s ok! Here’s one more chance for you to take part in yet another.Upload a photo via Instagram with a hashtag #unpluggedwit2012 and show us exactly, just how YOU get unplugged.Winning IG entry will be announced at the [...]
Unplugged 480: A teenager’s nightmare
When my godmother (Siew Hoon) asked me to give up technology for 48 hours, I thought, “meh, it can’t be that bad.” Both last year and this year, I had given up food for 40-hours to raise money for hungry kids in Ethiopia.I figured, if I could give up food, something that was actually essentia [...]