Letter from Tokyo: Why did you come to Japan? A tale of Japanese influence on youthful dreams
On the Japan Airlines flight over from Singapore, I caught a television programme made by Tokyo TV called “Why did you come to Japan?”
Clearly launched on the back of the inbound boom to Japan, it basically catches visitors at Narita airport unawares, asks them their reason for coming to the [...]
Concerns over Google and what “cockroach” startup Rome2rio is doing to make buses, boats and trains bookable
Yeoh Siew Hoon catches up with Rome2rio executive chairman Rod Cuthbert over breakfast at a café in Amsterdam where he frets about the growing power of Google and talks about the evolution of multi-modal travel as well as how the Melbourne-based “cockroach” startup intends to compete in a world [...]
Goodbye MISA Travel, “last of the Mohicans”
The revocation of the travel agency licence of MISA Travel on May 30 is indicative of the growing challenges facing traditional travel agencies in Singapore.
In its advisory, the Singapore Tourism Board stated that the notice was served “as it has ceased to carry on the business of a travel age [...]
JTB buys Kuoni, the Samurais fight back, get set for a fiery WIT Japan
The news of JTB Corporation acquiring all shares of Kuoni Global Travel Services, making it the world’s largest DMC, is yet another sign of the emergence of Asia travel brands on the global scene.
As the Asia market grows in importance and scale, and their customers fan out across the world in [...]
Letter from Amsterdam Part 2: Fear of ghosts and bikes, and trends that rock in Asia
In Amsterdam, I stayed at the Grand Amrath Hotel. It’s reputed to be haunted. I didn’t know it because unlike 80% of travellers who read reviews before they book a hotel, I didn’t do any research.
I stayed there because it was the hotel of choice for the Phocuswright team. It’s a very [...]
Letter from Amsterdam: Fretting over Google, obsessing about data and customers and lessons from Lola
At Schiphol these days, they still give you free WiFi for an hour, but on the condition that you have to complete a survey. If you don’t wish to do that, then you can pay for premium access.
It’s a fair exchange, I reckon. You shouldn’t get something for nothing and it is clear that travel [...]
How airlines should prepare for the future as China and big data disrupt aviation
It is clear that disruptive forces are coming “faster and bigger than you think” to change aviation – the question is, are the airlines ready for it?
Peter Harbison, executive chairman of Sydney-based Centre for Aviation (CAPA), opening the Airline Leader Summit in Dublin last week, believe [...]
Behind the Shangri-La & Taj partnership: A new vision of loyalty
I have three dogs so I know a little about loyalty. We love our pooches because they love us unconditionally and it doesn’t matter how we treat them, their loyalty is unstinting.
We humans are different. Some of us are more loyal than others and our loyalty is conditional on many factors.
In [...]
Letter from Seoul: Tensions there may be but in travel, it’s business unusual as competition heats up and mobile rules
Over Korean barbecue with real beef (my Korean hosts insist on using the adjective, which makes me wonder if there’s a lot of fake beef going round like news), I asked my friends, “How do you think living in a place that’s always in the middle of tensions and threats of nuclear bombs shape you [...]
Eight lessons for startups from the sci-fi world
I believe every now and then we should venture into uncharted territory, whether that’s in travel or in life in general, and so when I was asked to get involved in the first science fiction conference in Hong Kong, I didn’t hesitate.
Melon, founded by Fritz Demopoulos, serial entrepreneur and c [...]
