Getting real and more human is the only way we can beat the machines, AI included
I was at the Accor Hotels Showcase last week. This is an annual roadshow put together by the fastest-growing hotel company in Asia Pacific to showcase their range of hotels across the region.
It’s an event that’s been going for 13 years (formerly named World of Accor) and Singapore was the fi [...]
Ctrip buys out Skyscanner, first move into global meta-search territory
Following Jenny Wu, chief strategy officer of Ctrip's declarations of globalisation on stage at Phocuswright last week, this doesn't come as a surprise but it's a big deal – Ctrip acquiring Skyscanner for a valuation of £1.4b.
Edinburgh-based Skyscanner, which has built out a strong global bu [...]
Technology, travel and Trump – key takeaways from Phocuswright
Call it a funnel or a sieve or whatever, let’s face it, things are changing in online travel, lines are blurring even faster than you can say “revolution” and everyone, it seems, wants to be all things to all people.
Has specialisation died at the altar of growth – imagine, Airbnb getting [...]
Letter from Los Angeles: Globalisation and experiences are the new order in a Trump world
There were several elephants in the room during the Phocuswright conference in Los Angeles this week.
Airbnb launching Trips, taking it into Experiences and Places, with Flights and Services to be added in the future; Google Now being rolled out on top of Google flights now available in 27 co [...]
Letter from a traveller: What will it be like in the new America?
Two weeks ago, I was in Amsterdam and you couldn’t find a more liberal country than Netherlands where the coffee bars serve more than caffeine and where the people speak several languages just because they have to, situated as they are in the middle of Europe.
Even then, I sensed a growing unea [...]
Tony Fernandes on retirement, egos and one AirAsia
Last week, Tan Sri Dr Tony Fernandes was awarded Airline Executive of the Year by CAPA (Centre for Aviation) in Amsterdam. In giving this award, CAPA said, “AirAsia is back at the front of the pack and Tony has once again shown why he is one of the industry’s leading executives. The original sho [...]
Future is in generic apps and WeChat is paving way for Western world, says KLM’s Pieter Elbers
For an airline that’s celebrating its 97th birthday, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has done a pretty good job of innovating in the digital space. It was the first airline to start using Facebook Messenger to communicate with its customers.
It’s been active on social media – its Lost and Found vi [...]
The common leadership traits of Qatar’s Akbar Al Baker and AirAsia’s Tony Fernandes
I had the pleasure of interviewing His Excellency, Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways, and Tan Sri Dr Tony Fernandes, group CEO, AirAsia on stage in Amsterdam last week at the CAPA Aviation Awards of Excellence 2016 and while you couldn’t find more different personalities, I was struck by what t [...]
Letter from Nikoi: Nine lessons from 12 years of WIT
I am lying on the beach in Nikoi Island, a private island retreat, off Bintan, Indonesia. This island in the Riau Archipelago was developed by former Australian banker Andrew Dixon and his partners into a back-to-nature resort for stressed out urbanites looking to reconnect with nature.
Yesterday [...]
Asia the outlier in a consolidated world: Trends That Matter to be shared at WIT
China, China, China – the three words we’ve been hearing in the US Presidential Debates that’s become the biggest reality TV show both sides of the Pacific and Atlantic. Perhaps they should add India, India, India – because when it comes to online travel, there seems to be the rest of the [...]
