Big ideas, big shifts: Hospitality tech’s generational moment
Phocuswright Europe 2025’s hospitality tech panel featuring leaders from Lighthouse, Mews, and Hostaway made one thing clear: innovation in hospitality is no longer optional – it’s inevitable, and AI is leading the charge.
If there was any doubt that hospitality tech was due for disruption, t [...]
End of an era: SHATEC tipped to close after 42 years
A turning point for Singapore’s hospitality industry
The impending closure of SHATEC, Singapore’s first dedicated hospitality school, marks a significant turning point in the evolution of the city-state’s tourism and hospitality sector.
Founded in 1983 by the late Pakir Singh, then-preside [...]
“Still human at the core”: Klook’s Sarah Wan on conscious travel, AI content and future of experiences
In an age of algorithmic itineraries and AI influencers, Sarah Wan, General Manager, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, of Klook, reminds us that the future of travel is still deeply, messily human. “At the end of the day,” she said during WiT’s Travel Tech Thursday session in Kuala Lumpur, � [...]
The constant battle: How Booking.com’s security chief fights travel scams at scale
For cybercriminals, the travel industry has become a lucrative new target and it’s not hard to see why. Big money, emotional stakes, digital self-service, and a globally distributed ecosystem of users and suppliers make the perfect storm for fraudsters.
At the centre of the fight is Marnie Wilk [...]
B2B gets personal, local and powerful: The new rules of engagement in travel tech
At WiT Japan & North Asia 2025, a conversation around the B2B travel tech landscape revealed one thing: the back end is no longer background noise. It’s where real travel innovation is happening.
Moderated by WiT’s founder Siew Hoon Yeoh, the panel brought together industry leaders Eric Zhu [...]
The Soundtrack of Serendipity: From Cardiff choirs to Stockholm street beats
Your desk is, I believe, a good reflection of who you are. On mine, I have a giant mug that says, “Organised people are just too lazy to look for things.” Beside it is a framed photo of David Bowie, quote, “I don't know where I’m going from here but I promise it won’t be boring.”
So, [...]
Code, context, and culture: How Japanese OTAs are wielding AI for the next travel wave
Biggest obstacle is lack of “shared data standards and open infrastructure”, says KabuK’s Sunada
In the bustling intersection of tradition and technology that defines modern Japan, a quiet but profound transformation is underway in the travel space – driven not by hype, but by the pragmatic [...]
Alipay+ integrates Voyager, AI travel companion, into its digital wallets
OTA launch partners include Agoda, Fliggy and Trip.com
Ant International has launched Alipay+ Voyager, an AI travel companion integrated into its digital wallets, a move that takes the company beyond payments, and giving travellers more reasons to stay within its wallet ecosystem.
Its OTA launch [...]
Expedia’s Shilpa Ranganathan: Not about shiny but simple, intuitive tech
For Shilpa Ranganathan, product leadership isn’t about shiny tech – it’s about trust, empathy, and making travel feel effortless.
Speaking at Phocuswright Europe, the Chief Product Officer of Expedia Group laid out her vision for how AI and human-centred design can radically simplify the comp [...]
From cruises to soba tours, experiences on fire
“The tours and activities sector is having a breakout moment.” That’s how Yuki Hayashi, CTO of VELTRA, opened panel on “Tours & Activities On A Rising Tide” at WiT Japan & North Asia 2025. And judging by the numbers and ideas flying across the stage, he’s not exaggerating.
Tou [...]
