Don’t be a grumpy traveller, be a happy one – follow these Vacation Rules
You’ve met Rod Cuthbert, the travel entrepreneur, the founder of Viator and currently the interim chairman of Rome2Rio. Now meet Rod Cuthbert, the author.The Melbourne-based executive has self-published a book called “Vacation Rules: A Guide to Travel Happiness”, co-authored with psychologi [...]
Keeping it 100% Pure but adding people and driving digital key to TNZ’s strategy in Asia
One of the first things Kevin Bowler, chief executive of Tourism New Zealand, did when he came into the job three years ago was to ensure the images of the 100% Pure campaign that appeared in markets in Asia had people in it.“It’s a very successful campaign, 13 years now, but it tended to be foc [...]
Psy and Penang and what they have in common
Try as I have, I can’t seem to get away from Psy.So there I was on my home island to usher in the snake year with my family and along comes the news that the Gangnam phenomenon had been hired to perform at the Prime Minister’s Chinese New Year gathering in Penang.For those who are unaware, Penan [...]
Love is in the air or else it only happens on other flights
Okay, it’s Valentine’s Day so no surprises when we got a press release from Wego telling us that love is in the air.Their latest survey tells us that cupid’s arrow strikes in any location, even at 35,000 feet, and that passengers have reported seeing a number of marriage proposals, break ups [...]
villa-finder.com’s focus on content and customers paying off
A new travel start-up, which aims to make villa bookings easier across the region, is seeing good traction with its first play, villa-bali.com. Managing director David Chambat, formerly of TVTrip, said Sri Lanka would go live next quarter, followed by a rollout to other Asian resort destinations.“ [...]
No, I am not getting rid of my BB and here’s why – WITX set for Bangkok, April 26
Everytime my friends see my Blackberry, they say, “It’s time to ditch that.” That’s even before it got scratched and dented and now has bits falling off – actually bits have fallen off but hey, it still works.One friend even took a photo of it because he couldn’t believe how anything cou [...]
Killing time in Kuching: New players changing the hotel scene
A few years ago when you visited Kuching, Sarawak, you didn’t have much choice as to where to stay.There were the international chain hotels – Holiday Inn or Hilton and now the Pullman and Four Points – and a few local hotels, and not much of anything else that was interesting or with the kind [...]
The Internet, a retailer’s best friend, if you know how to use it
Just completed the book “The Little Bookstore at Big Stone Gap”and I think it should be compulsory reading for every retailer – whether you’re selling travel, books, music or anything that’s been commoditized by the Internet.Billed as “a memoir of friendship, community and the uncommon [...]
I love to fight, it brings out the best in me, says new AirAsia Expedia boss
Caught up with Kathleen Tan, the new CEO for AirAsia Expedia, the weekend after the news was announced and she was visibly thrilled about the new challenge. With this move, she returns to Singapore after almost nine years away, takes on a chief executive role in a company that has great expectation [...]
A story about paper and chickens – there is a point
I was reading an article the other day about development work being done on a tablet that looks and feels like paper, and I couldn’t help but think, isn’t it interesting – the more advanced we get, the more we yearn for simple, or the way it used to be.We spent most of the last decade trying t [...]
