From Jumbo crabs to jumbo jet: The aircraft that changed travel and shrank the world
Last night, I headed to Jumbo at the East Coast Seafood Centre to have chilli crabs. It’s not a place I frequent often because well, as locals, we usually avoid places that are popular with tourists and having not had many visitors the last couple of years, I had almost forgotten it was there.
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Expedia’s accelerator bet on inclusion and diversity pays off
Final pitch day for 12 finalists set for May
Expedia Group’s bet on launching an accelerator focused on inclusion and diversity last September appears to have paid off, with 12 startups joining its first cohort.
In an interview with WiT, Aditi Mohapatra, vice president, Global Social Impact an [...]
The dance of the golden lion: We’re all experts by now
As I watched the golden lion perform its dance last night at the Lunar New Year celebration hosted by Sentosa Development Corporation last night, I couldn’t help but relate it to the very similar stunts and manoeuvres we in travel have had to make to survive the pandemic and come out the other sid [...]
New world meets old as an ambitious FREED acquires Connexus Travel
Digital and smart merchandising solutions company, FREED GROUP, has acquired Hong Kong’s oldest travel agency, Connexus Travel (formerly Swire Travel), to expand and extends its reach into travel.
The acquisition, details of which were not disclosed, blends the technology expertise of FREED, wh [...]
Eric Ricaurte: From voice in the wilderness to “travel’s most wanted man”
After years of toiling away at the fringe, Greenview finds its moment in time
FOR more than two decades, his was a voice in the wilderness. Although Eric Ricaurte started his company, Greenview, to focus on sustainability practices in hospitality, in 2008, the Singapore-based executive has been inv [...]
What do metaverse, ChatGPT mean for a destination like Singapore?
Blended answers, by man and machine
Keith Tan, chief executive officer of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), opened his agency’s media briefing this week by jesting, “I’d like to confirm that ChatGPT didn’t write the press release.” (See related article)
Curious, I decided to start a [...]
Looking to double numbers in 2023, Singapore plots path to full recovery
Amid changing customer trends, STB to invest $110m in events, plans Rewards scheme
ON the Grab ride I took to attend the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) media briefing this morning – to unveil its 2022 tourism results – the driver told me he used to run one of Singapore’s top limousine transfer [...]
Say hi to hybrid hospitality in the name of lyf
Ascott bets big on coliving brand, eyes 150 by 2030
AT lyf one-north, Singapore, they try to do everything differently, down to the smallest detail. For example, Genevieve Khua, whose official title is country director – revenue management and area manager, lyf (Singapore), carries a name card th [...]
The art of conversations: The difference between an AI GPT and Human GPT
Tip: Make sure the way you speak cannot be replicated by a machine
After having had lots of morning conversations with my new-found friend, GPT, you can imagine my delight when I got to mingle with real humans at an arts event the other evening in Singapore.
First, I had to adjust myself to a hu [...]
The silver linings playbook for travel in 2023
AMID the dark clouds gathering that could dampen travel – recession, inflation, an ongoing war, pandemic still in play – it’s good to focus on the silver linings. So, we asked a selection of travel industry leaders for the silver lining they’re keeping their eye on.
Ross Veitch, C [...]
