WiT Middle East Watch: Abu Dhabi uses tech and big data to target messaging, Air taxis aim to improve mobility in big cities, UAE blocks China flights, OYO expecting double digit growth from UAE
Abu Dhabi uses tech and big data to target messaging
The
Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) is partnering Sojern
to benefit from the latter’s real-time travel audience targeting capabilities to
understand travellers’ booking behaviour and employ targeted marketing
[...]
RedDoorz launches KoolKost to reinvent co-living in Indonesia
Following its last fund raise of US$70 million, and as had been flagged by CEO and co-founder, Amit Saberwal, RedDoorz has launched a new co-living brand, KoolKost, which it describes as “an affordable, long-term fully managed community living service that allows customers to rent rooms under fle [...]
WiT Middle East Watch: Emirates to Penang, Bird buys Circ, Saudi startups get funding boost
News Roundup: Penang gets ME connection; Micromobility could see quick growth in ME with Circ acquisition; Attention please: Saudi-based startups hit investment record high
Penang gets ME connection
Photo by Getty Images
Fans of
Penang rejoice: Emirates has announced plans for a new daily [...]
How a virus can bring travel to its knees, but we needn’t stay down
So what can
I write about the Wuhan coronavirus that hasn’t been written about already? How
many new cases? How many more infections? How many more countries?
What can I
write about it and its worst possible timing? That it happened during Lunar New
Year, the biggest travel season for China, [...]
From Scoot to Swoop, from hot to cold: Greenway on surviving in Canada and the future of the airline seat
To say that it’s been a major adjustment for Steven Greenway, as he went from Scoot to Swoop, is probably the understatement of the year. Not only was it a change in model, from low cost to ultra low cost (yes, that’s the new term these days, ULCC), it was also a switch from the tropics to the [...]
Letter from Penang: Going batty in Green Acres and getting lost in Garden of Evening Mists
With sustainability such a hot topic these days, you can imagine my excitement when I heard a team of bat researchers from Rimba Research was doing field work at Penang Green Acres the day I was due to visit Eric and Kim Chong at their durian farm last week.
I was
curious as to what research th [...]
Amid sustainability concerns, cruises get set to sail into the big-time in Asia; travel agents urged to wake up
Just as the word “sustainability” has taken the aviation world by storm, with flight shaming impacting air travel in Sweden and Europe, in particular, cruise companies are also bracing themselves for potential backlash against their industry.
When asked for one key development in 2019, whic [...]
In 2020, mind the facts, ask key questions and channel Rihanna
We couldn’t have asked for a more spectacular way to mark the end of a decade in Asia – the annular solar eclipse on December 26. According to experts, the next time this will occur in our part of the world will be in 2063 and given I won’t be able to wait that long, I didn’t want to miss i [...]
Top 3 Lessons of 2019, Part 3
We continue our series on top lessons learnt in 2019, a pivotal year as we enter a new decade. What are yours?
Angel Llull Mancas, vice president and managing director, Asia Pacific, Booking.com
1. It’s all about the experience. A trip is more than just where you lay your head. That’s [...]
Top 3 Lessons of 2019, Part 2
We continue our series of Top 3 Lessons learnt in 2019 as travel industry leaders share their reflections on the pivotal year that was, and how they will prepare for the year ahead. What are yours?
Greg Schulze, senior vice president, Expedia Group
1. Success requires us to operate under [...]