WiT Europe puts spotlight on two markets for the future, Asia and Middle East
In two weeks’ time, WiT will be back in Amsterdam, putting the spotlight on Asia and for the first time, Middle East. For companies looking for new growth, these two regions are critical for the future.
In the past four months, we have held events in Malaysia, Dubai and Seoul and one thing’ [...]
Letter from Seoul: Travel market has all the makings of a K-drama like Mr Sunshine
Someone once asked me why WiT was in Seoul. My answers were simple. It is the second largest outbound market in Asia, after China. Consumers are changing faster than traditional travel players. Into that vacuum has entered global OTAs and local startups that are rewriting the rules of the game.
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Helicopter ride-sharing pioneer Ascent flying high
Ride-sharing has gone up to the skies with newcomer Ascent joining the fray with a pioneering concept – helicopter ride-sharing.
The Singapore-based startup, founded last year, has already seen some initial success in Philippines where it started its service earlier this month with support fro [...]
Spoiler alert. GOT Season 8: No one dies – yet, just like online travel
War chests have been
replenished, battle moves have been made, welcome to travel’s own GOT (Game of
Online Travel) Season 2019
If you are a Game of Thrones fan, you will know the first two episodes have largely been helping us to catch up on the story, and none of the main characters has died [...]
From Ain Dubai to the Red Sea, travel brands jostle to find their groove in a booming market
On the morning after WiT Middle East ended, I went for a walk across from Jumeirah Beach to Bluewaters Island, a new development that boasts 132 shops and restaurants, Caesars Palace Hotel and the 210m Ain Dubai, touted as the world’s largest observation wheel. For those of you familiar with Duba [...]
GuestReady continues on consolidation path, acquires France’s BnBLord
GuestReady, a global short-term rental company, has acquired BnbLord, the largest Airbnb management company in France, to form the GuestReady Group. The combined company will be the leading provider in Europe managing more than 2,000 properties with a wide range of services to property owners, agen [...]
Letter from UAE: Excuse me, have you got my reservation yet? The art of dealing with the last minute
The last time I was in Abu Dhabi four years ago, there was a lot of talk about the development to come that would transform this emirati of 214 islands into a tourism destination – among them, the Saadiyat Cultural District that would comprise the Louvre, Guggenheim and Zayed National Museum.
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Cleartrip lays down solid road map to become “OTA to the emerging world”
At the last WiT Middle East in Dubai in 2015, Stuart Crighton, CEO of Cleartrip, made it very clear the OTA would bet big on mobile given the high mobile penetration in the region, a trend markedly similar to its home market in India.
Articulating his vision then, he said Cleartrip did not wish [...]
Lessons from Aliens on the Galactic Silk Road: Space tourism, creating experiences and dreaming of AI with empathy
Science fiction has always informed the future and it was interesting to hear speakers at Melon, the sci-fi and fantasy conference address themes such as space travel, consumers wanting experiences, versus static content, the rise of China and the role of AI and machine learning to create stories a [...]
African expertise puts Travelstart in good stead to tap Middle East growth
With South Africa as its home base and its businesses spread across the African continent, Travelstart believes its roots and experience make it well suited to take on the emerging and fragmented markets of the Middle East. Paulina Klotzbucher, managing director, Travelstart, who has overview of th [...]
