MATTA Fair 2023: A microcosm of Malaysian tourism and its appetite for international travel
The expo estimated 250,000 visitors and RM400million in sales.
I need to make a couple of things clear before getting to the heart of this article. The only times I’ve been to a MATTA (Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents) Fair were when I was a kid, with my dad. This was back in the 9 [...]
Travel Talk: Takeaways from ITB Berlin
Returning to the marquee travel trade event for the first time in four years, Northstar’s thought leaders share first impressions.
This week, the halls at Messe Berlin were buzzing with thousands of members of the travel trade, returning in person to ITB Berlin for the first time since 2019. Am [...]
Metaverse Builders in Asia: Sentosa creates a symbiotic relationship with its virtual world
SentosaLand encourages cross-marketing and brand-building in a non-intrusive way
According to Statista, in 2026, an estimated 25% of consumers will spend at least an hour a day in the metaverse for digital activities. This includes work, shopping and retail, education, entertainment, and even socia [...]
Event: China Arising forum set for Singapore, March 30
WiT – Web in Travel, in collaboration with Travel Daily China, will stage a China Arising forum on March 30 in Singapore to share first-hand insights into how the Chinese online travel landscape has changed in the years since the pandemic first took hold.
The half-day event, themed “Hello, Ne [...]
Singapore will host the GSTC Global Conference for the first time in 2024, among other sustainability-focused events
STB will execute its sustainability strategy to differentiate Singapore from other urban destinations and enhance its appeal to environmentally conscious visitors.
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Global Conference 2024 will be held in Singapore from 13 to 15 November 2024, marking the [...]
Mobile acceleration changing everything in Asia – stay alert, “the wolves are coming”
Hospitality tech still “messed up”, opportunities abound for chat, social commerce and innovative bundling
The step change in mobile adoption, social, chat as well as the surge in low cost airline activity in the region will drive changes in the Asia Pacific travel market for years to come, a p [...]
How an early nomad’s life shaped Steve Hafner, and how he sees talent, tech and human imagination
“With five mouths to feed, I got to stick around”
From references to Hugh Hefner to learning from his five daughters and how to ace media interviews, this interview with Steve Hafner, CEO and co-founder of KAYAK, covers it all. That, plus how the charismatic travel leader views the new world of [...]
The Phocuswright Conference: Presenting the Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2023
It has long been said that creativity and innovation often arrive in times of crisis. Our selections of the Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2023 certainly validate that mantra.
Of the 25 startups on this list, 14 have been founded since the start of 2020 when travel - and much else in the world - came [...]
WiT Seoul 2022: Travel brands jostle for position amid intense competition and consolidation
FROM traditional giants like Hana Tour to local OTAs such as Good Choice, Tidesquare and MyRealTrip, travel brands in South Korea are jostling for position to catch the recovery wave. In the meantime, massive changes have taken place in the market including the accelerated digitisation of consumers [...]
How MyRealTrip executed its way out of the pandemic to emerge stronger
With transactions higher than pre-pandemic, Korean startup invests in five companies, bets on families, longstays and co-working
DONGGUN Lee will always remember September 23, 2022 – that was the day he and his team at MyRealTrip jumped for joy when South Korea announced the full reopening of its [...]
