Phuket Sandbox’s encouraging response paves way for Thailand’s reopening to international tourists
TWO weeks on since the July 1 launch of the Phuket Sandbox – a cocoon of vaccinated foreign tourists – despite a surge of Covid infections on the mainland, the scheme has seen some measure of success, receiving 5,473 arrivals and almost 200,000 room nights booked up until the end of August.
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Curiouser and curiouser; The Curious Case of the Missing Peranakan Treasure returns for its second run proving that digital productions really do have legs
NOT new tech but new thinking. In the fourth episode of our Virtual Experience Makers series with GEVME, we speak to actor Hossan Leong and Derrick Chew, executive producer at Sight Lines Entertainment, and go behind the scenes of the making of The Curious Case of the Missing Peranakan Treasure, a [...]
Open road ahead as each OTA takes different bet on the future
“Nothing guaranteed, everything possible” is sentiment of the day
WHEN things have gone full circle, it can look like they’ve stayed still, but at the WiT Travel Roadshow Episode 4, four travel players tell us they’ve been very busy indeed, making bold bets for the future while honourin [...]
Co-ownership of guests, laser focus on high value experiences: Martha Waslen on the DayAway difference
WHEN we spoke to DayAway founder Martha Waslen in April, the startup had just closed a successful seed funding round and brought onboard its only other employee. Since then, the team has grown to 25 members (a mix of employees and contractors) and expects to close a Series A capital raise by the en [...]
Travel is back in the US – families hitting the road, cities will make comeback
IN his “Letter From America” delivered at WiT Travel Roadshow, Episode 4, Hari Nair, global senior vice president, account management at Expedia Group, shared five insights that are fuelling hopes of a robust travel recovery.
First,
the initiatives to reduce the spread of Covid-19 are fuell [...]
Digitisation, sustainability, new design thinking – there’s no turning back for hospitality, says Park Hotel Group’s Shin Hui
A new generation hotelier, Shin Hui Tan brings fresh perspectives to hospitality. The grand-daughter of renowned banker Wee Cho Yaw (United Overseas Bank), she spent four years in finance and private equity before joining Park Hotel Group in 2009, where she leads commercial and brand strategy. [...]
As business events claw their way back, APAC to lead the way in digital innovation and adoption
Studies show stronger appetite in region for virtual and hybrid
ONE-and-a-half years into Covid, and attending a conference in person still feels like a novel activity. Even the driver who dropped me off at Marina Bay Sands this Monday was curious. “You going to an event? How many people? Got [...]
Breaking barriers and breaking records; the pivot to virtual of Phare, The Cambodian Circus
24 hours; 31 shows; 160 staff and volunteers. That’s just some of what went into the attempt to set a Guinness Record for the longest circus performance that Phare, The Cambodian Circus staged in March this year.
While Phare is waiting to have the record validated, WiT caught up with Osman Kh [...]
Not quite the sensory internet but Wok ‘n’ Stroll’s Karni Tomer creates virtual experiences so real you can taste them
IN the last 18 months our minds have been forcibly opened to the concept of virtual experiences of all kinds. From virtual concerts to virtual weddings, we’ve all become used to feeling one degree removed from our events.
Even with our newfound facility online, going virtual with food tours mi [...]
A generation to watch; Gen-Z’s know what they want and aren’t afraid to ask for it
ONE of the thematic focuses of the WiT Travel roadshow episode 3, was talent. According to a UN policy brief, more than 100 million travel jobs were lost last year due to Covid-19, and 63 million of those job losses were in APAC.
As travel haemorrhaged jobs last year it is not inconceivable tha [...]
