Don’t drop rates, call to hoteliers as occupancy plummets amid the pandemic
A report by the Malaysian Association of Hotels states that over 157,000 rooms in Malaysia were cancelled as of February 17, resulting in an estimated RM66 million (US$15 million) loss in revenue following the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.
Now the picture is even more dismal with the implemen [...]
Resilience and sustainability to frame conversations at WiT Indie
Independents in travel will gather in Penang this week to focus on recovery and sustaining strategies as the industry copes with the global travel and tourism fall-out.
“Whether we
are in the midst of a crisis or not, creating and running sustainable
businesses should always be our agenda. As [...]
WiT Middle East 2020 moves to November 24, “we will return stronger”
Following an intense week of consultation with key stakeholders in its Dubai event, scheduled for April 7, WiT has decided to move its Middle East edition to November 24.
The uncertainty over the developing Covid-19 situation in the region had made it hard to plan for
the one-day event.
“ [...]
Mark the new date for a stronger WiT Seoul 2020: October 29
WiT and local partner, Tidesquare, have made the decision to reschedule its Seoul event from April to October 29.
The
uncertainty over the developing Covid-19 situation in South Korea in which the
government has put the country on its
highest alert and the Singapore government has issued travel [...]
Don’t build more, fix problems first, Penang tourism master planners told
Less than a month to go before WiT Indie kicks off in Penang on March 13, and fireworks have exploded over the new Penang Tourism Master Plan that was presented a week ago, with criticisms ranging from it not meeting the needs of industry and travellers to “building more when we should be solving [...]
ZUZU Hospitality hits sweet spot, and why there’s less need for hotels to have a brand today
Four years on, after having signed its first hotel in July 2016, ZUZU Hospitality believes it has found its sweet spot in helping independent hotels manage their demand and revenue management.
It now has 1,800 hotels, with the sweet spot being those with 20-50 rooms, across South-east Asia name [...]
It’s action-packed time in Middle East as Saudi opens up, consumers move to mobile, WorldExpo 2020 gets set to open
As WiT Middle East prepares to return to Dubai on April 7, it is clear the winds of change blowing through the region’s travel market have intensified with the opening up of Saudi Arabia in full swing, the continuing migration of consumers to mobile and, of course, the building up to WorldExpo 20 [...]
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 [...]
From UK to Malta and Paris, a Europe in turmoil and aviation under pressure
In the UK, the media was full of Brexit uncertainty, a longer running and more dramatic story than the Netflix series, “The Crown”. Who needs historical dramas when one is unfolding right before your every eyes?
After a few days in Cardiff, we flew onto Malta, straight into the country’s w [...]
Letter from Fort Lauderdale: Time shifting as search chokes, funds bloat and brands battle for supremacy in next age of tech
As I wait for the first of three flights that will bring me home from Fort Lauderdale to Singapore via Houston and San Francisco, I have downloaded the Timeshifter jetlag app, one of the startups that presented at the Phocuswright conference. It’s relatively easy to set up, I just hope it works b [...]
