Letter from Las Vegas: Travel will soar and new tech will rule but keep love and instinct close
“Want a night out with sluts?” solicited a tout on the strip, as a group of men walked past. Getting no interest, he changed his tack. “We have bible studies too.”
Welcome to Las Vegas, a place for every taste and desire. You want it, you will find it. I wanted Korean food. I got it in C [...]
Expedia closing in on $100b as it aims to be world’s largest travel platform
Fifteen years after its first partners' conference, Expedia Group has re-named its annual gathering in Las Vegas to Explore because “it reflects who we have become and aspire to”.
Opening the event yesterday, which is being attended by more than 4,500 delegates, Mark Okerstrom, president and [...]
Letter from Berlin: Brexit woes, hard truths about aviation and hail the good guys of globalisation
Flying across from Cardiff to Berlin via Amsterdam over the weekend of the Brexit negotiations made me mindful of how fragile and uncertain the social, political and economic landscape of Europe is.
As I read the headlines – how the Europeans have agreed to the Brexit deal and now Prime Ministe [...]
The story of Mary Li: From ASLAN to Mystifly, from China to India, and truths in between
I first met Mary Li when she was introduced to me as the co-CEO of Mystifly, the India-based global airfares marketplace. My curiosity stirred, I did some research on her and found her back story. With no background in travel, she founded ASLAN, China's first data-driven travel technology company, c [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: Unravelling the Power Paradox in China where behemoths fight to be all things in travel
At WiT Singapore 2018, Maggie Rauch, senior director of research at Phocuswright spoke of the different worlds emerging between Asia and the rest of the world, or specifically how China is creating its own post-mobile ecosystem.
Addressing the ‘Power Paradox’, which is also the theme of the [...]
Through The Looking Glass of Cempedak Island: 8 Key Takeaways from WiT Singapore 2018
After an intense three days of “Through The Looking Glass”, my mind is still sparking neurons even though I am now safely esconsced on a private island in Bintan, Indonesia.
Cempedak has, for the last two years, become my go-to escape after WiT Singapore 2018. I saw the all-bamboo resort whil [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: Split fights all the way to the top to nab WiT Startup of the Year award
Split, with its brand proposition built around instalment payments for travel, fought all the way through three rounds of judging and finished Startup of the Year at this year’s WiT Startup Pitch.
Already with Amazon Web Credits in hand after advancing to the semi-final round at the WiT Bootcam [...]
Another record-setting event for WiT Singapore 2018: about US$50,000 raised for charity
Another record was set tonight to cap this year’s successful WiT Singapore 2018. About US$50,000, double the target, was raised at the Charity Talent Auction held at the closing cocktails, sponsored by Adara.
The auction of talent and time of some of the industry’s best leaders, as well a [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: A new age of travel with futuristic ambitions, but people still key
After a pulsating opening that was both visually and aurally stimulating, attendees at the award-winning WiT Singapore 2018 conference at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre, were taken through the looking glass into a world of travel that at times looked like science fiction.
But discussions [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: Messaging is evolving beyond communication to embrace business and lifestyle
Messaging is massive in Asia. There are 10 billion messages each month on Facebook Messenger between people and businesses. In Asia Pacific alone 87% of people with smartphones use a messaging app at least once a month.
On WhatsApp there are 1.5 billion people active each month, on Messenger 1.3 [...]
