Takaya Shinozuka: Disrupting Japan’s travel tech with punk rock spirit
In the world of Japanese travel startups, Takaya Shinozuka stands out. The founder and CEO of Reiwa Travel, Shinozuka is not only reshaping the travel tech landscape in Japan but also embodying a spirit of rebellion and innovation inspired by his punk rock roots.
Speaking at WiT Seoul, the entrep [...]
Key takeaways of the next generation | WiT Singapore 2024
From AI to evolving demographics, so much was discussed at WiT Singapore this year. The event kicked off the ‘Next Generation’ and gathered the brightest minds in travel, tech, and innovation to explore the future of travel and hospitality. Global leaders and industry giants got together to disc [...]
Trailblazing travel tech in Korea: The Journeys of Donggun Lee and Jiha Jung
In the world of Korean travel tech, two entrepreneurs – Donggun Lee, the visionary founder of MyRealTrip, and Jiha Jung, the driving force behind Tripbtoz.
Lee, who won the WiT Startup Pitch in Japan in 2014, started MyRealTrip in 2012, using tours and activities as an entry point. Jung, who wo [...]
WiT Singapore 2024 in 5 minutes – the faces and phrases of the Next Generation
WiT Singapore 2024 kicked off the Next Generation of travel tech in Asia by gathering the brightest minds in the industry on one stage, over three insightful days. Take a quick look back at all the experts - from indie trailblazers to industry giants - who made the event a success.
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Two Sisters, One Dream: Building Nowadays to transform event planning
Meet Anna Sun and Amy Yan, two sisters who started with a desire to work together on something impactful. Their event planning startup, Nowadays, won the People’s Choice – Seedup Category at the Global Startup Pitch 2024 at WiT Singapore in October. This is their story.
Post-graduating, Anna, [...]
Uncovering the real Korea: From Hanoks to Jang and Herbs, three entrepreneurs taking the Slow, deliberate path
While inbound numbers to Korea are not yet back to 2019’s level of 20 million, currently hovering at around 15-16 million, most of it is being fuelled by the huge interest in everything K – K-pop, K-drama and K-beauty – with travellers from Asia forming the majority of visitors.
But underne [...]
Rob Rosenstein on building Agoda, entrepreneurship and solving travel’s structural problems
In the fast-paced world of online travel, few names stand as tall as Rob Rosenstein, co-founder of Agoda. While today Agoda is one of the world’s leading online travel agencies (OTAs), specializing in the Asia-Pacific market, its beginnings were far humbler.
In a candid conversation at Phocuswr [...]
Letter from Seoul: A snowy backdrop to outbound trends, AI innovations and a search for community
Caught in the first snowfall in Seoul, Yeoh Siew Hoon has time to thaw out her brains while the plane is being de-iced on the tarmac to reflect on the key takeaways from WiT Seoul 2024.
The Koreans believe that first snowfall is auspicious. If this is true, then Seoul’s travel industry is in fo [...]
Registration is open for Business Travel Show Asia Pacific
Registration is now live for the inaugural Business Travel Show Asia Pacific, taking place on 16-17 April 2025 at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, alongside The Meetings Show Asia Pacific. The event will unite 200+ corporate travel buyers from across the Asia Pacific region, the US, the UK, and Europe w [...]
Southeast Asia’s tech sector at pivotal moment for value creation
Asia Partners’ Oliver Rippel Says Travel Will Serve as Foundational Sector
Southeast Asia’s travel tech sector is at a pivotal moment for tech-driven value creation. Speaking at WiT Singapore, Oliver Rippel, co-founder and partner at Asia Partners, says, “We believe that Southeast Asia’s ti [...]
