Can you enjoy a luxury cruise while still conserving the environment? Rascal Voyages wants to make it happen
Pairing luxury with the growing demand for sustainable travel, Rascal Voyages has partnered with Conservation International Indonesia (CI Indonesia) to create the “Exploration Series” – a collection of eight research-driven, luxury sailing expeditions across Asia.
The series is an active ef [...]
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 [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: Whatever it takes to design and build for the customer: Ponde
When asked to pick a song that best describes his personal journey with Facebook, its head of global travel strategy Nikhilesh Ponde, chose “Whatever It Takes” by Imagine Dragons.
“Whatever it takes, 'cause I love the adrenaline in my veins/I do whatever it takes 'cause I love how it feels [...]
How Queenie Lee went from law graduate to travel entrepreneur in Kazakhstan
While other Singaporean girls of her age chose to stay home to pursue conventional careers after university – she herself studied law after all – 26-year Queenie Lee opted for a different path, and found herself running a travel business in Kazakhstan.
It all started in England where she was [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: MakeMyTrip’s Deep Kalra shares thoughts on the “secret sauce”, game changers and what excites him
MakeMyTrip’s chairman and group CEO Deep Kalra is often a favourite on our WiT stage because India is just that exciting and MakeMyTrip has been a key figure in the online travel community there. This time, Kalra shared about his journey from harder times to better, more promising ones, and what h [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: Cherry Huang talks Alipay and the emergence of the “lifestyle super app”
How can one really explain the phenomenon and colossus that is Alipay? Cherry Huang (General Manager, Cross-Border Business, South-east Asia, Alipay) did just that, documenting the goliath's growth over the last 14 years from a “Chinese brand for Chinese consumers” to having international presen [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: Expedia and Traveloka – a collaborative partnership of global might and local power
In mid-2017 one of the biggest news that hit the world of online travel was Expedia Group investing US$350 million in Indonesian OTA Traveloka, making it South-east Asia’s first travel unicorn.
Greg Schulze, senior vice president, commercial strategy and services, Expedia Group, said then, “W [...]
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: Singapore Tourism Board shares lessons in Destination Marketing 2.0: it’s about being agile, bold, and creative
Destination marketing no longer looks or works like what it did before. It is no longer about year-long campaigns that remain predominantly static, with maybe slight tweaks to highlight certain events through the year. It is certainly no longer about bringing the media and travel agents to your shor [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: Innovation is about using technology to connect people offline, says Airbnb Experiences Director Parin Mehta
It had only been a year since WiT’s last catch up with Airbnb’s Regional Director of Experiences in APAC, Parin Mehta, before he sat on stage once more at WiT Singapore 2018 to give an update on how the travel giant is growing in the tours and activities space.
But ‘growing’ doesn't quit [...]
