Small in size, big in dreams: Three hoteliers carving a niche in the boutique space
They are small and they are unique. And they are finding their niche in an overcrowded space that sees new and perhaps more unique properties coming up every other month.
However, what makes the Ambong-Ambong Rainforest Retreat and Ambong Pool Villas in Langkawi, and Ren i Tang and SINKEH in Pena [...]
In Amsterdam, lessons from noodles to mobiles, and Palma to privacy
Three more weeks before I head to Amsterdam to run WIT Europe as part of Phocuswright and I am looking forward to shared experiences and lessons between our two continents.
I’ve always seen Europe as more similar to Asia than any other region – it is multi-lingual, multi-cultural and steeped [...]
Record turnout at WIT Seoul 2018 shows interest in digital travel at all-time high
If there was one thing WIT Seoul 2018 proved, it’s that interest, and hunger for knowledge, in the digital travel space is at an all-time high in a market where rapid technological change and changing consumer behaviour are forcing travel incumbents to wake up and smell the web, as it were.
A r [...]
Building an activities OTA is not easy – even for Booking.com
Last week saw back-to-back acquisitions of two leading reservation systems in the tours and activities sector – FareHarbor in the U.S. by Booking Holdings (formerly Priceline Group) and Iceland's Bokun by TripAdvisor (parent of Viator and the largest online seller of tour and activities today).
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SITA tackles data challenges and studies blockchain, promises to build “informed passenger journeys”
The aviation industry has been flying high in recent years, as more technological innovation is introduced, creating blueprints for promised futures of autonomous aeroplanes, high speed inflight wi-fi and the highly coveted painless airport experience.
At the SITA APAC Air Transport IT Summit tha [...]
On the circle of life, scale and experience chase each other’s tails
In many ways I feel the industry is coming full circle – on one hand, you have the giants of scale talking about local experiences and community and on the other, independents and creatives talking about scale, each knowing you need the other to thrive in a digitally-driven world.
At the recent [...]
Three accidental indie travel makers, one common purpose
If there is one thing travel entrepreneurs Uttara Sarkar Crees, Andrew Dixon and Simon Wong have in common, it is that they all got into what they are doing by accident but are now following their passion and paths with purpose.
Speaking at the inaugural WIT Indie in Penang last week, the trio sh [...]
WEGOGO launches WeGold ICO to build decentralised travel platform for “fair-share travel ecosystem”
WEGOGO – a business platform on WeChat that enables global tours and activities operators and travel hosts to connect with Chinese consumers –announced its aspirations to be the world’s “first travel blockchain for aspirational travel in Asia”.
To do this, WEGOGO has expressed its inte [...]
Be socially responsible from day one, not only after you’ve made money, says KGH’s Rajan Sakya
In an industry driven by profits and KPIs, you could be forgiven for losing sight of what the world really looks like.
At WIT Seoul 2018, much of the discussion revolved around how travel businesses should be responding to international issues from geo-political tensions to the brittle state of t [...]
Traditional airlines must strengthen digital to stay airborne, says Korean Air’s Kee Hong Woo
At WIT Seoul, the Representative Director & Executive Vice President of Korean Air, Kee Hong Woo took the hot seat to discuss how the national airline is faring in turbulent skies.
Woo was not shy about admitting that competition was heating up in the region. He pointed out how US carriers we [...]
