Expedia’s US$350m investment in Traveloka: ASEAN’s first travel unicorn set to fly higher
It’s finally happened – Traveloka, the Indonesian online travel agency, that’s been streaking ahead in the world’s fifth largest domestic market, has received a US$350 million minority investment from Expedia, with analysts saying this values it around US$2 billion, making it Southeast Asia� [...]
Hotel distribution like Whack A Mole game: Expedia’s de Schepper on taking on Asia
When you sign up to work in online travel, you know you are never going to have a quiet moment. This is what Mieke de Schepper, who joined Expedia to manage hotel relationships in Asia Pacific from a career in Philips, has discovered.
“It’s like the game of Whack A Mole we used to play as [...]
Letter from Kuching: Lessons for small earthlings in second cities
Just returned from Kuching and on the AirAsia flight to Singapore, I was reflecting on how the combination of low cost airlines and the web, specifically social media, has changed the fortunes and aspirations of folks living in second cities in Asia.
I hail from a secondary city myself, Penang, a [...]
Letter from Sydney: Chatbots are hot but they are no silver bullet
Travelport Live in Sydney kicked off with two female “robot” dancers wearing suits that were more lit up than a Christmas tree, their robot-like movements a hint of where the discussions at the one-and-a-half day conference would be heading.
Futurist Ross Dawson opened with a br [...]
The Millennial Traveller: LUXE’s Simon Westcott on the key good of travel and luxury beyond the price tag
Simon Westcott’s extensive career in the travel media industry is undisputed. His most notable roles are as the former publisher of the famed Lonely Planet guides from 2001 to 2008, being the co-founder of Mr & Mrs Smith Asia Pacific, and his current position as owner and CEO of LUXE City Guid [...]
US$30,000 seed funding awaits winner of WIT Startup Pitch Singapore; call for entries begins
After a successful run at the WIT Japan & North Asia 2017 conference held in Tokyo this June, the WIT Startup Pitch, powered by Travelport, is now on the road to WIT Singapore (Oct 23-25).
This October, another round of hopeful startups will pitch for the grand prize at the WIT Startup Pitch [...]
BeMyGuest raises Series A funding, plans to accelerate growth across Asia
BeMyGuest, one of the fastest growing tour and activities booking platforms in Asia, closed its Series A round of funding on July 13, led by Raffles Venture Partners and renowned technology investor, Koh Boon Hwee and his group of investors.
Also participating in the round are SPRING SEEDS Capita [...]
Letter from Lisbon: From Konichiwa to Ni Hao and Sawasdee
It is funny how like with handbags, destinations too have their trends. For example, these days, you will see people everywhere carrying Anello backpacks – these bags aren’t particularly good to look at, they are unwieldy and cumbersome to use in my opinion but suddenly it seems everywhere you l [...]
How Tujia’s Hai Zhuang wants to be part of “greatest economic event of the century”
Like many entrepreneurially-minded individuals, Hai Zhuang, President, Tujia Holdings, was driven by the ambition to make an impact on the world through his work.
At the WIT Japan & North Asia 2017 Bootcamp, Zhuang recounted his eight years’ experience as a Microsoft engineer, and how his b [...]
Letter from Madrid: Humans must do what technology cannot
We arrived in Madrid on a Sunday, the last day of the Gay Pride weekend in which we were told two million people descended on the city. Across from the Westin Palace, a protest was being staged.
The hotel doorman shrugged his shoulders when I asked what they were protesting about. “Happens all [...]
