Stick to your “loyalty machines”, it’s a shark-eat-shark world out there
Amadeus’ distribution chief Holger Taubmann speaks to WIT about “loyalty machines”, Lufthansa’s Direct Connect strategy, RyanAir’s Amazonian ambitions, Accor Marketplace’s aspirations and swimming with the big sharks.For all the talk about direct distribution, and suppliers wanting to go [...]
The “reboot” of Alan Joyce and Qantas: How an Irish working class lad became high-flying executive
If ever there’s a reboot story, it is that of Alan Joyce, CEO of Qantas, personally and how he led and engineered the biggest airline turnaround possibly in the history of aviation.During the CAPA Aviation Awards night in Helsinki, of which I was the emcee, Joyce picked up both the Airline Turnaro [...]
Letter to Jukka: The lost art of waiting and conversations
Finland’s always been on my list of places to visit. One main reason is that when I was about 10, I started a correspondence with a Finnish boy, which lasted a few years.Those were the days before you could just click and make a friend. I can’t quite recall how we met but I think it was from one [...]
Almaty eyes the future as an innovation and start-up hub
Almaty, Kazakhstan’s former capital, sits on the foothills of the Tian Shan mountain range, known for wild apples, seismic activity and – if the government has its way – an innovation hub.Home to just under 1.5 million inhabitants, this is the cultural and financial heart of the country. The c [...]
Letter from Kalastajatorppa: An instant dose of fresh air and Finnish angst
You couldn’t ask for a bigger contrast – flying from the haze-filled sky of Singapore to the crisp clear sky of Helsinki. In 12 hours, I felt like I could breathe again.It’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve had to breathe in the noxious smoke particles from the forest fires in Indonesia [...]
“Mission critical” Amadeus wins in Asia, OTA customers are “top priority”
It is “mission critical” that Amadeus wins in Asia and one key plank of its distribution strategy is giving Asian OTA customers top priority, declared Holger Taubmann, senior vice president, distribution.Speaking to WIT during a visit to Bangkok, he said that globally, online growth has been phe [...]
The Millennial Traveller: Singapore, haze and the valley of ashes
If there is anything that has occupied Singapore’s attention as of late, it is the haze. A sinister toxic cloud of smoke continues to waft inland, caused by Indonesia’s seemingly unending forest fires south of the island.Locals, expats and visitors alike have swarmed pharmacies and clinics to ge [...]
Online travel, like rugby, is a game of inches, says Agoda’s Hughes
When I caught up with Tim Hughes, vice president marketing of Agoda in Bangkok, the unexpected had just happened in the Rugby World Cup currently taking place in the UK. Japan had snatched victory from the jaws of what seemed to be sure defeat by the South Africans – with a score of 34 to 32 – t [...]
What’s the one thing in travel you want to reboot, Part 1
What’s the one thing in travel you want to reboot? That’s the challenge we asked some of the speakers coming to the WIT Conference this October 19-21. In a series of videos over the next three weeks, we will share their reboot.Listen to what Dan Wacksman, SVP, Global Distribution, Outrigger Hote [...]
Letter from the Mekong: A more-than-virtual-reality adventure
So there we were, sitting back in the longtail boat, enjoying the cool breeze in our hair and preparing to enjoy the cruise on the Mekong.The camera equipment which would shoot the Virtual Reality footage had been set up – six GoPros mounted on a rig which Morris Sim (CEO of Brand Karma) had tied [...]
