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 [...]
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 [...]
How fintech is transforming Asia’s travel industry
In Asia’s fast-evolving travel industry, a revolution is quietly unfolding. Driven by rising consumer expectations for seamless experiences and the need for cost efficiencies, travel companies are embracing fintech solutions like never before.
Watch full session:
https://youtu.be [...]
Rise in direct sales and low cost carriers are keeping intermediaries on their toes
The airline industry is undergoing a significant shift as major airlines ramp up their efforts to sell directly to travellers, in an attempt to bypass intermediaries like online travel agencies (OTAs) and Global Distribution Systems (GDS).
At the same time, low cost carriers (LCCs) are expanding [...]
With APAC leading in air travel, Digital Identity is key to managing growth
Benefits are clear, but so are challenges of inter-operability and scalability
As passenger numbers soar globally, especially across Asia Pacific, the travel industry is looking to technology to make the airport experience faster, smoother, and less frustrating. Central to this vision is digital id [...]
Letter from Phoenix: Of bomb cyclones, flight disruptions and super agents
On the day I was to fly out from Phoenix to San Francisco came news of the “bomb cyclone” that battered the Pacific Northwest and Northern California, causing power outages, downing trees and power lines, and tragically killing two people in Washington State.
It resulted in flight cancell [...]
Virtuoso’s Upchurch talks tech enhancement, longevity revolution and diversity of luxury travel
It’s a question he gets all the time, will technology replace the travel agent, and probably more so now with the acceleration of Generative AI and its implications on the full travel value chain. But Matthew Upchurch, CEO of Virtuoso, the world’s leading global network of agencies specialising [...]
OTAs have to stay agile amid breakneck pace of change
Adrienne Enggist: “We’re constantly riding this edge of risk, protecting customers takes the number one priority”
With things “moving at such an enormously breakneck pace”, OTAs, big and small, have to stay agile, leveraging advances in processing power and AI to keep up with customer exp [...]
The New Face of Hospitality: Different models emerge to meet post-pandemic demand
From apartment-style hotels to longevity retreats and high-end private villas, travellers are seeking new experiences
The world of travel has changed dramatically since the pandemic, bringing with it a wave of innovation in hospitality. While traditional hotel stays are still in demand, the hospita [...]
Ixigo’s “Love Train” To Success: Cracking The Code in the Indian Travel Market
A 20-year “overnight success” story
In the song “Love Train”, The O’Jays called on “people all over the world, everybody, join hands, start a love train, love train”.
Well, if Aloke Bajpai, Chairman, Managing Director and Group CEO, ixigo, had his way, he’d want all of us to ge [...]
