Letter from Thailand: Take it slow, make it sustainable, be well – a destination in transition
I HAD waited more than two years for this moment and when it arrived, it was almost bitter sweet. This week, I got on a flight to Bangkok, a place I fell in love with at first sight decades ago and stayed in love with through the passage of time.
I had visualised it so hard – the moment when I [...]
Chain4Travel, founded by three veterans, raises Sfr4.3m to build blockchain platform
CHAIN4TRAVEL, founded by three travel veterans, has raised seed funding of Sfr4.3 million for the development of its blockchain-based travel platform, known as Camino, as well as chase growth for the company.
The Switzerland-based business combines the experience and expertise of Ralf Usbeck, who [...]
MakeMyTrip’s losses narrow, eyes stronger 2023
MAKEMYTRIP narrowed its operating loss in the fourth quarter of its financial year.
The Indian online travel agency reported a full-year loss of $30 million for the year ending March 31, 2022, compared to $68 million for 2021.
Gross bookings hit $1 billion in the fourth quarter compared to $75 [...]
The WiT Podcast – Episode 39: Vikram Malhi, Co-founder, Zuzu Hospitality
IN this episode, we speak to Vikram Malhi, who’s the co-founder of ZUZU Hospitality, on the recovery trends he’s seeing in the small, independent hotel segment in South-east Asia and how this could be a breakout moment for the longtail of hospitality.
Here are the key takeaways.
On recover [...]
Airbnb pulls out of domestic China business, will focus on outbound
AIRBNB will pull out of the domestic listings and Experiences market in China and instead focus on the outbound travel business, a source close to the matter has confirmed to WiT.
Said the source, “China has been on lockdown since early 2020, and with no end in sightAirbnb formally launched its [...]
Fintech investment high priority for travel businesses to capture rebound
NINE out of 10 leaders in the travel businesses view fintech and payments as a high priority, while 80% of businesses stated they plan to match or go beyond 2019 investment level this year.
According to Amadeus' Travel Fintech Investment Trends 2022 report, which surveyed over 70 senior leaders f [...]
As travel returns, more transparency needed for consumers to make sustainable choices
More than 68m travellers have opted for Skyscanner’s “Greener Choice”; Travalyst coalition working on standardised score
FRESH from attending his first physical airline conference, the CAPA Aviation Summit in Manchester, since the pandemic, Hugh Aitken, vice president of flights of Skyscanner [...]
Elizabeth Liau: Marrying travel with scent and stories
Creating a luxury niche fragrance brand around destinations not to be sniffed at
YOU could say it was her nose for travel and stories that led her to create her own luxury niche fragrance company built around her favourite places in Asia. That, and love for her mother who passed away in 2018.
[...]
In the war for talent, travel companies up the ante
Airbnb goes full on with “live and work from anywhere”, Klook launches workation scheme
FIRST it was Airbnb who declared that its employees can now “live and work anywhere”, offering these options – work from home or office, move anywhere in the country you work in without any change in c [...]
Japan, China remain big gaps in APAC’s travel rebound
Amid Japan’s tentative reopening, Indonesia’s removal of tests, IATA’s Walsh calls for acceleration of recovery
THE two big gaps in Asia Pacific’s aviation recovery are China and Japan, noted Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general, in his keynote address at the Changi Aviation Summit thi [...]
