The SPAC that didn’t happen – HotelPlanner focused on a future powered by “little guys”, gig economy and group bookings
On pace to double revenues second year running, says Tim Hentschel
ON February 11, a rocket mishap by a company named Astra Space led Astrea Acquisition Corp to issue a press statement clarifying that it wasn’t the same company when its stocks took a hit.
On February 14, the day before the thr [...]
Despite ideal reopening conditions, inbound to Cambodia “very slow”
Not seen as mono destination, its positioning as “extension” needs to be addressed, says All Dreams' Guichandut
IF there’s one lesson Cambodia has learnt from Covid, it’s that its travel fortunes should not be tethered to any other country’s or the “Indochina” region. Because it’s [...]
Opinion: Technology for safe travel is the key to getting APAC travelers back on the road
By Mieke De Schepper, executive vice president and managing Director, Asia Pacific, Amadeus
COLLABORATION between stakeholders in governments and the travel industry has been especially challenging in such a dynamic region like Asia Pacific. Presented with a variety of circumstances, the approach o [...]
JTB talks change, collaboration and connection with the world
A focus on customer experience helps JTB weather the Covid storm
IF Covid has any redeeming benefit, it can only be the time the pandemic has given the travel industry to reassess its business practices and strategies, to reset and reload, ready for the recovery down the track.
What did we do ri [...]
The race to reopen in APAC is on – who will emerge the winner?
“A disorderly restart with changing and confusing requirements” will have longterm negative impact, says IATA’s Vinoop Goel
IN the first year of the pandemic, it seemed that the Asia Pacific region, with its early success in managing the spread of infections, would be among the first to make [...]
Airbnb, Rakuten LIFULL Stay ride alternative accommodation wave in Japan
ALTERNATIVE accommodation providers were the beneficiaries of changing traveller trends during the pandemic and within Japan, Airbnb and Rakuten LIFULL STAY certainly rode the Covid-induced trend well.
Speaking at WiT Japan & North Asia 2022, Atsuo Mori, territory manager for Airbnb Japan, re [...]
Klook still winning friends and influencing travel in Japan
Home is where the action is for booking platform
IT was during an all-night brainstorming session while preparing a presentation for WIT Japan in 2015 that Eric Gnock Fah, COO and co-founder of Klook, went local.
In fine tuning the presentation that won the judges’ praise – and the Start-u [...]
See you next Lunar New Year in the metaverse
Three years on, The Great Digitisation of celebrations
AND so out goes the Ox, in comes the Tiger – and it seems the beautiful beast just slipped in on a whisper, rather than a roar, in real life. In the virtual world, well, that’s another story and I am convinced that by next year, with or [...]
“Womenomics” and ESG champion, MPower’s Matsui is preparing “teenager” startups for stardom
Venture capitalist advises travel to go on “attack mode management”
THOSE who still doubt the Covid pandemic will significantly change the way we will live and work in the future should listen to Kathy Matsui, formerly with Goldman Sachs and now general partner of Japan’s first ESG-focuse [...]
WIT Japan’s first start-up champion says travel investment can be best in the worst of times
Takaya’s second coming pauses for take-off
LOOKING in the rear-view mirror can reveal much about the future. Scrutinise the past performance of Japan’s Takaya Shinozuka and you see a young tech entrepreneur who won WIT’s very first start up in Japan in 2013, earning him a place in WIT hist [...]
