Conservation and cuisine: How 1-Flowerhill blends nature, heritage and modern elegance in a dining experience (Sponsored)
Finding the perfect balance between preserving nature and heritage while also providing a contemporary experience to visitors is a delicate approach - one that 1-Flowerhill has been doing over at Sentosa Island in Singapore. Chris Millar, Senior Director of International Business Development for 1-G [...]
Taylor Swift’s economic impact competes with Coldplay and Adele
"By examining how different music styles and events influence traveller behavior and demographics, destinations can better understand spending patterns and overall impact."
Earlier this year, we ran a few stories covering Taylor Swift's significant impact on Singapore's economy thanks to the surge [...]
OYO raises $174 million in Series G funding
Budget hotel chain Oyo has raised approximately $174 million in a Series G funding round.
Patient Capital, which is run by Oyo founder Ritesh Agarwal, InCred Wealth and J&A Partners all contributed to the round.
In a meeting held last week, Agarwal thanked investors, shareholders, hotel [...]
IHG bookings from own channels hit 80%
Hotel groups are continuing to invest in their technology and loyalty programs to drive direct business, with Holiday Inn-parent IHG sharing an update in its recent earnings report.
CEO Elie Maalouf said that alongside the investment in its guest reservation system (GRS), an initiative develo [...]
Tripadvisor introduces in-app hotel bookings, powered by HTS
Tripadvisor has announced new functionality offering its members the ability to book hotel stays directly within the Tripadvisor app.
The new functionality is made possible by a partnership with HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions).
The partnership will see HTS power both hotel bookings and provi [...]
The secret sauce of “char koay teow”, storytelling and indie travel businesses
AI, it seems, is creeping into everything. In a little eatery called Jiashi Cafe in a local neighbourhood in Penang, far from the madding tourist crowd, the young entrepreneurs running it offer “AI Fried Char Koay Teow”.
For anyone who’s been to Penang, you’ll know that “Char Koay Teow� [...]
Sabah Convention Bureau is carving its niche with conservation, local values and state culture in mind
CEO, Noredah Othman, is focusing on quality over quantity by tapping into the local MICE industry
As the fairly new CEO of the Sabah Convention Bureau, Noredah Othman plans to use her knowledge of the East Malaysian state from a previous career to achieve the company’s goals. Speaking at the rece [...]
How many giants can Asia hold? Agoda’s Teja and Trip.com’s Xie on competition, expansion and making sense of new tech
Calling Trip.com Group and Agoda ‘industry giants’ would certainly be an understatement. Both companies have expanded rapidly over the last few years, dominating regional demographics and adding more verticals to their platforms while becoming one-stop booking shops for many travellers in the re [...]
Never been more exciting to be a storyteller in heritage and conservation, says Blue Mansion’s pioneer
New mission to make Fort Cornwallis, Penang, a must-visit, and not-boring, experience
For the psychologist-lecturer-turned-conservator-researcher, who pioneered story telling in Penang and brought the story of 19th century Chinese merchant Cheong Fatt Tze to life, through the Blue Mansion, ther [...]
MDEC zeroes in on Malaysia tourism scene through the Digital Tourism Innovation Lab
The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), the nation’s leading digital economy agency, recently hosted the Digital Tourism Innovation Lab (DTIL) Demo Day Cohort 2, the second stage in a series of initiatives that serves as strategic, national platforms dedicated to fostering tourism tech in [...]
