WiT Podcast: Creating customer love in tours and activities
How “the connected trip” is evolving in Booking.com and how Klook is solving local pain points
This final episode of “Customer Love” fittingly covers tours and activities – the things travellers do in destination. It’s the most exciting part of travel and it’s coming online at great s [...]
Fritz Demopoulos on new frontiers in travel & beyond
Where others see bad traffic and chaos, this entrepreneur sees opportunities. It was with this thinking that he fearlessly co-founded the first travel metasearch company in China in 2005, Qunar, which is now part of the Trip.com Group. Since his exit, he’s been keeping a watchful eye on travel tec [...]
Average trip durations to popular destinations decreasing or stagnating
Skyscanner releases 2024 Travel Insights across EMEA, AMER, and APAC regions
Global travel platform Skyscanner has unveiled its latest Horizon report shedding light on booking trends, destination preferences, and emerging travel hotspots across the EMEA, AMER, and APAC regions.
The report's key [...]
Surveying the surveys. Trip.com gets mobile with Amadeus. NusaTrip enters digitalised market. More.
From astro-pads to Spanish accents, there’s a survey for you
Artificial intelligence has spurned the age of the travel survey. Just this week, I’ve been informed about the most difficult accents for Aussies to understand (Spanish), the world’s best cities for singles (Tokyo, followed by Doha) [...]
She went travelling for love; now she’s looking for global love for Yuko Yuko
Onsen ryokan business wants to target inbound and expand services beyond travel for Japanese seniors
Fresh out of law school, Wakako Tokuda travelled the world looking for love and a potential husband in 52 countries across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South America. During those eight [...]
Stripe’s Harapin on Tokyu’s subscription service, off-peak revenue, and the untapped Japanese market
“Tokyo commands the highest average room rates in the region but the region’s monthly occupancy rate is still below pre-pandemic levels, suggesting significant growth potential,” says Stripe’s Chief Revenue Officer, Asia Pacific & Japan
With over 200 businesses under its umbrella spanni [...]
14% increase in travel technology investment set for 2024
Recent research conducted by Amadeus, titled "Travel Technology Investment Trends," reveals a significant surge in technology investment across various sectors within the travel industry in 2024. The study, the first of its kind to comprehensively analyse investment intentions and technology priorit [...]
Booking bullet trains. Azgo cashback. Velma assists Warwick Hotels. More.
Booking the bullet now easier
Tokyo-listed Inbound Platform Corp has launched its Shinkansen (bullet train) ticket service, which includes basic fares, express tickets and ticket issuance via QR codes, for international travellers and foreign residents in Japan.
Through the ‘Japan Bullet Train [...]
WiT Podcast: Peter Harbison on ‘Alan Joyce and Qantas’, women in aviation and life Down Under
Aviation veteran and consultant Peter Harbison has many accolades - founder of CAPA, aviation lawyer and commentator, and of course, author. His new book, 'Alan Joyce and Qantas: The Trials and Transformation of an Australian Icon' contains all the ingredients of a corporate thriller, filled with co [...]
Letter from Cape Town: Of diamonds, dassies and naked surprises
As the Singapore Airlines flight came in for a landing in Cape Town Monday morning and I watched the beautiful vistas of the Western Cape unfold before my eyes, the first question that popped into my head was, “Why has it taken me so long?”
I first came to South Africa when I was still living [...]
