Google’s ARCore partners with Singapore Tourism Board to create AI-powered guided tours
Singapore Tourism Board is the first tourism partner globally in Google’s ARCore Early Access Program.
One trend that started to gain traction in the last few years is the adoption of virtual and augmented reality in the travel, tourism, and attractions space. Contrary to initial belief, these to [...]
9 things we learned at ATE23: Australia recaptures Indian market, Ruby is a hit, visa applications, more
2300 delegates, 623 buyers from 32 countries, and a whopping 45,000 meetings. Those were the numbers that painted the 43rd edition of Tourism Australia’s largest annual trade event, Australian Tourism Exchange 2023 (ATE23) last week.
Hosted on the Gold Coast, Queensland across 5 days, this yea [...]
AI pioneer regrets his work; US Airlines’ 5G dilemma; Uber vs Australia; EU wary of multimodal ticketing
IATA’s sensitivity about 5G sensors
The US government says will not delay a deadline for airlines to refit planes with new sensors to address possible 5G interference, despite concerns the 1 July cut-off date could cause travel disruption.
Airlines are warning they will not be able to meet the [...]
Changing of the guard at STB as it prepares for a new future
Keith Tan leaves on a high, Melissa Ow returns to the fold
I remember commenting to someone at the recent Tourism Industry Conference in Singapore that it sounded like Keith Tan, chief executive of the Singapore Tourism Board, was making his farewell speech to the industry.
There was something [...]
Airbnb bets big on rooms, new checkout, pricing displays
Airbnb is going back to its roots – renewing its focus on individual rooms within larger properties, a concept CEO Brian Chesky calls “the soul of Airbnb.”
The introduction of “Airbnb Rooms” – with 1 million listings in the category - is part of the company’s Summer 2023 release, whic [...]
Top of the WiT 23: Anticipating ATE23, Malaysian road trips, and content creation in travel
Top Of The WiT is a grab of the trendiest news that happened this week in travel, tech and Asia - all condensed into a quick-and-easy nugget-sized podcast.
In this episode, we connect from different timezones - Siew Hoon takes a couple of road trips in Malaysia while Arvindh is in Queensland, Aus [...]
From reseller to global bedbank: How technology “became a weapon” for DidaTravel
Dida expands, gets into flights and tours & activities
The first time you meet Rikin Wu, founder and CEO of Chinese hotel bedbank DidaTravel, you immediately sense his pride in his Teochew roots.
This dialect group, hailing from the Chaoshan region in Guangdong Province, China, is known fo [...]
Letter From Sydney: A city that hides its secrets in plain sight
Like the rest of the world, Australia is gearing up for an interesting year in travel and hospitality. The Australian Tourism Exchange or ATE23 is back in full force for the first time since 2019, welcoming travellers both international and domestic to an array of new attractions in the colossal cou [...]
How to bag a Coronation tag; Air India is all tech; Russians avoiding European destinations
Air India enters the digital age
Air India chief, ex Scoot Singapore boss, Campbell Wilson, is making digitalisation of the airline’s operations a priority.
The national carrier has been a laggard for years but under new owners Tata Group, Air India hopes to recapture some, if not all, of its [...]
GHS doubles down on Alex to arm hoteliers in chat-heavy markets
One key characteristic of the pandemic is how travel technology companies which doubled down on product development during the lean years have come out looking rather different from their BD (Before Covid) selves.
Global Hospitality Solutions, a hospitality tech company focused on South-east Asia [...]
