Klook goes Gaga. AI regulates STRs. Singapore Airlines bans power banks. Sentosa x Weixin Pay. More.
Joe Tsai: AI, Open Source, and Chinese consumers
Alibaba Group Chairman Joe Tsai highlighted AI’s transformative potential during CNBC CONVERGE LIVE, emphasising its potential to boost productivity and create a $10 trillion market - larger than the entire tech sector. He underscored that the real [...]
Nadia Omer on lessons from strangers, and focus on cost, price and budget travel
"Budget travel isn’t about taking market share from premium airlines; it’s about activating new demographics to fly for the first time." - Nadia Omer, CEO, AirAsia MOVE
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last night played host to the first-ever Travel Tech Thursdays, a joint event by WiT, Wego and My Indie [...]
iJapan. AI spending takes flight. Skyscanner DROPS savings. e-Arrival in South Korea.
Tokyo tops the list for biggest flight savings in Skyscanner’s new DROPS feature
Skyscanner has launched DROPS, a new app-exclusive feature that helps travellers find flights that have dropped in price by at least 20% compared to the past week. Scanning over 80 billion prices daily, the feature u [...]
WiT & Phocuswright return to Middle East to unlock promise of a growth region
There is no doubt that the Middle East is a region on the rise, buoyed by the investments being made in Saudi Arabia as it strives to meet its target of 150 million tourists by 2030.
Phocuswright’s annual Middle East Travel Market Report, issued in 2024, forecasts a 40% growth in the region’s t [...]
47% of Singaporean travellers have planned vacations around concerts
Trip.com Group unveils Momentum 2025: Singapore’s next big travel trends
As the global travel industry continues to reinvent itself, Trip.com Group has released its forward-looking report, Momentum 2025: Travel's Next Big Trends. Based on insights from over 6,000 travellers across six Asia-Pacif [...]
The ‘new’ paper guidebook | Strategies helping Go City win the attractions race
Remember when paper guidebooks used to be a traveller’s way of getting around? One could argue that while the guidebook is antiquated at this point, the concept of a travel guide has never been more in demand. Smartphones may have replaced physical guides, but the need of the traveller remains the [...]
Tourism spending in Singapore hits record high amid shift to attract premium travellers
Singapore had good reason for cheer this week as the Singapore Tourism Board announced that tourism spending in 2024 is on track to hit an all-time high, surpassing the pre-pandemic high of $27.7 billion in 2019.
International Visitor Arrivals (IVA) increased by 21% (compared to 2023) to 16.5 mil [...]
85% of DMOs are boosting digital ad spend
Sojern unveils its 2025 State of Destination Marketing report
Sojern, a digital marketing platform built for travel announced the launch of the “State of Destination Marketing 2025” report for destination marketing organizations (DMOs). This report, produced through a partnership between Sojern [...]
Chinese travel and spending surge during Lunar New Year holiday
Alipay reports rise in spending in cosmetic surgery, Fliggy sees growth in international cruises and car rentals
Both Alipay and Fliggy, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Alibaba Group, have recorded significant surges in Chinese travel spending, in both outbound and inbound, during the Lunar New Year [...]
Thai entry goes digital. Boom goes supersonic. Insurance payouts surge. More.
Smartify’s £1.5M boost to enhance visitor engagement at museums and galleries
Smartify, a visitor engagement platform for museums and attractions, has secured £1.5 million in funding, led by Metavallon VC with participation from Pembroke VCT. Founded in 2015, Smartify aims to expand internation [...]
