Jesper Koll: Scarcity leads to innovation, lessons from Hello Kitty and Astro Boy
Jesper Koll, Senior Advisor, Wisdom Tree Investments, opened his presentation on “Destiny” at WiT Japan with the objection he hears most often: Japan's population is shrinking by nearly 3,000 people every day. How can anyone be bullish?
His counter argument – scarcity is the mother of inven [...]
AI + Omotenashi: Hail, a new partnership in travel
JTB’s Eijiro Yamakita on reading the room, sensing the world, and why the renaissance of travel is already here.
There is a word that does not translate easily. Omotenashi, often rendered as “Japanese hospitality”, is, as Eijiro Yamakita gently reminded the audience at WiT Japan, neither a me [...]
The Great Destination Redistribution: Moving tourism from where it is to where it should be
Data, mindsets, resident sentiment and the uncomfortable truth about who really wants redistribution
The question of how to spread tourism more evenly across Japan, away from the overcrowded golden triangle of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka and into the rural towns, regional communities and hidden landscap [...]
Bridging two worlds: Mayumi Nakamura Birt on reinvention, resilience and the art of the imperfect
Veltra’s chief transformation officer returned to Japan six months ago. What she found was a country on the edge of something, if it can tolerate the mess of getting there
Mayumi Nakamura Birt spent more than two decades running a SaaS company in the US. She learned to fail fast, move on, and t [...]
Mastercard and CrescentRating: 245 million Muslim travellers by 2030, with women driving nearly half of arrivals today
Two new reports highlight how responsible, immersive, digital and assured travel experiences are shaping the next phase of Muslim-friendly tourism
Mastercard, in collaboration with CrescentRating, has released two new reports: Halal Travel Trends 2026 and Muslim Women in Travel 2026, examining how [...]
The rise of the ‘perpetual traveller’ creates new opportunities for hotels
The hospitality industry can capitalize on rising frequency, secondary city growth, and deep localization in 2026
Digital travel platform Agoda highlights that the combination of a rising middle class and changing travel habits across Asia is creating new revenue opportunities for the travel and ho [...]
Extreme weather is impacting APAC travel more than you think
Booking.com's latest sustainability report shows climate risk is no longer a background concern, it's now a front-and-centre factor in how people across Asia Pacific plan, book, and rethink travel.
According to Booking.com's 11th annual Travel & Sustainability Report, climate anxiety has offici [...]
Traveloka and Resorts World Sentosa partner to capture demand for experience-led travel to Singapore
Powered by Traveloka's data intelligence and platform scale, the partnership gives RWS direct access to millions of high-intent Indonesian and Southeast Asian travellers.
Traveloka has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), Singapore’s premier integrated reso [...]
The Middle East travel market: Resilient, reset, and recalibrating
Three months after the first attack on Iran sent shockwaves through the region, I spoke to four OTA leaders operating across the Middle East to get a read on where things stand. What emerged wasn't a single story but four different ones, shaped by market size, business model, and temperament.
&nb [...]
The age of wellness tourism is here and tech is cashing in
From AI-powered jet lag apps to spa booking platforms, the wellness travel industry is quietly becoming one of the most exciting spaces in travel tech. Here's what you need to know.
If you thought wellness tourism was just overpriced yoga retreats and green juice, think again. The sector is under [...]
