From Africa to FREENOW, Meili’s out to reduce friction in car rental to drive direct bookings and loyalty
Domain expertise and experience count for a lot, says seasoned Irish entrepreneur Mike McGearty
Right after Mike McGearty, CEO and co-founder, Meili Travel Technology, left Cape Town where he was speaking at WiT Africa came the news that his company had signed a partnership with FREENOW, Europe's l [...]
Lessons from WiT Africa, Part 1: From Cape of Good Hope to the promise of youths, mobile and payments
“NDC adoption is slower than two elephants making babies”, among some of the more colourful quotes at the first WiT Africa
“Isn’t it wonderful to wake up to views like these?” said Farai, our driver, taking the very words from my mouth as we weaved through the coastline from Llandudno to [...]
Global Travel Tech formed to tackle regulations around digital travel platforms
Six global travel brands – Expedia Group, Booking Holdings, eDreams ODIGEO, Amadeus, Travelport and Skyscanner – are joining forces to form Global Travel Tech (GTT), aimed at fostering innovation and competitiveness in response to anticipated regulatory changes affecting digital travel platforms [...]
How technology has eased conversations between finance and marketing chiefs
Dynamic duo CFO Siew Kim and CCO Bee Leng unite to innovate at Ascott
Technology has not only transformed hospitality in the past decade or so but it has also made conversations easier between finance chiefs and brand marketers, two usually divergent camps because, to put it simply, one counts mone [...]
Travelwings, now in 27 African countries, seeks to transform continent
Local payments the door opener to continent’s e-commerce potential, says CEO Albert Fernando
As the founder and CEO of Travelwings, Africa’s leading online travel agency, Albert Fernando’s dream is to create new job opportunities in travel and e-commerce across the continent.
“There are [...]
Is this the moment for audio tours? Viator’s Dines not prepared to call it yet
Accelerate 2.0 to bring more tour operators onboard marketplace; Asia sees “enthusiastic bounceback”
Before she joined Tripadvisor in 2018, Sarah Dines, Chief Commercial Officer of Viator, spent most of her career in audio guide, including as CEO of Discovery Channel’s Antenna International [...]
The Human Revolution goes to Africa – world’s biggest population by 2030
WiT, Innovation City and Travelstart team up to hold travel tech event in Cape Town March 14-15
WiT (Web in Travel), the leading travel tech conference and media in Asia Pacific, will launch its African edition in Cape Town, South Africa, on March 14-15, 2024.
To be held in partnership with Inn [...]
Thailand’s Kasikorn Bank Group invests $25m in Traveligo, rebranding to Gother
Thai domestic OTA to partner with TakeMeTour and expand overseas
Thailand’s Beacon Venture Capital, a subsidiary of Kasikorn Bank, has invested US$25m in Traveligo, a Thailand domestic OTA founded in 2015 by Anupong Kriangkrailipikorn, and which will be rebranded to Gother.
The news, announc [...]
GHA’s investment in direct booking pays off, $70m saved in commissions
Hospitality CEOs on brand loyalty, tech investments and cybersecurity risks
The Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) has been able to save up to $70m in commissions payouts to third parties since it built its direct booking platform, said Christopher Hartley, CEO of the world’s largest alliance of i [...]
PKFARE, claiming first mover advantage in global race, sets clear path to differentiation
Culture is the critical piece, says Jason Sui
Once operating fairly alone in the global air aggregation and distribution space, Shenzen-based PKFARE now finds itself in increasingly competitive waters as more China-based flight platforms expand their wings beyond their home market.
Said Jason Su [...]
