Letter from Sydney: Winter’s coming, a battle of Amazonic proportions is looming
Winter in Sydney is very different from the winter portrayed in the Game of Thrones television series but I get the feeling that the competition for online consumers is going to get as brutal and bloody in the next year or so, and travel will be caught up in the quest for the Iron Throne.
The [...]
The Wrap: MBC Group, Middle East’s leading multimedia company, invests in Wego
In the news: MBC Groups’s investment in Wego, Cathay Pacific’s partnership with Alibaba Group, SIA’s creative inflight safety video unveiled
ONLINE TRAVEL: MBC Group, Middle East’s leading multimedia company, invests in Wego
Last week travel search site Wego announced it has recei [...]
Marriott teams up with Alibaba to woo Chinese outbound travellers
Marriott International and Chinese e-commerce company, Alibaba Group, have formed a new joint venture "to redefine the travel experience for the hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers travelling abroad and domestically every year.”
The JV leverages Marriott’s portfolio of more than 6,200 [...]
A ‘solid’ H12017 for Travelport in line with expectations of steady growth
Travelport has reported a “solid” second quarter and half year ended June 30, 2017 with net revenue increasing 1% to US$612 million.
Travel Commerce Platform revenue rose 2% to US$584 million, with Asia Pacific contributing primarily to this increase due to a 4% increase in both Reported Segmen [...]
No goosing around for Air New Zealand as it changes the world map
You should take your business seriously but you shouldn’t take yourself too seriously, that was the key message from Christopher Luxon, CEO Air New Zealand, as he shared how the 77-year-old airline had achieved 15 years of consecutive profitability and 13 years of positive dividends.
Of course, [...]
Jetstar’s bets on digital, data 4 years ago paying off
Jayne Hrdlicka, CEO of Jetstar Group, painted a picture as sunny as the weather outside for her airline at this week’s CAPA Aviation Summit in Sydney.
Opening the two-day conference, she said, “The global economy is in its best shape since the GFC. We are carrying 37 million passengers now, t [...]
The Wrap: Indonesia gets on board with AirAsia and Adobe for tourism promotion
In the news: Indonesia’s new tourism partners, AccorHotels’ move into collaborative workspace, two new travel companies for Flight Centre
DESTINATIONS: Indonesia gets on board with AirAsia and Adobe for tourism promotion
Indonesia is entering into partnerships to promote itself as the [...]
Distribution, IT Solutions boost Amadeus’ solid financial performance
Amadeus reported strong financial showing for the first half of the year, supported by good growth in its businesses and the consolidation effect of Navitaire.
Here are the highlights of the six months ended June 30, 2017
Revenue increased 9.5%, to €2,490.7 million
EBITDA grew 10.1%, to [...]
Expedia’s US$350m investment in Traveloka: ASEAN’s first travel unicorn set to fly higher
It’s finally happened – Traveloka, the Indonesian online travel agency, that’s been streaking ahead in the world’s fifth largest domestic market, has received a US$350 million minority investment from Expedia, with analysts saying this values it around US$2 billion, making it Southeast Asia� [...]
Hotel distribution like Whack A Mole game: Expedia’s de Schepper on taking on Asia
When you sign up to work in online travel, you know you are never going to have a quiet moment. This is what Mieke de Schepper, who joined Expedia to manage hotel relationships in Asia Pacific from a career in Philips, has discovered.
“It’s like the game of Whack A Mole we used to play as [...]
