Distribution
From murder mysteries to using data to target locals, lessons on surviving in a global world gone local
07/04/2021 by WiT
PRICE and product were the two main levers hoteliers and tours and activities providers in Asia had to pull as they adjusted their businesses to domestic travellers. That, and adjusting marketing tactics to capture local demand wherever and whenever it popped up, with smart use of data. In Sing [...]
Amid shift towards direct, Sabre’s new airline storefront aims to help agents catch first rebound
06/04/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
COGNIZANT that there will be consolidation in the travel agency market and that airline distribution is shifting inexorably to direct as a result of the pandemic, Sabre is nevertheless focused on powering travel agents through the recovery with new solutions, including its new airline storefront un [...]
It is simple. Travel passes have to be easy to use. Tech has to connect the dots.
01/04/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
IT is evident that Covid has forced us out of our comfort zone – from writing about travel tech, we’ve had to speak to psychiatrists (how to manage fear), learn about viruses and transmissions (ad naseum) and last week, interviewed a medical doctor on stage to find out how vaccinations would he [...]
Getting processes and passes right is critical and the big win is in restarting of travel
31/03/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
EVEN as vaccination programmes, the holy grail on which many of us are pinning our travel hopes, are being rolled out in most countries in the world, it is painfully clear there is still a lot of work to do before we see meaningful volumes of travel return. And getting it all right is critical [...]
The Wrap: Passenger demand for APAC airlines remains suppressed, Asia Travel Technology Industry Association adds two new members, and more …
31/03/2021 by WiT
THE Wrap is a round-up of news in the travel and technology industries, and to keep track of developments in these sectors as businesses adapt and reset to meet challenges in the era of coronavirus. Passenger traffic for APAC airlines remains at depressed levels, but cargo demand keeps growing [...]
Maldives rolls out loyalty programme and 3V (Visit, Vaccinate, Vacation) campaign
31/03/2021 by WiT
TO build on the momentum it has garnered as one of the very few destinations to open to international tourism amid the pandemic the Maldives is upping the ante by launching a loyalty programme for repeat visitors, as well as a “3V Tourism initiative”. It launched the Maldives Border Miles p [...]
Ragge: Corporate travel needs a “dream alliance”, and to prove value in net zero emissions world
29/03/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
AS emotionally exhausting as dealing with Covid-19 has been, Tobias Ragge, CEO of HRS has still had time to dream of a new and better world of corporate travel which he says has been completely disrupted by the pandemic. “Entering this stage, travel is completely disrupted,” said Ragge, who [...]
The Wrap: First NDC-booked travellers on Qantas, Korean Air trials IATA Travel Pass, and more …
24/03/2021 by WiT
First NDC-booked travellers flew on Qantas’ Sydney-Melbourne flight   First NDC-booked passengers on Qantas travelled to Melbourne from Sydney. (Image credit: Jordan Comley/Getty Images) Travelport has started the rollout of bookings on Qantas using International Air Transport Ass [...]
From RMB5b refund a day to full domestic recovery: How Trip.com rode out Covid
23/03/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Now the big question is, when will Chinese outbound restart? THIS time last year, in the darkest days of travel, Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group, recalled that it was having to process up to RMB5 billion of refunds a day, with no sight of whether it would be repaid or when the pandemic would end [...]
The WiT Podcast – Episode 34: Tracy Lui, Senior Assistant Director, Marketing & Communications, Mount Faber Leisure Group, Singapore
22/03/2021 by WiT
Sentosa United, in partnership with Sentosa Development Corporation THE cable car is one of Singapore’s oldest attractions, built in 1974. Guess how many people have ridden in it since? Well, clearly Covid had an impact on the number of riders in 2020 and the group, which markets the cable [...]