Distribution
Don’t fear, K-travel is alive and well – industry’s bursting with creativity and feistiness
30/10/2020 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
WiT Seoul 2020 captured how online travel players are executing by millimetres to last the long game If there’s one overwhelming feeling I got out of hosting WiT Seoul Virtual yesterday, it is that South Koreans are overwhelming in their creativity and fighting spirit. Yes, we see it in their [...]
Buying flights on AirAsia.com? Don’t forget to pick up zucchinis and potatoes too
29/10/2020 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
While you are buying an air ticket on AirAsia.com for your next holiday, hop one tab over for some groceries, and then to the next one to pick out a gift for your partner. When COVID 19 closed all borders, it was an obvious move for AirAsia.com to pivot away from just selling flights and hotels [...]
Fee for all coming to an end with Airbnb’s host commission switch?
29/10/2020 by Martin Kelly
Pricing is set to get a shakeup in Australia’s short term rental (STR) industry from November 1 when Airbnb scraps guest service charges and moves to a 15 per cent host commission only model – up from 3 per cent – for its software-connected hosts and property managers. It is a huge change [...]
The Wrap: Asia Pacific airlines still struggling to survive, Trip.com Group bolsters travel recovery with “LIVE for Trip” campaign, and more …
28/10/2020 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. Asia Pacific airlines still struggling to survive, says AAPA Air passenger demand in Asia Paci [...]
Report: Singapore’s mid-market hotels have to rethink business models and be flexible amid Covid challenges
28/10/2020 by WiT
Covid has upended the hotel industry worldwide, and in Singapore the mid-market segment is “being forced” to consider reimagined business models, guest amenities and experiences, as well as space usage, according to a report by JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group (JLL). The report, Reimaginin [...]
How Almosafer’s omni-channel strategy helped it ride out Covid-19
27/10/2020 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Ronnie Varghese, head of digital for Almosafer, the flagship consumer travel brand of Saudi Arabia’s Seera Group, is the first to admit his initial scepticism when the company announced it wanted to actively pursue an omni-channel strategy in 2019.  Almosafer had started as a social media [...]
STB and Airbnb Experiences partner to bring virtual tourism to global travellers
26/10/2020 by WiT
Following on the heels of its two-year global marketing partnership with Expedia last week, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has formed yet another pact - with Airbnb Experiences to offer a variety of virtual tours to global audiences in “the new international tourism climate” The two partn [...]
Sabre, Google to develop AI-tech platform to power personalised travel
26/10/2020 by WiT
Sabre and Google have teamed up to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technology platform to propel the personalisation of travel. Known as Sabre Travel AI , it uses Google’s AI technology and machine-learning capabilities to deliver relevant and personalised content to meet [...]
WiT Seoul 2020 goes hybrid – physical Innovation Stage twinned with virtual event
23/10/2020 by WiT
WiT Seoul 2020, to be held October 29, will combine a physical WiT Innovation Stage in Seoul starting at 2pm local time, with a virtual Main Stage which will kick off at 5pm. The WiT innovation Stage, aimed at connecting local startups with investors in mentoring sessions, will be held from 2pm [...]
Globalisation and OTA power, two sacred cows killed by Covid
23/10/2020 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Scoot’s Wilson on distribution: “Use the opportunity to recalibrate and build back better” while Pan Pacific's Choe says, “The Netflix culture is coming” Globalisation and OTA power are the two sacred cows that have been killed by Covid, as far as Campbell Wilson, CEO of Scoot, and Cho [...]