7 Stages to the New Normal, revisited – “the lack of progress haunts my thinking”
When I wrote the first version of the story that was published in WiT three weeks ago, I used less data than is now available. Now I think we have a better view of the situation. Thus I am revising my timeline and it’s not pretty.
Timothy O’Neil-Dunne revises the timeline of 'The 7 Stages to [...]
Chatbots, contactless travel, blockchain & crypto: Korean companies dig deep into tech to ride out Covid-19
From automation of the back end to chatbots and tech solutions to facilitate contactless travel as well as the introduction of blockchain and cryptocurrency, online travel companies in South Korea are being spurred by the Covid-19 crisis to innovate.
Speaking during WiT Virtual: Spotlight on the [...]
Now everyone’s in the same boat as Expedia secures $3.2b financing and names a new captain
Even before Covid-19 struck, it had been rocky seas for Expedia Group. The 3,000 layoffs and cost cuts it did, which was played out in full glare on social media, pre-empted the pandemic to come. Little did we know at the time that the same fate was to befall thousands upon thousands of more people [...]
Exploring Experiences wants to dance to a different beat in tours & activities
It didn’t take long even for a software engineer (who is also a dancer) who had never been involved in travel to realise that the co-dependent relationships between large OTAs and small independent businesses, such as those in the tours and activities space, were unhealthy and imbalanced.
His [...]
Survive, innovate, collaborate, then look to the future. What will travel look like in the new normal?
The first priority is survival. “This is the opportunity to fix the problems in our business,” said Stephan Ekbergh, CEO, Travelstart, during WiT Virtual’s Middle East Forum held last week. “Then if you manage to survive, you have to innovate. We innovate best under pressure.”
Stephan [...]
Slow recovery for Asia’s aviation industry, needs confidence-boosting measures
A survey commissioned by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) of recent travellers found that 60% anticipate a return to travel within one to two months of containment of the coronavirus pandemic, but 40% indicate that they could wait six months or more. However, 69% indicated that th [...]
Keeping the fantasy of travel alive: WiT Watch on destination marketing – Ecuador, Auckland, Monaco
Just because we can’t travel now doesn’t mean we can’t keep the fantasy of travel alive in our customers’ minds. Here’s a round-up of destinations doing their bit to keep dreaming alive.
Ecuador: Yesterday
Eucador, like most countries in the world, is in lockdown to fend off the co [...]
WiT Community Blog: Lisa Katsouraki, head of corporate development, Etraveli Group
With Planet Earth in lockdown, our industry at a standstill and many of
us in self-isolation or quarantine at home, or grounded, this is our blog for
you – it’s a way to share stories within our community, to form solidarity and
foster a sense of belonging.
Short essays on what we are eac [...]
The making of SG Virtual Choir: An unorthodox collaboration in time of coronavirus
How the Singapore Tourism Board came together with Voices of Singapore to make beautiful music together
When Voices of Singapore (VOS), a not-for-profit choral organisation, found their festival cancelled and realised that they would not be able to hold physical events for the forseeable future, [...]
In this, we are all absolute beginners – here’s to starting anew, bloopers and all
Speaking to Australian Gold Olympian athlete Chloe Dalton yesterday in WiT Virtual about building range and resilience, one other talk came to mind – champion skateboarder Rodney Mullen saying that the moment his winning streak ended was his moment of liberation – because that’s when he had n [...]
