Distribution
Forter’s Whiteford on why travel is highly susceptible to fraud and how to fight it with tech, scale and network
10/10/2019 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Imagine how much bigger travel would be if we took on the bad guys collectively and with a level of sophistication that combines human intelligence with machine learning? That’s the message Angela Whiteford, chief marketing officer of Forter, wants to bring to WiT when she speaks at the Singapore [...]
New Travelport CEO not interested in third place, aims to top market with agility and speed
10/10/2019 by Vera Ong
“I plan to win. Period,” declared Greg Webb, the 71-day old CEO of Travelport but a long-time veteran in the industry, having spent more than 20 years at competitor Sabre. “I do not plan to be the third player for long.” And the gauntlet is thus thrown. Travelport currently sits behind [...]
The Wrap: Accor debuts ibis budget brand in Singapore
09/10/2019 by WiT
News Roundup: ibis budget brand's first showing in Singapore, Travelstart's acquisition of Travel Club Group finalised, TripAdvisor Connect's launch on social media platforms, a 24/7 online chatbot for Cebu Pacific Hotels: Accor debuts ibis budget brand in Singapore Lobby of ibis budget Singa [...]
Northstar expands global footprint with purchase of Buying Business Travel, travAlliancemedia and CAT Media
08/10/2019 by WiT
Northstar Travel Group, the parent company of WiT, has made three acquisitions in just two days, a record for the company, to extend its global reach and create multi-platform media to support  events. The three companies are Buying Business Travel, acquired from London-based Panacea Media, New [...]
On the back of booming Internet economy in SEA, WiT takes bird’s eye view of travel 2020 and beyond
08/10/2019 by WiT
It’s been a momentous time for online travel and on the cusp of a new decade, the WiT Singapore 2019 conference – being held Oct 14-16 – will take a bird’s eye view of the industry and project into the future of what travel could look like in 2020 and beyond. And it’s a promising futu [...]
How Zouba intends to build its way to become a meta-book marketplace for destination products
08/10/2019 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Malaysia-based GoQuo, which calls itself an “airline’s best friend” helping them sell ancillary revenues, has taken the plunge into the tours and activities space by launching Zouba (meaning “let’s go” in Mandarin), a “meta-book marketplace” for destination products. “We’re a [...]
These tech trends are shaping business travel in Asia Pacific
08/10/2019 by WiT
The business travel landscape is changing as employees have greater freedom and want a travel culture that combines productivity and personalised experiences. This includes the rise of bleisure (business and leisure) among employees in Asia Pacific – a trend that is growing in popularity as work- [...]
The Wrap: IATA unveils campaign to advance gender diversity in airline industry
02/10/2019 by WiT
News Roundup:  IATA’s 25by2025 campaign to address gender imbalance in airline industry, deeper NDC collaboration between Travelport and Singapore Airlines, booking Grab rides through FCM’s mobile app, Flight Centre Travel Group’s partnership with Troovo Aviation: IATA unveils campaign t [...]
Asia Partners’ Rippel on why SEA could produce up to 30 unicorns and how he doesn’t want to miss it this time
02/10/2019 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Oliver Rippel, co-founder and partner of Asia Partners, believes South-east Asia could yield between 20 and 30 tech unicorns. And he believes there are only certain sectors that can have global network effects, the rest, which includes online travel, is where local heroes can win over global player [...]
How Sojern’s Travel Advertising report unearthed a stark difference in Asia and why it’s taking a more localised approach
01/10/2019 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
When Stephen Taylor, chief revenue officer, was going through the results of Sojern’s 2019 Report on Travel Advertising, one finding stood out for him. “Driving direct bookings” was the biggest challenge cited by travel marketers in APAC (Asia Pacific)  while globally, the biggest challenge [...]