In The Big Chair – Keith Tan, CEO, Singapore Tourism Board
Keith Tan took over the reins of the Singapore Tourism Board just under a year ago. He joined STB from his role of deputy secretary of policy at the Ministry of Defence. Tan joined the Singapore Tourism Board midway through its 2016-2020 travel marketing strategy, which focuses on stories, fans and [...]
In bid to differentiate meta-search service, LINE Travel jp plays Loyalty and Pay card
A year after its rebranding into LINE Travel jp, following a 34% equity investment by the messaging giant, Japan’s travel meta-search service will offer its customers a LINE Point-back service when they book and pay for travel bookings through its website effective September 25.
At the same t [...]
APAC key to driving pace of change and growth for Booking as it works on delivering “the connected trip”
The day I catch up with Angel Llull Mancas, the managing director for Booking.com, APAC, comes the news of the collapse of Thomas Cook Group, one of the most well-known brands in the history of travel. It is a shock yet not such a surprise, according to this analysis in Phocuswire.
“It shows
[...]
TripAdvisor takes fake reviews by the horns, urges others to do the same
TripAdvisor has taken the issue of fake reviews by the horns and is urging other platforms like Google and Facebook to do the same.
“We need other major platforms like Google and Facebook to step up and take the issue of fake reviews seriously. Right now, we are not seeing that,” said Bec [...]
The Wrap: What travellers want and their frustrations shopping online revealed
News Roundup: Latest study highlights growing demands of travellers and their online frustrations, new CEO for American Express GBT, AirAsia’s faster inflight WiFi
Study: What travellers want and their frustrations shopping online revealed
Many travellers want to personalise their flights [...]
Skyscanner hits 100m milestone, pledges move to sustainable travel
Skyscanner has hit 100m peak monthly active users and said it will take the lead in promoting sustainable travel.
Marking its milestone with a new look, it revealed that more than 172 million passengers have booked $23 billion worth of air tickets through its platform in the past 12 months.
“W [...]
Thomas Cook collapses after rescue plan fails
Thomas Cook, one of the most well-known brands in the history of the travel industry, has collapsed after a financial rescue failed to materialise.
The U.K. and Germany-listed public company needed a £200 million bailout to secure survival following a previous investment of £900 million in Jul [...]
No-commission hotel booking platform Bidroom arrives in Asia Pacific
The hotel booking wars in Asia Pacific is heating up with the entry of “fair-minded” hotel booking platform Bidroom, which aims to boost the profitability of the region's hotel sector with its “radically different business model based on zero commissions.”
Launched in 2014 in the Nether [...]
Marriott, Expedia team up on wholesale rates, marking a big step in the OTA-hotel relationship
The deal between Marriott International and Expedia Group which makes the OTA the exclusive global optimised distributor of Marriott's wholesale rates, availability and content to a network of global travel providers is a clear move by the hotel chain to tighten the leakage of wholesale rates and r [...]
The Wrap: Klook rides with JR-West to boost tourism in western Japan
News Roundup: Highlights on new products and services from travel suppliers – Klook and Japanese railway company promoting tourism in western Japan, Singapore Airlines expanding its NDC KrisConnect programme, partnership between Wego and Singapore Tourism Board to target Middle East travell [...]
