Distribution
GuestReady continues on consolidation path, acquires France’s BnBLord
11/04/2019 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
GuestReady, a global short-term rental company, has acquired BnbLord, the largest Airbnb management company in France, to form the GuestReady Group. The combined company will be the leading provider in Europe managing more than 2,000 properties with a wide range of services to property owners, agen [...]
Northstar Travel Group acquires London-based Centaur Media’s travel and meetings business
11/04/2019 by WiT
Northstar Travel Group, WiT's parent company, has entered into an agreement to acquire Centaur Media Travel and Meetings (CTM) from Centaur Media, one of the UK's leading specialist and business publishing information companies. The transaction is expected to close at the end of April. The terms [...]
The Wrap: Agoda gives Amadeus agents access to its pre-paid hotel content
10/04/2019 by WiT
In the news: Amadeus and Agoda partner in sharing hotel content, Cloud solution for The Ascott in managing rapid growth, artificial intelligence to fight jet lag, Corporate Travel: Agoda gives Amadeus agents access to its pre-paid hotel content More accommodation options for business travelle [...]
The Middle East is “golden goose” of travel: Opportunities revealed at WiT ME
10/04/2019 by WiT
Movers and shakers of the Middle East online travel industry gathered at WiT Middle East 2019 in Dubai on April 9 to share their plans to unlock the potential of a fast-changing market being driven by youths – 60% of consumers are Millennials and Gen Z, strong spending power and technology develo [...]
Letter from UAE: Excuse me, have you got my reservation yet? The art of dealing with the last minute
08/04/2019 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
The last time I was in Abu Dhabi four years ago, there was a lot of talk about the development to come that would transform this emirati of 214 islands into a tourism destination – among them, the Saadiyat Cultural District that would comprise the Louvre, Guggenheim and Zayed National Museum. [...]
Cleartrip lays down solid road map to become “OTA to the emerging world”
04/04/2019 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
At the last WiT Middle East in Dubai in 2015, Stuart Crighton, CEO of Cleartrip, made it very clear the OTA would bet big on mobile given the high mobile penetration in the region, a trend markedly similar to its home market in India. Articulating his vision then, he said Cleartrip did not wish [...]
The Wrap: Marriott unveils “one-stop shop” for APAC meeting planners
03/04/2019 by WiT
In the news: Marriot’s new digital platform for APAC meeting and event planners, United Airlines first carrier for Sabre NDC booking capability, 777 Partners’ equity stake in Canada’s Flair Airlines Hotels: Marriott unveils “one-stop shop” for APAC meeting planners A resource cent [...]
How to maximise your travel brand presence using social and videos
02/04/2019 by WiT
Instagram, which was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and launched in October 2010 as a photo-sharing and, later, video-sharing social networking service (now owned by Facebook that acquired it in 2012 for US$1 billion), has become one of the world’s largest social media platforms. Ac [...]
African expertise puts Travelstart in good stead to tap Middle East growth
02/04/2019 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
With South Africa as its home base and its businesses spread across the African continent, Travelstart believes its roots and experience make it well suited to take on the emerging and fragmented markets of the Middle East. Paulina Klotzbucher, managing director, Travelstart, who has overview of th [...]
Cracking local payments is key to unlocking potential of Middle East
28/03/2019 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
When you combine three forces – a young demographic, an aspirational market of travellers and strong mobile adoption – it stands to reason that the future for online and mobile payments is bright in the Middle East. Spending is on the rise, said Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo, VP of Business Dev [...]