Together, we helped build a dormitory in Laos, thank you
If you were to ask me what I remember most about 2014, it’s the smile on Marie Cammal’s face when we told her about the amount we had raised at our WIT Charity Auction and how 70% of it would go towards her efforts to build the dormitory for young girls on the Thai-Lao border. (The rest goes t [...]
The year in review: From desert to bay, the fun’s just beginning
When we started 2014, it was with the intention to run 10 events to celebrate our “Little Big 10” anniversary. As the year unfolded, I lost count – what is it they say about life being a journey and not a destination.Well, now that we’ve nearly reached the destination – year end 2014 – I [...]
The secret’s out – Taiwan is hot and a new generation is ready for change
These days, it seems that everyone I speak to is travelling to Taiwan for their holidays. My niece, my neighbour, my masseur, all due to visit this year end – and that’s just my immediate circle.It’s like Taiwan has become the new Hokkaido for South-east Asians and all across Asia, travellers [...]
Ctrip vs Qunar: Difference is not only in business model but also in leadership style
It was interesting to see the contrasting styles of China’s top two online travel leaders on display at the Phocuswright conference in Los Angeles – Ctrip’s James Liang’s soft spoken, assertive, almost professorial-like tone vs Qunar’s CC Zhuang’s confident, aggressive and “we will sol [...]
OTAs – The Coming Wave: Lessons from abroad and local nuances
Lorraine Sileo, senior vice president, research of Phocuswright, kicked off the “OTAs – The Coming Wave” session at the WIT Conference by painting the big picture of how OTAs were evolving. Here’s a recap of what she shared on stage. Q: Your study shows one quarter of travel is now booked on [...]
New bucks, young faces, barefoot rebels – all changing hospitality
The morning Steve Rowley (pictured left), chairman of IHS, took to the stage at the WIT Conference, he had just broken the news to his employees that the group was in negotiations to buy fastbooking.com.While he couldn’t disclose details during his time onstage, he did say it was part of IHS’ pl [...]
Phocuswright Announces the Next Generation of Groundbreaking Travel Innovators
Travel industry research authority Phocuswright Inc. has announced the award winners of The Travel Innovation Summit, held on Nov. 11, the first day of The Phocuswright Conference currently underway in Los Angeles, Calif. Each year, 32 innovators are selected to demonstrate groundbreaking applicatio [...]
The View from Students: Don’t be afraid to make changes and take ownership of challenges
As part of our WITNext outreach to inspire and mentor young talent, we opened our events to tourism and hospitality students from the UNLV (University of Las Vegas). This is a summary by Jan Lim on The Challengers' panel on Day 1 of the WIT 2014 Conference on Oct 28.How does one infiltrate into tr [...]
How to win in the next wave of travel: Lessons from “Little Big 10”, Part 1
This is my dream. To write in a place like this. A house on the beach. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore. A dog at my feet. I’ve named him Sam. He’s a beautiful husky and he comes and goes on his own. I think he belongs to someone living in a house nearby but clearly he’s a free spi [...]
WIT founder Yeoh Siew Hoon receives Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year award
Yeoh Siew Hoon, WIT founder and editor, was named Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year at Tourism50 Gala Dinner and the Singapore Experience Awards 2014 last night. The jubilee event celebrated 50 years of tourism development and partnerships.In the citation for Yeoh, the Singapore Tourism Board said: � [...]
