Google is now top site for hotel reviews, overtaking Booking.com
In Revinate’s Hotel Reputation Benchmark Report 2019 which analysed reviews for more than 140,000 hotels in over 200 countries, key findings like the continued growth of reviews on review sites and OTAs, albeit at a slower rate, were not surprising.
Perhaps what was more surprising and would [...]
How to thrive amid disruption in a globalised world: Lessons from tech and travel giants
At
the STB Tourism Industry Conference earlier this week, a cast of tech giants
from Expedia, Alibaba and Google, moderated by WiT’s Yeoh Siew Hoon, discussed
a burning topic in travel and beyond: how to thrive in the face of disruption.
Arguably each of the companies present on
stage has bee [...]
The Wrap: Firefly is back in Singapore after end of airspace dispute
In the news: Firefly’s return to Singapore, OTA rehlat's partnership with PayPal, Canadian technology startup Betterez’s move to New Zealand
Airlines: Firefly is back in Singapore after end of airspace dispute
The upgraded Seletar Airport where Firefly now lands (Image credit: Seletar Air [...]
STB joins forces with Traveloka, Alibaba in move to deepen its digital strategy
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has announced two strategic partnerships with Alibaba Group and Traveloka in a move that signals its intent to develop a more comprehensive digital strategy as more travellers move online.
Announcing the two agreements at Tourism
Industry Conference 2019, CEO K [...]
Will Malaysia’s departure levy hurt the country’s tourism industry? Opinions divided
Is paying RM20 to RM40 as departure levy flying out of Malaysian airports a deterrent to your travel? A question I put to a few friends who fly frequently for both work and play. All answered in the negative, as the amount is too small to affect their travel budget or stop them from taking holiday [...]
From Ain Dubai to the Red Sea, travel brands jostle to find their groove in a booming market
On the morning after WiT Middle East ended, I went for a walk across from Jumeirah Beach to Bluewaters Island, a new development that boasts 132 shops and restaurants, Caesars Palace Hotel and the 210m Ain Dubai, touted as the world’s largest observation wheel. For those of you familiar with Duba [...]
GuestReady continues on consolidation path, acquires France’s BnBLord
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
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
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
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 [...]
