What our panel of experts think will happen in 2013
One common prediction is the world will not end on December 21, and we still be around to do business in the new year.Michael Issenberg, Chairman, Accor Asia Pacific• First there is a 2013 as the world doesn't end on 21/12/12.• The hype of Myanmar tourism and outrage over hotel pricing reache [...]
Why this time of the year is like prepping for an F1 race
You can tell it’s the merry time of the year because there’s a lot of buying going on – Priceline buys Kayak; MakeMyTrip buys Hoteltravel; ZUJI’s suitor turned out to be Webjet and not Wotif as the rumour mill had been suggesting; Etihad saves Kingfisher; and SIA sells its stake in Virgin At [...]
Travel agents still have a role to play in digital travellers’ world
Travelport’s recent global research into the habits and booking patterns of digital leisure travellers showed that, despite being tech savvy, this new breed of road warriors tend to be confused with information overload on the web and are more likely to use a travel agent for complex trips.The stu [...]
Five ideas for a digital world
We don’t need digital ideas, we need ideas for a digital world, according to James Sowden, Engagement Planning Director and David Webster, Digital Business Development Director of BBHAsia Pacific, at the Alpha Terra Marketing Conference in Jakarta recently. This is a summary of their presentation. [...]
How Hotel ICON turned a possible negative into a ‘hotel with purpose’
When Hotel ICON was in the initial stages of planning, it was wary of the negative connotations that could be attached to a hotel that is owned by a school.“We didn’t want people to think of it as a hostel and that they’d be served by students only,” said Richard Hatter, general manager.So [...]
Scott Blume is Wotif’s new chief executive officer
Australian online travel company, Wotif, has appointed hospitality industry veteran Scott Blume as CEO, replacing Robbie Cooke who resigned in September 2012.An Australian, Blume (pictured left) is a seasoned CEO with travel sector experience both within Australia and Asia, He has worked in Asia - [...]
Service with a purpose – mind the details, solve a problem, build a brand
Talking to James Hogan, CEO of Etihad, during his acceptance of the Aviation Executive of the Year award by CAPA in Hong Kong last week, it’s clear the Australian-born airline chief is madly focused on customer service.He knows, like every chief executive of businesses whose products have been com [...]
Wego offers alternative accommodation with launch of Holiday Rentals
Travel search engine Wego has partnered with several online travel accommodation sites to give its users a wide range of alternatives to conventional hotel stays via the Holiday Rentals search tab.
The new tab, which appears on the home page of Wego’s 52 customised sites worldwide, boasts [...]
First WIT Indonesia to uncover insights and ideas in a boom market
Web In Travel (WIT), the premier event to focus thought, debate and personality around the subject of travel distribution, marketing and technology, is teaming up with Kibar Kreasi, an Indonesian digital specialist that organises events such as GeekFest, Women Wired Weekend, the Alphaterra Digital M [...]
Watch out for first low cost alliance, says Spring’s CEO
Spring Airlines’ CEO Xiuzhi Zhang kicked off the CAPA World Aviation Summit this morning in Hong Kong with a prediction that we’ll see the first true low cost carrier alliance soon.“Expect a whole new dialogue,” she said, as competition among low cost airlines steps up across the region.She [...]
