Marketing
Air travel improved marginally in May, remained below pre-pandemic levels: IATA
12/07/2021 by WiT
BOTH international and domestic travel demand showed marginal improvements in May 2021, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). However, air traffic remained well below pre-pandemic levels, while recovery in international traffic, in particular, continued to be stymied [...]
AirAsia acquires Gojek’s Thai operations in all-share deal
08/07/2021 by WiT
Gojek to increase investment in its Vietnam and Singapore operations in realigned strategy, acquires stake in airasia Super App AIRASIA is revving up the expansion of its superapp footprint in ASEAN with the acquisition of Indonesian ride-hailing and payments firm Gojek’s business in Thailand. [...]
A hotel giant talks sharing, caring and loving Asia
08/07/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
From selling groceries in Santo Domingo to CapitaLand in Singapore, Miguel Ko has had a remarkable journey to the top IT was a love affair that started in 1979, and even though he left hospitality per se in 2012, after departing from Starwood, Miguel Ko always kept his ties with the industry. Th [...]
Co-ownership of guests, laser focus on high value experiences: Martha Waslen on the DayAway difference
07/07/2021 by Tabbi Maitland
WHEN we spoke to DayAway founder Martha Waslen in April, the startup had just closed a successful seed funding round and brought onboard its only other employee. Since then, the team has grown to 25 members (a mix of employees and contractors) and expects to close a Series A capital raise by the en [...]
The Wrap: TripAdvisor unveils new app, Travelport inks deal with Emirates on surcharge-free content, and more …
07/07/2021 by WiT
THE Wrap is a round-up of news in the travel and technology industries, and an update on how businesses in these sectors are adapting and resetting as they prepare for post-pandemic travel. Tripadvisor unveils new app, rolls out digital campaign as travel rebounds TripAdvisor's new app aims [...]
Travel is back in the US – families hitting the road, cities will make comeback
07/07/2021 by WiT
IN his “Letter From America” delivered at WiT Travel Roadshow, Episode 4, Hari Nair, global senior vice president, account management at Expedia Group, shared five insights that are fuelling hopes of a robust travel recovery. First, the initiatives to reduce the spread of Covid-19 are fuell [...]
Thank you, Covid. Ling can Vouch for the fact that in crisis, an opportunity
06/07/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Chatbots are “an entry point towards constructing a customer journey”, says entrepreneur who found his footing in travel after two failures TWO failures later, former government scholar-turned-entrepreneur Joseph Ling may have finally found his footing with Vouch, “the app-less hotel [...]
Digitisation, sustainability, new design thinking – there’s no turning back for hospitality, says Park Hotel Group’s Shin Hui
01/07/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
A new generation hotelier, Shin Hui Tan brings fresh perspectives to hospitality. The grand-daughter of renowned banker Wee Cho Yaw (United Overseas Bank), she spent four years in finance and private equity before joining Park Hotel Group in 2009, where she leads commercial and brand strategy. [...]
Flexible payment options are drawing consumers back to travel
30/06/2021 by WiT
THE pandemic has seen a sharp rise in consumers opting to buy first and pay later due to the current economic uncertainty, and these flexible payment options are driving consumers to travel. Pay When You Fly (PWYF), a new research by Amadeus, states this is the “most appealing payment option� [...]
Thailand ramps up organic tourism movement with reopening of Phuket
30/06/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Thai Organic Consumer Association partners with TAT to launch platform connecting travellers with organic farmers IN tandem with the reopening of Phuket tomorrow (July 1), the Thai Organic Consumer Association (TOCA), in partnership with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), will be launching [...]