Marketing
Aitken: Traveller confidence patchy across the world, pessimism more evident in APAC
05/05/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Skyscanner builds out more domestic product, adds insurance bundle AS the Covid-19 virus weaves different paths through the world it is having similar effects on traveller sentiment across different regions. Said Hugh Aitken, Skyscanner’s vice president of flights, “On the one hand, in Europ [...]
The WiT Podcast – Episode 36: Demystifying Sustainability, Lee Cheh Hsien, Divisional Director, Planning, Sentosa Development Corporation
04/05/2021 by WiT
How to climb your “Carbon Everest”: Break it down into small actionable steps. LEE Cheh Hsien, Divisional Director, Planning, Sentosa Development Corporation, is all about breaking down the big topic of sustainability so that island destinations like Sentosa and businesses on the island can [...]
HUAZHU expands into luxury, eyes Japan and Thailand for expansion
04/05/2021 by WiT
Landmark JV with Sunac changes “love-hate” relationship between owners and brands, says Nong Xia CHINESE hospitality giant, HUAZHU Hotels Group (NASDAD:HTHT), will be stepping up its expansion into the high end hotel segment through its joint venture signed in March this year with Sunac Chin [...]
The Wrap: IATA and UNWTO roll out online destination tracker, air passenger traffic for APAC airlines remains dismal, and more …
29/04/2021 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.   IATA, UNWTO launch online destination tracker to prepare for the return of international travel [...]
Expedia Group offers additional revenue streams to airlines via its template technology
29/04/2021 by WiT
EXPEDIA Group is offering airlines an additional revenue stream in the wake of Covid-19 via its template technology, which provides travellers with the option of adding lodging or car to their flight booking. The easy-to-integrate technology from Expedia Partner Solutions (EPS) enables airlines [...]
Workations and “bleisure” concepts take root in Japanese work culture, thanks to Covid
28/04/2021 by WiT
ALL eyes are on Japan as its major cities enter a state of emergency, a couple of months before the Olympics. We catch up with co-founder of WiT Japan & North Asia, Kei Shibata, co-founder & CEO, LINE Travel jp & Trip101, for an update from Japan. “Workation” and "bleisure"  cou [...]
South Korea domestic stays resilient, Tidesquare cautiously preparing for return of outbound by Q3
28/04/2021 by WiT
SOUTH Korea may still be averaging more than 600 Covid cases a day but the domestic travel market has stayed resilient throughout. In an update from Seoul, Min Yoon, CEO of Tidesquare and co-founder of WiT Seoul, said, “People have started travelling again domestically. Some specific destinati [...]
VFS Global brings visa expertise and govt experience to health passports
27/04/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Synergies between pass providers, tech companies and governments needed to open borders: Jiten Vyas IN 2019, VFS Global processed 30 million visa biometric enrolments across 144 countries. In 2020, that number plummeted by 70% and it would have been much worse without the first three months when [...]
Fortified by Tin Men, GlobalTix doubles down on tech roots
27/04/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Fresh $3m funding is not survival money, it’s to go full force on digitisation mission THE new funding round of S$3 million raised by GlobalTix from Tin Men Capital and SEEDS Capital is not “survival or rescue money” but fresh capital to build up its arsenal of tech tools and to fortify it [...]
The Wrap: Surge in holiday bookings with opening of trans-Tasman travel bubble, Malaysia Airlines’ new fly pass aims to spur domestic travel, and more …
21/04/2021 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 travel recovery.   Opening of Australia-New Zealand travel bubble sparks spike in holiday bookings New Zealand's Queens [...]