Why Melanie de Souza finds AIUla fulfilling and what’s behind “Forever Revitalising”
First brand campaign to showcase Saudi’s luxury heritage destination to the world
Nearly five years into her role as Executive Director Destination Marketing, at the Royal Commission of AlUla, and Melanie de Souza says “it’s been the most fulfilling chapter in my career”.
De Souza, who s [...]
Lighthouse expands in APAC, brings its insights to hoteliers in the region
The newly-rebranded Lighthouse (formerly OTA Insight) is keen to shine more light on data insights for hoteliers in Asia Pacific. Chief Revenue Officer, David Collier, during a recent visit to Singapore, shared that with the business experiencing significant global growth, Lighthouse is keen to expa [...]
APAC amusement industry forecasts $16.8B in visitor spending in 2024
At the upcoming IAAPA Expo Asia 2024, running 27 to 30 May, the global amusement industry will converge in Bangkok to learn about the latest innovations and trends in the market as well as take a sneak peek into its future.
From rides to robotics, safety features to AI experiences, the three-day [...]
Traveloka’s secret sauce – mastery in one market, localisation amid expansion and focus on customer service
Why the South-east Asian OTA could serve as role model for Japan’s OTAs
Twelve years on, and despite massive competition in the South-east Asian region it calls home, Traveloka remains a formidable force to be reckoned with, with a total of 130+ million downloads across the six markets it operate [...]
The quandaries humans in travel tech face in their journey towards AI La La Land
From getting away from “curse of the search box”, to reimagining user interfaces, and delivering on the “AI Agent Era”, human revolution needed to answer the hard questions AI is posing. And no, AI does not have the answer.
Both a human revolution is needed amid the technology revolut [...]
Aviasales sees growth in travel between Central Asia and GCC
Metasearch platform Aviasales has reported a significant increase in travel activity between Central Asian states and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Speaking at the recent Phocuswright WiT Middle East 2024, Anton Baitsur, CEO, said the increase highlights growing economic and cul [...]
Lotte Card launches travel loyalty portal, powered by Hopper
Lotte Card Co., Ltd., a prominent Korean credit card issuer, has partnered with Hopper Technology Solutions (HTS) to develop a travel loyalty portal for Lotte Card cardholders. This new feature, integrated into the 'Digi-LOCA' app, will offer services such as flights, accommodations, and car rentals [...]
Let’s talk proudly about women and LGBTQ+ travellers in Japan
IHG's Motoe Katsushima on gender quota in hospitality, Expedia’s focus on women travellers and Booking launches Travel Proud in Japan
It is astounding that in an industry where it’s the women who are the decision-makers in travel, and who are the ones actually travelling, despite the outbound s [...]
Emotional marketing, speedy AI-powered searches and creator content top highlights at EXPLORE 24
“AI does not create magic; you need human intelligence to know where to use it and how to use it,” says new CEO
EXPLORE, Expedia’s annual partner conference, reached a milestone this year with its 25th installment. It was also Expedia’s first flagship event in two years, albeit having held [...]
People are the metric in new Perfect Somewheres awards, spotlighting top hotels worldwide
Expedia's Mel Fish on tackling 'choice paralysis' and balancing quality with affordability
Expedia Group's Hotels.com introduced the 'Perfect Somewheres' 2024 at EXPLORE 24, a program that awards the top 1% of hotels available on the Hotels.com app, with hotels like Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo and Hotel [...]
