AirAsia introduces chatbot AVA, gives mobile app and website a facelift
Asia’s largest low cost carrier AirAsia on Monday unveiled a new digital assistant AVA (AirAsia Virtual Allstar) and a revamped mobile app and website.
Aireen Omar, the airline’s deputy group CEO (digital, transformation and corporate services), said at the launch the updates were designed w [...]
Catching up with: PORTIER TECHNOLOGIES
Portier Technologies, a white-label hotel concierge product which provides its hotel clients customisation and that had previously participated in the WiT Startup Pitch, recently published a report that was its pudding proof, so to speak. After eight months of activity at Banyan Tree Samui that foc [...]
Reflections of 2018 and Predictions for 2019, Part 2
As we come to the close of 2018, we asked some of our industry peers to give us their take on the year that's passed and to stare into the crystal ball and make predictions about the one ahead. Read on to see what travel trends they find most exciting (and boring), what they predict the biggest gam [...]
Reflections of 2018 and Predictions for 2019, Part 1
As we come to the close of 2018, we asked some of our industry peers to give us their take on the year that's passed and to stare into the crystal ball and make predictions about the one ahead. Read on to see what travel trends they find most exciting (and boring), what they predict the biggest gam [...]
Letter from Las Vegas: Travel will soar and new tech will rule but keep love and instinct close
“Want a night out with sluts?” solicited a tout on the strip, as a group of men walked past. Getting no interest, he changed his tack. “We have bible studies too.”
Welcome to Las Vegas, a place for every taste and desire. You want it, you will find it. I wanted Korean food. I got it in C [...]
Skyscanner reports growing appetite for new destinations, novel experiences and comfier journeys in APAC
The annual Skyscanner Travel Trends Report APAC 2018, covering eight markets – Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan and Thailand – peels back the layers on customer preferences as travel becomes more accessible to a rapidly growing middle class.
Said Paul [...]
From Odisha to Bay Area, how Ritesh Agarwal built OYO Rooms into a unicorn
If you believe that like leaders, entrepreneurs are either born or they are made, then Ritesh Agarwal, founder and CEO of OYO Rooms, belongs to the former.
Growing up in the second most undeveloped district of India in Rayagada, Odisha, the young Ritesh tried his hand at many businesses including [...]
Letter from Los Angeles: Of last mile mobility, teenage dreams and Chinese ambitions
The day I landed in Los Angeles, there was a heavy smell of smoke in the air. The California wildfires were raging and the winds were blowing smoke towards the city.
It didn’t stop the city’s residents from getting out and about. The LA Live area was teeming with crowds. A Lakers game was on, [...]
Uncovering stories of startups in Asia Part 2: Of size, investments and restrictive policies
Startups from China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Nepal and Israel took to the stage at the WiT Bootcamp held in conjunction with WiT Singapore 2018 conference last month to share their stories and the state of the startup ecosystem in their countries.
In the second part of the report we h [...]
Study: India, Indonesia have the most digitally-advanced travellers
India and Indonesia with their large young populations of 'digital natives' are, unsurprisingly, the top two countries with the most digitally-advanced travellers, with India holding the top spot for the second year in a row (2017 & 2018).
Brazil (up one spot to third), China (slipped to fou [...]
