The Wrap: Skyscanner app now has new trains feature
In the news: Skyscanner launches trains feature while travel technology companies forge ties with more airlines
TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY: Skyscanner app now has new trains feature
Edinburgh-based Skyscanner has diversified its offerings to travellers in the United Kingdom with the launch of a [...]
Chatbot, travel guardian, instant feedback: Malaysia Airlines’ new digital offerings
Facebook may be facing a backlash due to the recent data scandal and the current movement to #deletefacebook. However, it has not deterred Malaysia Airlines from introducing a Facebook Messenger bot, MHchat, for flight booking.
The bot is one of the three latest digital initiatives (apps) the air [...]
“Data is the new gold” has become “data is the new dirt”
What a week it’s been – first the Facebook data scandal and then the Grab-Uber deal in South-east Asia, and at the heart of it, our identities.
The former led to outrage that we could have been so manipulated by marketers targeting our social profiles (we always have been, it’s just the sca [...]
The Wrap: Expedia Inc. has a new name, and it’s Expedia Group Inc.
In the news: An assortment of travel tech news - a new brand identity for Expedia Inc., the possibility of visual recognition technology replacing QR codes, and using self-service technology at Beijing Capital
OTA: Expedia Inc. has a new name, and it’s Expedia Group Inc.
Expedia Inc. [...]
8 key takeaways from WIT Hospitality 2018: Cash flow and real estate may still rule but transform or be left behind
I am sure by now hoteliers must be tired of hearing people tell them they must change. But they do say if you say something often enough, it will happen sooner rather than later.
And It looks like something fundamental is shifting. It felt palpable at WIT Hospitality which took place in Hong Kong [...]
Melon, Magic, Money: The blurring of sci-fi and reality and the changing world of content creation
From editing DNA in mice so as to learn how to make humans more space-faring to the continued search of habitable other worlds, to deep algorithm learning to make machines smarter and growing human organs in animals for future transplant, it was a day of mind-blowing inspiration for the 150 or so of [...]
Airlines told, look east as China and South-east Asia drive distribution changes
Airlines, particularly, those in the West should start looking east, specifically, to China to understand where mobile, ecommerce and payments are headed. That was the message from Hugh Aiken, senior director of strategic partnerships, Skyscanner, at the recent CAPA Global LCC Summit, when asked abo [...]
WIT launches Indie event to champion creators of unique, local experiences
WIT is launching an Indie event aimed at empowering independents and creatives at the long tail of the travel experience. The first edition of WIT Indie will be held in Penang, Malaysia, on April 13, and is supported and sponsored by Penang Institute, one of Malaysia’s leading think tanks.
T [...]
Parikh gets scrappy at Hotwire and says, “never say never” to Asia
In August 2017, Neha Parikh left Hotels.com where she’d been since April 2008 to become president of Hotwire and it's clear she's bringing her own style and personality to the brand which calls itself “a leading discount travel site that offers ridiculously low prices”. Last November, she anno [...]
How Aaron Sarma ventured into Touristly and a 50% deal with AirAsia
Other than a little exposure to travel during his stint as country manager at Street Deal, a group buying company in Malaysia, Aaron Sarma knew very little about the vertical.
But when he was looking to do his own thing after leaving the daily deals company, the first industry he looked to was tr [...]
