The rise of mobile messaging and its impact on travel planning
Mobile messaging has seen a remarkable growth, and shows no sign of letting up anytime soon. Apart from the widespread use of traditional SMS or text messaging, Internet-based mobile chat apps have become the default means of communication for billions around the world.
Phocuswright in its [...]
Top brands back WIT’s first event in London
Momondo Group, CarTrawler, Travel Weekly Group lend support, AccorHotels, Priceline among speakers in first WIT to build digital travel bridge between Asia and Europe.
As the European travel market matures, there is no doubt that the new frontier for Europe’s leading travel brands resides in As [...]
Dreamers may still win the day in online travel as brands go “upper funnel”
Ten years ago, we struggled to get the word “inspiration” mentioned at online travel conferences. Everyone was more interested in clicks, conversions and transactions.
I remember a debate we had at the WIT Conference over “Inspiration vs Transaction” and the dreamers among us voted with o [...]
Value Alliance, a breakthrough in low cost airline distribution
When you think about it, the first pan-Asian low cost airline alliance, Value Alliance, launched today in Singapore is a pretty big deal in the annals of airline distribution.
One, it’s a world first and shows Asian LCCs ahead of in their innovative thinking and two, it is primarily a technolog [...]
Responses to Google’s travel plans – “bad news”, “they can go wrong” and “transformational”
A sampling of responses to Google’s talk yesterday at Phocuswright Dublin.
Rod Cuthbert, CEO, Rome2rio
“Google's relentless push to replace existing travel intermediaries with their own solutions is bad news for the whole travel industry. Their key products -- Flights, Hotels, Transit [...]
Google’s quest to become our personal travel assistant – to be loved or feared?
You could almost feel the air being sucked out of the room as Oliver Heckmann of Google closed off Day 1 of Phocuswright Dublin with a talk on everything the world’s largest search engine was doing in travel. I sensed everyone was grappling with the massive implications everyone of its products wo [...]
Travel suppliers could do more to embrace mobile payments
Mobile travel bookings are on the rise and are predicted to increase by 22% in 2016, according to a report from Euromonitor (November 2015).
According to the 2016 Adyen Mobile Payments Index (MPI), 32% of global online transactions on Adyen’s payments platform were conducted via mobile in Q1 20 [...]
The Wrap: Airlines report lowest mishandling of baggage in 2015
In the news: SITA Baggage Report 2016, native mobile advertising solutions from Wego, HRS’ and Concur’s expanded partnershipAirlines report lowest mishandling of baggage in 2015 Airlines’ focus on improving baggage management seems to have paid off, as last year saw the lowest level of baggage [...]
Letter from Bali: It’s Indonesia’s time in the digital sun
It’s a full flight. The beginning of a long weekend for Singaporeans and Bali’s always a quick and good two-hour-flight escape for stressed out city folks.There are lots of Australians too on the flight, connecting via Changi which, to no one’s surprise, has just been named “best airport to [...]
Jeju Air, Korea tap on “Descendants of the Sun” star power
Move over, Game of Thrones. Well, at least as Asia is concerned, because even as the world prepared for the launch of Season 6 of the George R Martin series, another phenomenon has been sweeping across Asia in the last few months. Some are calling it the Harry Potter effect – just-concluded Korea [...]
