Meet the 15 semi-finalists of the Global Startup Pitch
After an almost five-hour marathon of startup pitches that went around the world, 15 companies have been chosen to proceed to the Semi-Finals of the Global Startup Pitch, run by WiT and Phocuswright.
They are:
Asia Pacific
Igoroom
Roady Travel
Tour Amigo
Middle East & Afric [...]
Dancing in the rain: ZUZU raises $9m, ready to use AI to empower independent hotels
Coming out of the pandemic, Vikram Malhi, CEO and founder of ZUZU Hospitality Solutions, told his team that “we didn’t just weather the storm but we danced in the rain”.
Well, he and his team now have US$9m more reasons to dance following the successful completion of an oversubscribed Ser [...]
Growing Hilton in APAC: Deploying AI, innovating the app and enhancing “the stay”
With 126 hotels opening this year in Asia Pacific, you could say Hilton is growing at its fastest in the region, although Ben George, APAC SVP & commercial director, concedes, not as fast as generative AI is developing.
“This whole AI vertical is growing so fast,” he told me during one of [...]
“Boring is good”, says Traveloka’s strategy chief
Ex-banker Joydeep recounts the “emotional” days of Covid, looks forward to “steady and stable” future
Joydeep Chakraborty describes himself as a traveller who loves serendipity. “I never book in advance. I like to walk around, find a nice hidden hole in the wall place. The joy I get from [...]
Newly launched Northstar Travel Today delivers daily travel scene snapshots to your inbox
“This new initiative is a uniquely Northstar-enabled creation, gathering our voices to paint a picture of the global travel industry.”
There’s a lot happening in the travel and hospitality space - markets are shifting, tourism is recovering, key markets are evolving. Technology is fundamental [...]
BritGPT is AI on roids; Unbundling travel insurance; Guinness World Records validates Travelport+
Brits put AI on “steroids”
The UK government plans to invest £900m in a cutting-edge supercomputer, as part of its new artificial intelligence (AI) strategy – a move will enable the country to build its own “BritGPT”.
Adam Harris, founder & CEO of Cloudbeds, which provides techno [...]
Tasmania hopes to hook Asian travellers with ecotourism and its latest attraction – winter
Australia’s island state isn’t interested in being a mass tourism spot
During the STO Showcase at the Australian Tourism Exchange 2023 (ATE23), Sherene Somerville (PR Manager, Tourism Tasmania) was quick to point out that contrary to popular belief, Tasmania isn’t a singular island - it’s a [...]
China, Experiences, Business Travel: Mastercard Economics Institute Reveals 2023 Travel Trends
AS more brands and institutions release data regarding travel trends for the rest of the year, one defining factor that’s bound to arise is the reentry of China in the travel scene.
Despite shaky economies the world over, people have been flooding to domestic and international destinations in [...]
How the metaverse will transform travel: McKinsey points to $800B industry by 2025
THE metaverse market is experiencing rapid growth and by 2025, is projected to reach a market size of approximately $800 billion, with estimates suggesting it could surpass $1 trillion by 2030, according to the McKinsey report, “Value Creation in Metaverse”.
The gaming industry is at the fore [...]
Singapore startup Cinewav brings immersive audio to Vivid Sydney for second year running
Visitors to Vivid Sydney, taking place in Sydney from May 26 to June 17, will be able to immerse themselves in a new kind of audio experience, thanks to the world-first, patented technology of Singapore start-up Cinewav.
The startup, whose technology synchronises audio between mobile phones and a [...]
