Theme parks riding high on recovery wave in APAC, says IAAPA
First physical event since pandemic set to convene in Singapore in June
For an industry that plunged 67% in 2020, the global theme and amusement park market is back on top and attractions in Asia Pacific are recording revenues exceeding 2019 levels, according to June Ko, executive director and vic [...]
GlobalTix’s GT Pay, Sentosa’s NFT campaign win in Singapore Tourism Awards
GlobalTix’s new payments product, GT Pay, and Sentosa Development Corporation’s marketing campaign of “Discovery Neverending NFTs” were among the 25 recipients recognised at the Singapore Tourism Awards 2023, announced today.
The two won in the Enterprise Excellence category. GT Pay was [...]
Meet the 25 pitching at Round 1 of Global Startup Pitch
Twenty travel tech startups plus five wildcard participants have been selected for the first round of the Global Startup Pitch. The competition, which is in its second year, is jointly produced by WiT and Phocuswright.
They were selected out of a crop of more than 120 entries received for the [...]
Top of the WiT 24: Ready for China, understanding India, and Google ARCore digitises Singapore
Top Of The WiT is a grab of the trendiest news that happened this week in travel, tech and Asia - all condensed into a quick-and-easy nugget-sized podcast.
In this episode, listen to Juliana Kua's (Assistant Chief Executive, International Group, Singapore Tourism Board) take on the online travel [...]
Goodbye, Hugo Burge, a gentle soul who made a difference
I was first introduced to Hugo Burge by Rod Cuthbert. It was sometime 2011. Rod said to me, “You know that debate you run, you need someone English to do it, someone who can do a proper debate in proper English.”
In the end, Hugo did not take part in the debate – he was way too gentle a sou [...]
Asian Development Bank charts impact of pandemic on Southeast Asia aviation industry
Southeast Asia's aviation industry has taken a significant hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with an estimated loss of $17 billion in revenue in 2020, according to a report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). However, the ADB has proposed a range of strategies to aid in the post-pandemic recovery o [...]
Future of Extended Reality; eating “phygital” chocolate; Air NZ’s digital goals; More
McKinsey’s take on the future of XR in travel
McKinsey and Co, in an extensive new report, has posed the question, ‘Can travel go virtual’, can the travel industry grab a US$20 billion opportunity offered by the metaverse.
The answer? Yes, no and maybe.
McKinsey suggests it’s time for [...]
Expedia doubles down on B2B with new partnerships and tech features
55% revenue growth in Q1 driven by pace of adoption of partners
Following a strong quarter for Expedia Group’s B2B segment where it delivered 55% in revenue growth compared to 2022, the company announced new partnerships and tech features aimed at expanding its partner network, at Expedia Group� [...]
Google’s ARCore partners with Singapore Tourism Board to create AI-powered guided tours
Singapore Tourism Board is the first tourism partner globally in Google’s ARCore Early Access Program.
One trend that started to gain traction in the last few years is the adoption of virtual and augmented reality in the travel, tourism, and attractions space. Contrary to initial belief, these to [...]
9 things we learned at ATE23: Australia recaptures Indian market, Ruby is a hit, visa applications, more
2300 delegates, 623 buyers from 32 countries, and a whopping 45,000 meetings. Those were the numbers that painted the 43rd edition of Tourism Australia’s largest annual trade event, Australian Tourism Exchange 2023 (ATE23) last week.
Hosted on the Gold Coast, Queensland across 5 days, this yea [...]
