News
From analogue to virtual to hybrid: Evolution of events picks up speed
20/09/2020 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Events might have been due for a makeover, but the onslaught of the pandemic and its repercussions on travel and events have undoubtedly quickened the evolutionary cycle. When the pandemic hit the industry early this year, GlobalSign.in, the team behind GEVME, an event management software, had [...]
Balancing the bad and good news and thinking about survival of the friendliest
18/09/2020 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
How travel needs to form “cross-group friendships” to find our own vaccine On one of my first assignments as a cub reporter in Penang, I was sent to cover a fire in a village. With my editor’s words ringing in my ears – “be objective, don’t get emotional, just get the facts” – I [...]
The Wrap: OTA 12Go ties up with Amadeus to boost European rail content, Taiwan is top searched destination for travel on Agoda, and more …
17/09/2020 by WiT
The Wrap is a round-up of news in the travel and technology industries, and to keep track of developments in these sectors as the green shoots of recovery slowly take root OTA 12Go boosts European rail content in new distribution pact with Amadeus 12Go customers will have access to European r [...]
Covid-19 accelerating consumer behaviour changes around the world – here’s why it matters to travel
16/09/2020 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
During WiT Europe, a panel on “Consumers, They Are A-Changing” gathered three different businesses from three different regions, South-east Asia, North Asia and Latin America – but they have one thing in common – they are all linked to the superapp ecosystem. LINE Travel.jp is linked to [...]
Radical Travello pivot nets social media gold, doubles followers to 3m
16/09/2020 by Martin Kelly
A radical pivot for travel networking and experiences app Travello has seen the company’s Facebook followers double to 3 million, while downloads have grown dramatically to reach more than one million in just five months since the company was forced to re-evaluate its business in the wake of CO [...]
Efficiency will triumph, tours and activities will be healthier after Covid: Baidi Li wants to bring the luck of Magpie to APAC
16/09/2020 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
This week, Magpie Travel, the San Francisco-based company offering content management solutions for the tours & activities sector, announced the appointment of Baidi Li as head of growth initiatives. Until recently, Li had been a regional director at Viator, a leading company in the sector. [...]
Guest Blog: The Safe Flying Protocol (SFP): The Best & Smartest Way To Restart Travel
15/09/2020 by WiT
By Timothy O’Neil-Dunne, 777 Partners and Henry Harteveldt, Atmosphere Research Group Unprecedented. Extraordinary. Incomprehensible. Ultra-Complex. Unrivalled. Sobering. We have exhausted the superlatives when it comes to describing, Covid-19, and its impact on the global travel industry. [...]
Don’t hold your breath for “travel corridors” or “green lanes”, work your domestic strategy for now
15/09/2020 by WiT
“True international travel in South-east Asia needs a vaccine”, says Agoda’s Hughes Travel businesses in Asia should not pin their hopes on “travel corridors” and “green lanes” generating any substantial volume this year, with Agoda’s Timothy Hughes calling it a “dangerous” [...]
STB inks S$2 million deal with Klook to promote domestic tourism and local businesses
14/09/2020 by WiT
Hong Kong-based based travel activities and services booking platform Klook has been busy forming partnerships to promote tourism in Asia Pacific, recently with Grab and now with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in a S$2 million (US$1.47 million) domestic marketing partnership. The partnership [...]
The breakup of Accor Asia Pacific: The end of an era
14/09/2020 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Region breaks up into three hubs, reports back to Paris The restructuring of Accor in what is being hailed as a new chapter in its strategic roadmap marks the end of an era for the French hotel group in Asia Pacific. The plan to form eight geographical hubs basically dismantles the tight-knit [...]