From UK to Malta and Paris, a Europe in turmoil and aviation under pressure
In the UK, the media was full of Brexit uncertainty, a longer running and more dramatic story than the Netflix series, “The Crown”. Who needs historical dramas when one is unfolding right before your every eyes?
After a few days in Cardiff, we flew onto Malta, straight into the country’s w [...]
Startup Spotlight: ExploreMaps helps travellers share itineraries and travel trails
Meet ExploreMaps, a Singapore-based travel startup that wants to take the pain out of travel planning by letting users create and share mapped out itineraries that are easy to follow.
Describe the business, core products and services in one paragraph .
ExploreMaps is building a social netwo [...]
Expedia: What went wrong? Lessons to reflect on
It’s interesting that at Phocuswright last month, I was having a conversation with a senior leader in online travel about the changes going on at Expedia Group.
I had just come from Explore ’19, the Expedia conference
which, for the first time charged delegates about US$500 to attend, and j [...]
Okerstrom and Pickerill leave Expedia, Diller cites disagreement on strategy
Expedia Group has announced the resignation of Mark Okerstrom as CEO and a member of the Board of Directors and CFO Alan Pickerill, effective immediately, with chairman Barry Diller citing disagreement between board and senior management on strategy.
The move comes barely a month after Expedia
[...]
The Wrap: Agoda‘s new brand campaign promises ‘Less Hassle, More Travel’
News Roundup: Agoda’s new multi-market brand campaign launched, AirAsia’s first fast food restaurant serving inflight meals, China’s airlines and airports growing investments in AI and automation, Perth Airport’s tech boost from Amadeus
Marketing: Agoda ‘s new brand campaign promises � [...]
Mystifly lets go of China, refocuses on its roots of value creation, not just competing on price
After a rough start to the year, which saw it let go the China Business Team, Mystifly is back on track doing what it does best – “being an intermediary business that creates value for its partners”, said CEO Rajeev Kumar.
“Sometimes you think maybe there’s a better way, and you say, R [...]
After a 5-year turnaround, Hedlund gets set to take Etraveli into next phase of growth
Mathias Hedlund strikes one as the kind of executive who’d do what it takes to get what he wants done. Since 2014, when he took on the reins of Etraveli Group, he has transformed the company, which had a complex, complicated history, into a major global player, powering meta and flights, and that [...]
Shopping still top activity for Chinese outbound travellers
Chinese tourists still love to shop during
their overseas trips with shopping remaining at the top of
Chinese outbound travellers’ expenditure categories, according to the ‘2019 Chinese Outbound Travel Consumption Report’.
Published by Trip.com Group and UnionPay International, the report [...]
Questo wants to make every city a game and invites tour operators to come and play
Coupling the booming mobile gaming market and travellers’ quest for local experiences, Questo has designed a ‘real-world exploration game’ to help travellers explore destinations in unique ways.
As CEO Alex Govoreanu sees it, the platform
allows consumers to explore cities without a guide [...]
Guest Blog: Review and outlook of online hotel distribution
As the merger of Availpro and Fastbooking, D-EDGE combines complementary expertise: technology, on the one hand, digital marketing on the other, and years of experience in the hotel industry. D-EDGE's CEO Pierre-Charles Grob (pictured left) considers the company's closeness with its 12,000 customers [...]
