Marriott, Expedia team up on wholesale rates, marking a big step in the OTA-hotel relationship
The deal between Marriott International and Expedia Group which makes the OTA the exclusive global optimised distributor of Marriott's wholesale rates, availability and content to a network of global travel providers is a clear move by the hotel chain to tighten the leakage of wholesale rates and r [...]
The Wrap: Klook rides with JR-West to boost tourism in western Japan
News Roundup: Highlights on new products and services from travel suppliers – Klook and Japanese railway company promoting tourism in western Japan, Singapore Airlines expanding its NDC KrisConnect programme, partnership between Wego and Singapore Tourism Board to target Middle East travell [...]
Luxury Escapes to roll out flights and experiences as it scales up in Asia
Australian boutique travel brand, Luxury Escapes, has suddenly become very visible across Asia. In fact, it’s hard to escape its emails or its social ads if you’re living in Asia and that's because the company is ramping up its business in the region.
It appointed a head for Asia, Graham Hi [...]
SIA’s workforce gets seamless mobility
Singapore Airlines has partnered with US-based enterprise software provider VMware to create a seamless, mobile-friendly environment for its increasingly mobile-first workforce.
SIA will use VMware’s Workspace ONE
solution to streamline the delivery of mobile applications across more than
14, [...]
The smart money is banking on new ways to pay, hands down
I was having coffee at the airport last
week and when I wanted to pay, the “Uncle” asked me, “Do you want to pay by
Alipay? Wave? Grab?”
At the
cashier, I was again asked the same question – only this time, I was offered
“Pay Lah” as well, one of the local bank wallets.
I got s [...]
OTAs need to reinvent merchandising and retail flow to stay relevant: Amadeus
In today’s evolving digital environment online travel agents (OTAs) in Asia Pacific (APAC) are facing pressure from numerous fronts – from travellers to suppliers to new players – and they must reinvent for future growth.
This is the advice of Amadeus to OTAs in its latest report on the fu [...]
Bullish outlook for the meetings industry in year ahead but comes with challenges for planners
Another year of steady growth awaits the meetings & events industry in 2020 despite speculative reports of economic and political instability across global markets but planners have to overcome challenges, such as personalising the experience for delegates.
This scenario is presented by the [...]
Our time has come, says Splitty Travel, eyeing Asia and a new B2B split reservations offering
In many ways, Israeli-based startup Splitty Travel feels its time has finally come, both for its “split reservations” model to be accepted into the mainstream and for its entry into Asia. “It’s interesting that the big OTAs are now playing with some of the things we have been doing fo [...]
The Wrap: Middle East, Asia and the Pacific led growth in international tourism for H1 2019
News Roundup: State of international tourism for first half of 2019 unveiled
by the World Tourism Council, Flight Centre Travel Group’s recently opened new
division caters to B2B market, Amadeus’ agreement with Hertz for worldwide
distribution of rental cars and rates
Destinations: Middle E [...]
Klook celebrates fifth anniversary with growth plan for 2020 and beyond
In just five short years, tours and activities platform Klook has surpassed 30m monthly visitors on its platform, amassed an inventory of over 100,000 things to do in over 350 destinations, and has come out on top as the most-searched travel activities provider globally on Google since last October [...]
