Melon, Magic, Money: The blurring of sci-fi and reality and the changing world of content creation
From editing DNA in mice so as to learn how to make humans more space-faring to the continued search of habitable other worlds, to deep algorithm learning to make machines smarter and growing human organs in animals for future transplant, it was a day of mind-blowing inspiration for the 150 or so of [...]
Ctrip ends 2017 on financial high, promises ambitions only just starting
China’s largest online travel company, Ctrip, posted net revenue gains of 39% in 2017 to $4.1 billion.
In its full year 2017 financial report, the company says it expects net revenue growth to continue at a rate of 9% to 11% for the first quarter of 2018.
Jane Sun (pictured left), CEO of Ctr [...]
Fancy a 500-mile sidecar ride to Penang? Triquetra.sg’s Simon Wong plans charity rally as part of WIT Indie
Triquetra.sg, the company that offers Vespa vintage sidecar heritage tours in Singapore, will organise a 500-mile Charity ride from the Lion City to Penang, in conjunction with the inaugural WIT Indie being held in the northern Malaysian state.
Founder Simon Wong, who’s speaking at WIT Indi [...]
IHG acquires 51% stake in Regent Hotels in a JV agreement with FIH
Taiwan-based Formosa International Hotels Corporation (FIH) has inked a joint venture agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) to accelerate the international expansion of Regent Hotels & Resorts (Regent).
In a statement announcing the deal, IHG reveals that under this agreement it [...]
Low cost and private accommodation changing travel in North Asia – WIT Japan & North Asia to home in on topical trends in June
Low cost airlines, private accommodation and the dispersal of tourism beyond the main hot spots will take the spotlight at the seventh edition of WIT Japan & North Asia which returns to Tokyo on June 28-29.
At the recent CAPA (Centre For Aviation) Global Low Cost Carrier (LCC) Summit [...]
Airbnb, Booking.com and the Battle for Hearts – and Homes
It's shaping up to become one of travel's great competitive rivalries: Airbnb vs. Booking.com. One has achieved global dominance in online hotel distribution, the other in private accommodation. But as Phocuswright Research has been forecasting for several years, the silos and segments within accomm [...]
The Wrap: ‘We Were Built’ – The story of how a Singapore icon came to be
In the news: A journey down memory lane to discover the beginning of Raffles Hotel Singapore; Amadeus’ invests in automated pedestrian analytics and insights company CrowdVision; Alipay adds four more SEA countries to its platform.
HOTELS: ‘We Were Built’ – The story of how a Singapore [...]
TourScanner wants to make tours & activities easy to search, compare and book
Tours and activities has been a notoriously difficult and fragmented vertical to crack. Merchants are still in the process of transitioning from offline to online, and consumers typically book activities in-destination.
Nevertheless, the sector is attracting investment. Phocuswright valued the to [...]
Travelstart introduces Travelstart Live, new service to cater for complex bookings
Travelstart, the Cape Town-based online travel agency, has relaunched its internal travel consultancy, Travelbar, as Travelstart Live.
The OTA said in a statement with Travelstart Live the company would “focus on improving their expert ‘human’ service and being better equipped to assist cu [...]
LN Global Hotel Alliance formed to accommodate needs of Chinese travellers
Guangzhou-based Ling Nan Hospitality and online solution provider for independent hotels Compass Edge, together with China Southern Airlines and GZL Travel Services, have teamed up to launch the LN Global Hotel Alliance.
The alliance has four “pillars”. Compass Edge represents hotels outside [...]
