WIT 2017 Conference: Rail is real (big) business
Rail travel is a huge business. The industry is estimated to be worth US$350 billion – about two-thirds the airline industry.
In India, for example, 90% of the population have never flown but everyone would have travelled by the railway — run and subsidised by the government.
Aloke Baj [...]
WIT 2017 Conference: A battle of investor minds on China, money and innovation
The morning of the WIT 2017 Conference in Singapore began with a comical yet insightful tête-à-tête between two ambitious investors: Fritz Demopoulos (CEO, Queen’s Road Capital) and William Bao Bean (General Partner, SOSV; Managing Director, Chinaccelerator), on all things to do with China, [...]
Biggest influencers in Asia’s online travel honoured in WIT’s inaugural Hall of Fame
The biggest influencers in Asia’s online travel industry were recognised in WIT’s inaugural Hall of Fame ceremony last night.
“As the APAC travel industry stands at the threshold of another inflexion point – one that will see the true blending of online and offline travel to become one [...]
WIT Bootcamp 2017: How 3 entrepreneurs are making rooms for their dreams
The hospitality sector is not an easy one to create startup in as it’s not only fragmented and diverse but also getting more competitive, Yet, there are many brave entrepreneurs out there who are willing to take a shot at it.
Three of these startups took to the stage at WIT Bootcamp in Singap [...]
WIT Bootcamp 2017: WIT Startup Pitch grand finalists announced
Three startups have qualified for the WIT 2017 Startup Pitch Grand Finals, happening on October 25 on Day Two of the WIT 2017 Conference:
Ooomra – a booking platform for Muslim-friendly and Islamic travel experiences
Travelsify – a ‘hotel DNA’ content platform to power personalisati [...]
Thailand’s Minor Hotels automates MICE booking process on Expedia’s platform
Minor Hotels’ Anantara and Oaks brands will go ‘live’ with Expedia’s white-label MICE technology this week, after the two companies announced a strategic alliance.
By visiting the hotels’ websites, customers can now ins
tantly check availability and pricing information and in [...]
WIT Bootcamp 2017: Four startups offering alternatives from the usual big boys
Travellers these days want an authentic, local experience. Something unique and different from offered by the ubiquitous brands. This has opened up room for startups offering alternatives from the usual big boys.
From Tripping.com and Favstay’s apartment rental — Favstay had in April just lan [...]
ZUZU Hospitality Solutions secures additional US$2 million funding
ZUZU Hospitality Solutions, a outsourced sales and marketing solution for independent hotels, has secured an additional US$2 million of funding and will use the funds to "deliver a software and a service" model to its partners.
Specifically, it will invest further into its revenue management tech [...]
Cruises, growth in Asia and a keen eye on Japan and China
To be a better startup, one has to keep an eye on key trends and a nose on where the money is. At the WIT 2017 Bootcamp in Singapore last October, three experts shared their observations on where the funding is, how to use data for more sales, and the rise of cruises in Asia.
Asia travel startups [...]
WIT Bootcamp 2017: Vision, motive, resilience, right team: These make for a better startup
“The best founding teams are like cockroaches, they get stepped on and go crunch a little but then keep on running,” a quote by William Bao Bean, general partner of SOSV and managing director of Chinaaccelerator best sums up what make a better startup, and perhaps set it on the road to being a [...]
