Who is upfront? Woman, Man, Mouse or Machine?
This is a guest blog by Timothy O'Neil-Dunne, managing partner at T2Impact and co-founder of Air Black Box.
We all know there is supposed to be someone competent upfront when we fly. A lot of what I do is about travel technology, and I spend a lot of time looking at the issues of how technol [...]
Backstreet Academy and Seabin get a boost from Booking.com
Backstreet Academy has clinched the top grant of €400,000 from Booking.com’s first accelerator programme for startups in sustainable tourism, Booking.com Booster.
After three weeks of workshops and intensive coaching, which started last month in Amsterdam, the 10 teams of finalists pitched [...]
Letter from Porto: Jewels of the Duoro and gold in the silver market
I am on my first river cruise. As I write this, our ship, Queen Isabel, has just crossed the deepest lock in Europe, the Carrapatelo Dam, at 35 metres. It’s quite an amazing experience, watching your boat rise to meet the other side of the river, and you marvel at the engineering feats that have m [...]
Investors give tips to startups: Think big but keep it real as well
What a dream it would be, to unravel the complex, multi-layered decision processes that shape how and where investors devote their attention and, more importantly, funds.
At WIT Japan & North Asia 2017 Bootcamp, five investors shared their observations on the state of startups in Asia, key le [...]
The Wrap: Self-service technologies boost passenger satisfaction during the airline journey
This week's focus is on SITA’s new survey on passenger IT trends and the partnership between Flight Centre and Airbnb
AVIATION: Self-service technologies boost passenger satisfaction during the airline journey
When we travel we hope to go through all the ‘formalities’ at the airpor [...]
When in Japan, do as Japanese do – how to maintain “chowa” as Japan opens door to “minpaku” accommodation
As Japan gears up for inbound growth – 40m visitors by 2020 – one growing concern is the maintaining of “chowa” (harmony) between tourists and residents as a previously-closed country opens its doors wide to tourism.
After all, across the globe, there is a trend of destinations fighting [...]
Next Story reimagines urban spaces with Kafnu, the vertical village
Next Story Group, formerly Silver Needle Hospitality, will be launching two spaces in Taipei and Hong Kong under a new brand, Kafnu, by year end. Seeking to reimagine urban spaces through technology and story, the company says the new spaces will synthesise “the best aspects of co-working, co-livi [...]
WIT Start-ups: WanderSnap aims to be the Airbnb for photography
Describe the business, core products and services in one paragraph.
WanderSnap is Asia’s Airbnb for photography. It connects travellers with local photographers to capture selfie-free adventure moments — anytime you need curated photos taken: on vacation, during off-the-beaten path adventure, [...]
The Wrap: Corporate Traveller merges with FCM Travel Solutions in Asia
This week we see the restructuring of two travel companies in Asia to better market to the growing travel demand in the region, and feature new products from Travelport and TripAdvisor.
CORPORATE TRAVEL: CORPORATE TRAVELLER MERGES WITH FCM TRAVEL SOLUTIONS IN ASIA
The Flight Centre Travel [...]
Letter from Tokyo Station: Japan serious about rail, AirAsia about China and Watson about augmenting
Something unexpected happened on my travels in Japan last week. The train service from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka ran three minutes late. You should have seen the look of consternation on passengers’ faces and my Japanese friend said to me, “So sorry, this is very unusual.”
Where I come from, thre [...]
