Desktop: Out of sight, out of mind – at least in Asia
“In US, we think of desktop as legacy. There, they don’t even think of it.” That quote from Barney Harford, CEO of Orbitz, at Phocuswright probably sums up best how Asia has leapfrogged from offline to mobile. Here's how. After having completed what I call my conference trilogy – WIT, follo [...]
ZUJI goes after hearts and well, wallets too with launch of Passport and Exclusives
Being an OTA does not mean it’s all about numbers and transactions.“To a traveller, going on holiday and planning a trip is about creating new, personal experiences,” say ZUJI’s CEO, Chua Hui-Wan (pictured above). “Delivering value at lowest price can only be effective if we target custome [...]
The Millennial Traveller: Stamps of Approval
If you ask someone to see his or her passport, there’s always that nervous flinch that comes from them just before you flick open their information page, followed by a mad rush of excuses as to why their photo is so terrible. “I was mid-blink!” “They don’t let you smile anymore!” “I wa [...]
Emirates goes mobile to improve transit experience
With 70% of its traffic in transit, the equivalent of 70,000 passengers in transit a day at Dubai airport, Emirates has launched an app called Journey Manager aimed at facilitating the transit experience.Sameer Poonja, head of digital design at the airline, said a hand-held device has been deployed [...]
Ryanair’s O’Leary, Emirates’ Clark Predict Radical Distribution Disruption
Some CEO interviews at industry conferences are bland affairs with evasive, nondescript answers to anemic questioning. Not this one. Interrogated here at last month's GBTA Europe conference by Global Business Travel Association senior vice president for global development Paul Tilstone, Ryanair boss [...]
Armed with fresh funding, Momondo sets sights on deeper expansion in Asia
Fresh from a funding round of £80 million (US$126 million) valuing the company at more than £132 million, Momondo Group is set to expand its global footprint and expand to new and emerging markets, CEO Hugo Burge said at the WIT Conference in October.The cash investment, which came from Boston-bas [...]
Letter from Taipei: Seeking “moments of secured happiness”
I leave a Taipei on the cusp of change. Yesterday I spent a day wandering the streets, popping into cafes, eating at roadside stalls, and exploring the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, the enclave for Taiwanese artists.While I was doing that, the people of Taipei were voting. Their decision, in [...]
The secret’s out – Taiwan is hot and a new generation is ready for change
These days, it seems that everyone I speak to is travelling to Taiwan for their holidays. My niece, my neighbour, my masseur, all due to visit this year end – and that’s just my immediate circle.It’s like Taiwan has become the new Hokkaido for South-east Asians and all across Asia, travellers [...]
6 technologies that will change the future of luxury travel
As part of Brand Karma’s Future Luxury Lounge at the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) Cannes at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès between 1-4 December 2014, the company will feature the following six technologies .DeLorean not required.1. Oculus Rift Virtual Reality Device It won� [...]
How a 16-year-old girl is crowd funding her travels to showcase “the little good things”
I recently spoke to Marla and 16-year old Kasha Slavner from The Global Sunrise Project, a Canadian mother-daughter duo currently travelling the world to understand what it truly means to be a ‘global citizen’.Taking at least six months out of school, Kasha has opted for an education beyond the [...]
