Paul Theroux: Trains, chicks and contradictions
He fired my imagination about trains. “Ever since childhood, when I lived within earshot of the Boston and Maine, I have seldom heard a train go by and not wished I was on it.”The opening sentence to “The Great Railway Bazaar” got me on a train from Penang to Singapore, first chance I had.� [...]
Hong Kongers favour OTAs for travel bookings
Research group GfK, in its Consumer Travel Tracker online survey conducted in Hong Kong, revealed an interesting insight - offline touch points are still heavily used in this developed country by nine in 10 (90%) travellers while 84% used online,However, when it comes to actual transactions online d [...]
Going ape over the new WIT
So while I disappeared into the virgin rainforests of Danum Valley in Sabah over the Easter weekend, the team at Spoon, WIT’s web agency, were busy trying to get the new WIT site up in time for today’s soft launch. It was quite an adventure. Danum, I mean. Well, the website too. But let me [...]
Welcome to a new kind of reading experience
Let's face it. The way we read is changing, and it will no doubt be accelerated by the arrival of the much-talked-about iPad. Vera Lye shares a personal story of how she tackled OPEN, Andre Agassi's book.I’ve always enjoyed reading not just because I love stories and words – particularly how the [...]
Kiong: Stop steroids, challenge convention
Last year was easy. Demand plunged, so hoteliers chopped rates. This year, it’s a mixed outlook with uneven patches of recovery. What’s a marketer to do? Yeoh Siew Hoon catches up with Banyan Tree’s marketing chief Arthur Kiong.Arthur Kiong, senior vice president and managing director of sales [...]
Phone, Play, Love, Fight
Warning: This article is not an April Fool’s joke unlike the one titled “Match, Meet, Love” which we sent out on April 1. Incidentally, quite a few of you believed in the iPhone travel application we dreamt up – which perhaps proves that it is either possible or desired. One news organiza [...]
200,000 fans and more, AirAsia leads in social media
As AirAsia marks another milestone in its social media efforts, Kathleen Tan, the low cost airline's marketing chief, says huge commitment and internal resources are needed to manage the channel “or it may backfire” AirAsia charts another milestone in its efforts on the social media front w [...]
Banyan Tree’s XTC to make agents “virus-resistant”
At a time when more suppliers are wanting to go direct, Banyan Tree has launched its XTC programme which aims to make extraordinary travel consultants out of its top influencers by arming them with the knowledge and incentives to sell Banyan Tree to their clients.Under the programme, Banyan Tree i [...]
1000 Lonely Planet Ultimate Experiences on iPad
Hot on the heels of the first sales of the Apple iPad, Lonely Planet’s 1000 Ultimate Experiences App is now available.The 1000 Ultimate Experiences App allows iPad users to experience Lonely Planet’s top 1000 recommended experiences through beautiful images, ideo and insights from its leadin [...]
Stronger buyer programme for ITB Asia
Messe Berlin (Singapore) has announced details of its enhanced hosted buyers’ programme for ITB Asia 2010. New filtering techniques are being introduced.The aim is to ensure that only high quality buyers will enter the pre-scheduled appointment system to meet exhibitors. ITB Asia takes place in Si [...]
