Travelport’s acquisition of Sprice surprises
The blogosphere is abuzz with speculation over Travelport’s acquisition of the Asian hotel and travel search engine, Sprice.com, a deal announced this morning.Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, leading some to wonder what the terms were.Sprice is perceived to be the weakest of the Asian [...]
ITB Berlin supports online innovation
ITB Berlin is throwing its weight behind the development of the online industry and will support the first VIR Online Innovation Days, organized by the Association of Internet Travel Marketing (VIR).The gathering will take place on June 16 and 17 at the Marshall-Haus on the Messe Berlin exhibition g [...]
Chinese, Millennials have rosier view of future, says global survey
Chinese business people are more than twice as optimistic about their national economy and their jobs as Americans and Europeans, according to a global business poll conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.A first-of-its-kind poll of business travelers from four major economies commissi [...]
Skyscanner sees pick-up in Australia, Japan
Skyscanner (www.Skyscanner.net), which recently announced a growth rate of 2.3 times for the first quarter of 2010, is beginning to gain traction in Asia Pacific, particularly in Australia and Japan.The UK-based travel meta-search site reported that its revenues totalled more than £2.5 million over [...]
Yahoo, Wego add Indonesia, Philippines
Yahoo! Southeast Asia and Wego have extended their partnership with the launch of locally targeted travel channels in Indonesia and the Philippines.Yahoo! users in Indonesia and the Philippines now have the opportunity to search both local and global travel content from over one hundred travel websi [...]
Dubai, chastened but determined
The headline this morning may seem quite dramatic. Here is the coverage from ATWonline: “Emirates fiscal-year profit soars to $1.1 billion”Emirates Group reported net income of AED4.2 billion ($1.14 billion) for its fiscal year ended March 31, a substantial increase over a AED1.49 billion profit [...]
A nightmare erupts in our midst
I am sitting here in my second floor apartment overlooking leafy green trees in Singapore. At my feet, my dog, Dylan, is happily chewing away at his bone. It is his favourite activity when not chasing lizards or leaping into the ocean.It is hard to believe that, just less than two hours away by flig [...]
Fresh from IPO, Amadeus reports solid first quarter
Amadeus IT Holding is trumpeting solid first quarter results, ending March 31 – an increase in adjusted net income of 58.1% to reach €128.9m is backed by a growth in revenues of 13.4% to €705.3m and an improvement in adjusted EBITDA by 26.1% to €280.3m.The company said this continues Amadeus [...]
Stranded with strangers in a strange town
There’s nothing like being stranded with a group of strangers on holiday to bring out the best stories.We’re all out of your comfort zone, things haven’t gone as planned and, being matured and sensible adults, we realise there’s not much else to do but make the best of an unplanned situation [...]
Points of data, points of light – which shines brighter?
Arnie Weissmann, editor in chief of Travel Weekly US, who spoke at WIT, muses on which is more effective – the “lighthouse identity” embraced by Air New Zealand or the data-driven approach of technology-driven travel companies?Can one make a leap in progress without also making a leap of faith [...]
