The next transformation: Inside Ascott’s agentic AI leap of faith
Chief Commercial Officer Tan Bee Leng on the mindset shift that took the company from owner to operator – and the one she says is even bigger
Ask Tan Bee Leng, chief commercial officer of Ascott, what her immediate challenge is and her answer was not what I had expected.
“Parity,” she says [...]
The reluctant author who sets himself on fire, again and again
New book, new AI-native app, new home – ixigo’s Rajnish Kumar on the next fire trial for travel
Rajnish Kumar didn’t want to write a book. In fact, for eight years, he actively resisted one, he told me when we met over coffee in Singapore, his new home after moving here from Malaga. (We’ll [...]
Young Focus: Building the long road out of Smokey Mountain, Philippines
Young Focus Foundation is WiT For Good’s 2026 beneficiary. Since 2008, WiT For Good has raised nearly $1 million for women and children across Asia.
Can you recall a moment that changed your life? For Paul van Wijgerden, living in Amsterdam at the time as a young man in the 1980s, that moment wa [...]
Tale of three startups: Discover, trust, experience and an investor’s take
It couldn’t have been better planned – the Founders & Futures: Global Startup Showcase at WiT Phocuswright Barcelona. On stage were three startups covering three stages of the traveller journey and facing them, Roger Sharp, chair of Technology Queenstown and investor via North Ridge Partners [...]
APAC air passenger demand up, amidst overall decline due to fuel prices
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for June 2026 global passenger demand:
Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), was down 1.7% compared to June 2025. Excluding the Middle East, demand declined by 0.6%. Total capacity, measured in available [...]
Expedia Group acquires Layla to bolster its AI-powered trip planning and booking strategy
Acquisition accelerates Expedia Group’s AI-native trip planning offerings spanning the full journey – from inspiration, to planning, booking, and support for travelers worldwide
Expedia Group announced that it has acquired Layla, an AI-native trip planning and booking platform that helps tr [...]
AI surge meets a crowded digital landscape in Thailand’s online travel boom
How local giants, government super-apps, and sky-high AI enthusiasm are reshaping how Thais book their trips
Thailand's digital economy hit $56 billion in 2025 and is on track for $90 billion by 2030, but online travel growth actually cooled off - up just 6% YoY to $11 billion after a 34% jump in 2 [...]
Intrepid’s James Thornton: “If everyone goes right, we’ll often be going left”
WiT Queenstown was James Thornton’s first day back at work, fresh off three weeks in Greece, where, he stressed to the audience, he was fully, deliberately offline.
“I think some CEOs find it really bizarre that I wouldn’t do emails and calls on holiday,” he said. “But great companies h [...]
Travel Happiness Index: It’s not the dessert, it’s the vitamins
Amid all the gloom and doom around us, it’s good to get a little happy news now and then, and yesterday Booking.com launched its Travel Happiness Index, which shows that 98% of APAC travellers associate travel with positive emotion, 84% say it helps them reset mentally, and, most tellingly, nine i [...]
Atlas adds Volaris. TravelAI relaunches Sonder. Agoda x Bank of America. AI receptionist cuts response time.
TravelAI relaunches Sonder.com as AI-powered boutique guide
TravelAI has acquired the Sonder brand, including the SONDER trademark across more than 50 countries and over 70 domain names, notably Sonder.com, from the bankruptcy estates of Sonder's Canadian entities, following court-supervised procee [...]
