I’m a genuine example of a social disease
I was sitting on a bus - a rare occasion for me. And for once, with a defective Blackberry, I could not connect to anything. So I decided to just pay attention to the world around me.A pair of ladies who seemed scholarly were sitting across from me and were discussing a new phenomenon. They were dis [...]
I hope they serve cosmopolitans in Cairns
There’s a young man sitting across the aisle from me. He’s big and burly with biceps bulging the way my eyes are, from stealing looks at him.There’s a tattoo of the Great Wall on his left forearm – the Chinese wonder of the world looks distended.He’s obviously proud of his Chinese herit [...]
ITB Asia to host session at Berlin Convention
It’s all set for the ITB Berlin Convention which will be held from March 9-11, so mark your dates.The conference, returning for the eighth year, will address key topics such as hospitality, destination marketing, CSR and futurology. On Friday, March 11, it will focus on the topical issue of eco-mo [...]
It’s really here and it’s not going away, so please, get used to it
I was meeting with a very large Singapore-based company a couple of months ago. I was talking with them about an upcoming multi-million dollar project and how using social media could generate some buzz, anticipation and expectation around what they were doing. Basically getting the consumer e [...]
It’s catching, this travel entrepreneurship thing
Is it just me or is there an outbreak of entrepreneurship fever spreading in the Asia Pacific travel space?At WIT*e last week, at least two young executives took me away from my beer and chicken wings to pitch their ideas to me. One had an idea that would use Facebook and social sharing and another [...]
Issenberg on change and game-changers
Michael Issenberg (pictured left), Chairman and COO of Accor Asia Pacific, sits down with Yeoh Siew Hoon, WIT Conference’s producer, at the WIT Ideas Lab at ITB Asia in Singapore to discuss a wide range of issues affecting the hotel and travel industry.With 400 hotels throughout Asia Pacific, th [...]
Is social media David or the Emperor? You decide
Recently there have been articles and things said at conferences about social media that question its use in travel. I think this is a healthy debate and I’m glad that there are skeptics because they keep things honest.So is social media the emperor with new clothes or is it David in David vs Goli [...]
Is Social Media David or the Emperor (Part II)
The following is a continuation of a post that discussed whether social media is the Emperor without clothes or David in David v. Goliath. This post focuses on brand engagement in social channels.One of the questions I often get asked is, “How can I use social networks like Facebook and Twitter [...]
iPad rules in tablet traffic, Singapore among top 3 places
The iPad is the most dominant tablet device across all geographies, contributing more than 89% of tablet traffic across all markets, according to a new comScore Device Essentials report. It is particularly high In Canada, Brazil and Singapore. The iPad’s contribution to total non-computer dev [...]
Hurricane Paula pays us a visit
This trip has been plagued by setbacks from the get-go! First we missed our flight to Lombok, prior to heading to Cancun, Mexico … and then … on Monday night, already in Cancun, we get a letter from the Fairmont Hotel GM informing us that Hurricane Paula is heading straight for us.Ironically, [...]
