Airbnb adds catering, massages, personal training and more in new ‘Services’ business
Airbnb’s 2025 Summer Release has been highly anticipated thanks to the long-awaited, much discussed relaunch of the company’s Experiences vertical.
Today, on the heels of mixed first quarter financial results, the short-term rental giant did officially relaunch Experiences, along with anot [...]
Bryan Batista appointed CEO at Skyscanner
Skyscanner, a global leader in travel, announces that Bryan Batista has been appointed CEO, taking over the role from John Mangelaars. Batista is currently the Chief Operating Officer and will become CEO on the 1st June 2025.
Skyscanner connects over 160m users in 180 countries and 37 languages [...]
Meet the 19 finalists of the 2025 Global Startup Pitch
Nineteen travel tech startups have been selected for the Finals of the 2025 Global Startup Pitch. The competition, in its fourth year, is jointly produced by WiT and Phocuswright and seeks to unearth the brightest stars in early-stage travel tech.
The Global Startup Pitch Competition is support [...]
Women travellers in Asia driving new hospitality trends in 2025
Agoda recently unveiled the top women’s travel trends in Asia revealing that women across Asia are charting a different course than their male counterparts when it comes to holiday plans.
From a stronger appetite for new destinations to a preference for traveling with family and friends, wome [...]
Chinese travellers go all out on social: “Adapt or miss out”, says Dida’s Rikin Wu
Dida’s CEO Rikin Wu has called attention to changing Chinese traveller demand as well as the significant shift in the distribution landscape, cautioning that hoteliers must “adapt to the new Chinese market needs or miss out on the world’s biggest outbound market”.
Speaking with internati [...]
Christine Tan on the shifting sweet spot of hospitality tech | Conversations On Turning 20
When you get to the ripe young age of 20, you’re bound to collect lots of stories – not only about the past but lessons for the future.
As WiT marks its 20th year in 2025, we turn the spotlight on our community, our tribe pioneers and leaders, to tell their stories and share their views on th [...]
Hospitality’s future playbook: AI, emotional loyalty and the rise of new booking channels
At a time when technology is moving faster than the industry can keep up, the future of direct distribution and loyalty in hospitality is set for sweeping transformation.
In a discussion moderated by Li Hawkins, Partner & Managing Director, Hospitality & Travel at Insight Out, senior lea [...]
Building an emotionally relevant marketing engine by balancing brand, budget and… aura?
Vice President of Global Marketing Marcus Yong explains how Klook’s latest funding fuels AI-driven product innovation, integrated campaign metrics, and a global emotional branding push anchored by 'The Best You'.
Is this Klook’s most ambitious project yet? Fresh off the back of a US$100 million [...]
Survival of the fittest: How OTAs are competing in the Middle East
In an increasingly competitive Middle East online travel landscape, staying ahead demands more than just speed – it requires sharp differentiation, relentless innovation, and smart use of AI. That was the dominant mood as top OTA leaders from Booking.com, Wego, Almosafer, and Travelwings gath [...]
Asia-Pacific airlines continue to lead passenger demand growth at 9.9%
Meanwhile, load factors fell in every region, for a -1.7 ppt overall decline.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for March 2025 global passenger demand for air travel with the following highlights:
Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), w [...]
