Mygola’s new claim – create amazing trips in 15 minutes – as it pivots to itinerary model
Mygola, which started as a travel planning service with the aim to be a “global uber travel agent” to make it easy for customers to plan their holidays, has changed its model to be a one-stop shop for users to plan their travel itineraries.In an interview with WIT last July, Anshuman Bapna, CEO [...]
#BarondaMaluku – a social initiative to revive Maluku’s tourism
Since the Maluku Islands (Moluccas) sectarian conflict broke out in early 1999, travellers, including Indonesians, have been avoiding the region even though the conflict ended in 2002. Acmad Alkatiri, from the islands, decides to use social media to lure back the tourists.Acmad Alkatiri, or Mad as [...]
HotelClub goes back to roots, targets China
Orbitz-owned HotelClub is gearing up to make big changes to its offering for consumers in mainland China by the end of the year.While making the HotelClub Chinese website more relevant to Chinese consumers, the brand is also repositioning itself – recognising its roots as a travel club.So far Hote [...]
Russians prefer booking their holidays at the last minute
A survey by IPK International’s World Travel Monitor, commissioned by ITB Berlin, revealed that booking one’s holidays at the last possible moment continues to be a popular trend among the world’s most important travel markets, which make up the biggest percentage of holidays.The habit of boo [...]
He dreams of a global passport and believes ‘Asia Factor’ can mean the difference between success and bankruptcy
If global strategist and author Parag Khanna had his way, there’d be 250 million people who would travel with a global passport, and the world would have its first identification not tied to a nationality.In fact, that was the idea he submitted to the US$1 million TED Prize 2013 and it ended up [...]
WIT Challenge aims to put context into ideas to aid start-ups
The world is hungry. Hungry for new ideas, for growth, for – well almost anything new. Travel has been at the forefront of web adoption. We can see the way in which the Expedias/eLongs, Agoda/Pricelines, Qunars, Skyscanners and other companies have changed the way we think, search, shop and talk a [...]
Online population in Southeast Asia on the rise, with largest numbers in Vietnam
The number of Internet users in Southeast Asia increased by 9% to 62 million, outpacing the global Internet growth rate by more than 60%, according to comScore’s “2013 Southeast Asia Digital Future in Focus” report.With 16.1 million monthly internet users, Vietnam now has the largest onli [...]
The Wrap: Travelport unveils tool to customise flight search
In the news: Search Control Console from Travelport, passenger growth for APAC airlines, mobile apps for LAN and TAM airlines Travelport unveils tool to customise flight searchTravelport has launched its new Search Control Console, a customisable tool for flight search in real time.The company sa [...]
The making of “Journeys” as MAS aims to become ASEAN’s Premium Preferred Airline by 2014
Big data has given marketers power at the board table. Here’s how Malaysia Airlines (MAS) used it to create its first integrated marketing campaign with complete social media activation.As an idea, the message of “journeys” is not new in travel. How many times have we heard the phrase, “It [...]
Thoughts from the adobe huts of Shaxi to Journeys with MAS
It is somewhat surreal that I should be spending the night in an adobe inn in the historic town of Shaxi, Yunnan, when just five days ago I was at the global Adobe Digital Marketing Symposium learning about how much marketing has changed.At the event in Singapore, there was a lot of talk about how t [...]
