From selling rooms to cooking fun – and it all started with a bike ride
Inspired by Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman’s “Long Way Round”, former Singapore hotelier Daniel Tan got on a motorcycle and did a three-month ride across Asia.He had just completed his MBA while working with Pan Pacific Hotels Group and decided to quit his marketing job to take on this mot [...]
Women rule in loyalty, as bookers and as workers
So the big question about loyalty is whether you can buy it or you have to earn it? From what we’re seeing in travel, most suppliers just seem to be buying it with most programmes geared towards driving transactions ie “If you spend this, we will give you this.”Rather than creating that cosy, [...]
Busting the five myths about women online
So do you think there are more men online than women? Well, in a way, you’d be right.By region, women in North America form 50.9% of 15+ Internet population. In Latin America and Europe, the numbers are pretty similar – 49.3% and 49.1% respectively. In South-east Asia, the female share is 47.1%, [...]
Easing of red tape to fuel travel boom in APAC region
Imagine Asia Pacific travel without red tape? Why, the potential would be enormous. And the number one red tape that David Brett, President of Amadeus Asia Pacific, would like to see addressed is “VISA APPLICATION” procedures.“There are still many countries across Asia Pacific, China and In [...]
HotelQuickly arrives in Vietnam
Just over a month into its launch in Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan last-minute hotel booking app, HotelQuickly, debuts in Vietnam with hotels listing in Hanoi and Ho-Chi-Minh City.The app offers both international and domestic travellers a new way to save on hotel [...]
Survival tips for the Content Economy
Humanity is currently entering a Content economy, according to experts who spoke at Localization World Singapore recently, and it is vital for brands to be prepared for this new era.In her presentation entitled “Content Strategy in a Content Economy – Is Your Content Prepared?” Rahel Anne B [...]
Letter from Sao Paulo: Brazil brimming with promise
Here I am in Sao Paulo, excited to participate in the first World Travel Market (WTM) for Latin America. It is very fitting that they have chosen Brazil for their first destination as it is very clearly the largest and fastest growing travel market in Latin America.Having worked in numerous markets [...]
Moscow’s most expensive for room service, Cape Town’s most affordable
The inaugural TripIndex Room Service 2013 released by TripAdvisor, which compares popular hotel amenities in 46 of the world’s key destinations, reveals Moscow (Russia) as the most expensive city for travellers while Cape Town (South Africa) is the most affordable. Six of the10 most expensive c [...]
Are you a ‘leftover’ woman? And are you self-critical? Read on
Is the universe telling me something or what? On the flight to Bangkok to open our second WITX event and I am reading the IHT and what should I come across but two articles that speak directly to the topic of how women are redefining not just travel but societies, economies and workplaces.First is a [...]
HomeAway rolls out plans to expand in South-east Asia
It signed a partnership agreement with Travelmob. It opened a regional office in Bangkok. It’s all part of plans by HomeAway, the leading vacation rental marketplace, to spread its wings in South-east Asia.In Bangkok, it’s hired Panicha Thananaken, formerly with hoteltravel.com and Agoda, as r [...]
