Tokyo takes top spot for best taxi service, cleanest and safest streets
A survey by TripAdvisor among 40 key tourist cities worldwide found Tokyo with the best taxi services and local public transport, as well as having the cleanest and safest streets.Singapore came in second for both categories.As for the friendliest taxi drivers both cities scored, with Tokyo in [...]
Why this time of the year is like prepping for an F1 race
You can tell it’s the merry time of the year because there’s a lot of buying going on – Priceline buys Kayak; MakeMyTrip buys Hoteltravel; ZUJI’s suitor turned out to be Webjet and not Wotif as the rumour mill had been suggesting; Etihad saves Kingfisher; and SIA sells its stake in Virgin At [...]
The Wrap: MAS flies down memory lane with retro aircraft, set to join Oneworld
In the news: Malaysia Airlines showcases aircraft in its original livery to celebrate 40 years of service, Beiiing airport passengers want more mobile self service, Scoot adopts ATI CloudMAS flies down memory lane with retro aircraft, set to join OneworldOn the auspicious date of 12.12.12, to comme [...]
A mixed outlook for 2013 but watch the rise of the affluent in China
So assuming we all live past December 21, 2012, the big question on everyone’s lips is, what will 2013 be like?It’d be a no-brainer to say “mixed” because that’d cover all eventualities. It’d also be no surprise to hear the word “cautious”.Pictured right: Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa [...]
Predictions for China 2013: Part 1
Trends to watch out for in this rising Asian dragon in the new year.• Cui Guangfu, CEO, eLongQ: What are the three things you think will happen in the travel distribution, marketing and technology space in China in 2013?Mobile will become ever more important.Difficulty in increasing PC traffic d [...]
Flocations raises S$700,000 funding, aims to integrate hotels and flights in one price
Two years after it made its debut at the WIT Bootcamp in Singapore, coming in second at the WIT Start-Up Pitch in 2010, travel discovery tool Flocations has closed a pre-series round of funding, raising S$700,000 led by TNF Ventures.The investment is supported with additional capital from SingTel [...]
‘Skin in the game’ critical to Etihad’s quest for global growth
Equity partnerships - skin in the game - is the way forward for Etihadas it builds a road map towards global growth based on building a hub, brand and profitability.President and CEO of the Abu Dhabi-based airline, James Hogan (left), who identified the three pillars of growth as organic growth, co [...]
Travel agents still have a role to play in digital travellers’ world
Travelport’s recent global research into the habits and booking patterns of digital leisure travellers showed that, despite being tech savvy, this new breed of road warriors tend to be confused with information overload on the web and are more likely to use a travel agent for complex trips.The stu [...]
Five ideas for a digital world
We don’t need digital ideas, we need ideas for a digital world, according to James Sowden, Engagement Planning Director and David Webster, Digital Business Development Director of BBHAsia Pacific, at the Alpha Terra Marketing Conference in Jakarta recently. This is a summary of their presentation. [...]
How Hotel ICON turned a possible negative into a ‘hotel with purpose’
When Hotel ICON was in the initial stages of planning, it was wary of the negative connotations that could be attached to a hotel that is owned by a school.“We didn’t want people to think of it as a hostel and that they’d be served by students only,” said Richard Hatter, general manager.So [...]
