Meet the Indonesian digital consumer
A few key words come to mind when describing the Indonesian digital consumer – male, youths, videos and social.In presenting “The Story of the Indonesian Digital Consumer” (details in slides below) at the Alpha Terra Digital Marketing Conference in Jakarta last week, Kerry Brown, VP South-east [...]
MakeMyTrip makes big bet on mobile, takes ‘mobile first’ approach
Given the huge growth in the mobile eco-system in India, MakeMyTrip is taking a big bet on mobile and pursuing a “mobile first way” approach rather than a mobile version of the desktop site.Amit Saberwal, chief of business development for India’s largest OTA, which is ramping up expansion in [...]
Traffic growth, high transaction values behind AsiaWebDirect’s new tablet strategy
With its tablet traffic rising by 160% over the last 12 months,AsiaWebDirect.com has launched what it says is the first tablet-optimised experience in online travel for the browser.Said Matthew Varley, executive general manager-Asia for the Wotif Group, “A lot of people have done the app experien [...]
Under new branding, Dorsett blends British and Asia as it expands
Two years after spinning off from Hong Kong-based Far East Consortium, public-listed Kosmopolito Hotels International has rebranded as Dorsett Hospitality International, promising a mix of Asian and British cultures in all its properties.Winnie Chiu, president and executive director of Dorsett Hos [...]
Modest hike in air, hotel prices propels business travel in Asia in 2013
According to American Express Global Business Travel in its Global Business Travel Forecast 2013, projected increases in business travel pricing in select markets in Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe indicate business travellers will likely continue to travel in these regions to pursue busin [...]
The Wrap: Groupon opens first concept store in Hong Kong
In the news: Groupon's first store in Hong Kong, Kota Kinabalu airport to be aviation hub, Tune Hotels is five, Air France lands in MalaysiaGroupon concept store arrives in Hong KongGroupon has opened its first concept store in Hong Kong, which offers customers a platform to pick up lifestyle produ [...]
Shower me with your talent and passion, Jakarta
I think the shower in my room at Hotel Mulia Senayan is a good representation of the Indonesian travel market. Honest.At first sight, it’s extremely intimidating because it looks like a contraption in a space shuttle where you probably need lots of things to hold you down while you soap your body [...]
Littering and spitting, worst offences among beach holiday-makers
Travellers in Southeast Asia named littering and spitting as the most umpleasant beach and pool misdemeanours with teenagers and young adults as the main culprits, according to aTripAdvisor survey.This was the response from about 70% of the respondents to the company's beach and pool etiquette surv [...]
Postcard from Myanmar – the genie is out of the bottle
Being bullish on Myanmar is a cliché these days. However, I thought I’d share some notes from a recent trip to Yangon—it’s a good conversation starter at the very least. Beyond the obligatory visit to the Shwedagon Pagoda and happy hour at the Strand on Friday night, I managed to slip in a fe [...]
Exit chat with Yilmaz: Mobile’s HUGE and online’s confusing – so take care of the basics first
The biggest change that Ali Yilmaz, the former head of travel for Google South-east Asia has seen in his 19 months in the role, is how big mobile has become as a channel for travel.In his presentation at the WIT Conference 2012 last month, Yilmaz shared statistics which showed:• 23% of all queries [...]
