News
Singing to the Next Generation: How Wendi Koh composed this year’s WiT theme song
08/08/2024 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
In 2015, an idea sparked: Why not have an original song, composed, performed, and produced by a local musician, to mark each year's WiT theme? Wendi Koh, a renowned Singaporean rock artist, answered the call enthusiastically, saying, “Yeah, let’s do it.” Since then, Wendi has become an inte [...]
Sabre adds protection. MSC Cruises’ mission with emissions. Garuda offers SmartRyde.
08/08/2024 by Ian Jarrett
Sabre bonds with Protect Group Sabre says a long-term partnership with Protect Group, a provider of trip protection and guarantee services, will provide hotel guests with increased peace of mind when booking their stays. Hotels using SynXis Booking Engine can offer Protect Group's trip protectio [...]
Tripadvisor introduces in-app hotel bookings, powered by HTS
07/08/2024 by WiT
Tripadvisor has announced new functionality offering its members the ability to book hotel stays directly within the Tripadvisor app. The new functionality is made possible by a partnership with HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions). The partnership will see HTS power both hotel bookings and provi [...]
Singapore among leading Asian ‘workcation’ cities, ranks 7th worldwide
07/08/2024 by WiT
Budapest named World’s best ‘workcation’ city for 2024 As hybrid working rises, fueling longer ‘workcations’ that offer greater flexibility over how and where employees work, Budapest has been named the best ‘workcation’ city in the world by International Workplace Group’s (IWG) sec [...]
6 key takeaways from the Business Travel Trends & Forecasts Asia Pacific
07/08/2024 by WiT
Nearly 50 corporate travel buyers collectively responsible for buying/managing over $6.4 billion in travel annually registered to attend the BTN Group’s 2nd Annual Business Travel Trends & Forecasts Asia Pacific conference in Singapore last month. With attendees representing Australia, Chin [...]
Hopper doubles down on HTS to power banks and credit cards to “build new space in travel”
06/08/2024 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
It’s the market few saw coming, says co-founder Dakota Smith With five partnerships with banks and credit cards in place in the US, Brazil, Australia, Japan and South Korea, Hopper is doubling down on growing HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions) as the next generation travel platform that will h [...]
The secret sauce of “char koay teow”, storytelling and indie travel businesses
02/08/2024 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
AI, it seems, is creeping into everything. In a little eatery called Jiashi Cafe in a local neighbourhood in Penang, far from the madding tourist crowd, the young entrepreneurs running it offer “AI Fried Char Koay Teow”. For anyone who’s been to Penang, you’ll know that “Char Koay Teow� [...]
HKIA gets smarter. Drone drama at Marina Bay. Sun and Moon rise with TA Network. More.
02/08/2024 by Ian Jarrett
Smart travel, from home to gate at HKIA The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) has officially launched the world’s first Smartphone Express Bag Drop Service as part of its Flight Token smart technology. The new service enables passengers to complete online check-in and scan their travel docume [...]
Sabah Convention Bureau is carving its niche with conservation, local values and state culture in mind
01/08/2024 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
CEO, Noredah Othman, is focusing on quality over quantity by tapping into the local MICE industry As the fairly new CEO of the Sabah Convention Bureau, Noredah Othman plans to use her knowledge of the East Malaysian state from a previous career to achieve the company’s goals. Speaking at the rece [...]
Asia-Pacific airline passenger demand up 22% in June; global demand up by 9%
01/08/2024 by WiT
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for June 2024 global passenger demand with the following highlights:   Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), was up 9.1% compared to June 2023. Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers [...]