News
Corporate investments in travel and mobility remain robust amid decline in VC funding
21/06/2024 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
The latest "Travel and Mobility Tech Sector Attractiveness Report" from Lufthansa Innovation Hub provides an in-depth analysis of investment activity among 60 travel and mobility corporations from 2018 to 2023.  The report highlights noteworthy trends and investment priorities in aviation, groun [...]
Inclusive properties up by 200% in APAC, says new study
21/06/2024 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
70% of LGBTQ+ travellers seek travel inspiration from LGBTQ+ pop culture. Booking.com has released the fourth edition of its annual global LGBTQ+ travel research, highlighting key trends, experiences and challenges faced by LGBTQ+ travellers, especially those from the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.  [...]
Good news from SITA. Learn languages with Memrise. RateHawk swoops on Asia. More.
20/06/2024 by Ian Jarrett
RateHawk builds its nest in Singapore RateHawk, a B2B online system for booking hotels, air tickets, and transfers for travel professionals, is launching operations in the Asian region, from its Asian headquarters in Singapore. Dubai-based RateHawk is entering the region with a platform locali [...]
‘MICE events on cruises’ an emerging trend in Asia, and Royal Caribbean is riding the wave
18/06/2024 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
“We have a marketing partnership with Singapore Tourism Board and Changi Airport enabling us to reach MICE buyers during the months outside of peak family holiday groups,” says RCI’s Diane Chiang According to a recent study by Mordor Intelligence, bleisure travel, a burgeoning trend where emp [...]
Viator’s origin story – A tale of a prince and a girl from Tasmania
18/06/2024 by Linda Fox
Rod Cuthbert, the founder of Viator, doesn't claim to have had the idea for the tours and activities business. It originally came from a contract with Sabre back in the late '90s when the idea of selling tours and activities, via the travel agency community, appealed to the distribution company. [...]
Neuroscience to AI: How Shiyi Pickrell is helping Expedia connect the dots in a data-driven landscape
13/06/2024 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
“I started learning how the brain works, now I am teaching machine learning models to mimic what the brain can do, but on a much faster and bigger scale." It might sound like a leap at first, but the more you think about the similarities between neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, the more [...]
McKinsey’s ‘golden age’ tech. Costco and Mystifly simplify. Spotnana flies with Kyte. Tech czars want EPL.
13/06/2024 by Ian Jarrett
McKinsey’s tech for a ‘golden age’ of travel More people are traveling to less visited destinations, luxury-hospitality is growing faster than any other industry segment, and younger generations show significant, growing interest in travel, according to a new McKinsey report. In addition [...]
matsuri technologies Inc secures JPY 1.34b in Series D funding amid Japan’s tourism surge
13/06/2024 by WiT
Funding to enhance StayX platform and expand tourism infrastructure matsuri technologies Inc.,the provider behind StayX, a solution that converts single-use rooms into multi-use spaces, has successfully closed its Series D funding round, securing JPY 1.34 billion (approximately USD 8.65 million). T [...]
Jane’s Tours Singapore pivots to private groups and excursions
13/06/2024 by WiT
Pandemic forced a rethink to adapt to changing trends It often takes a foreigner to appreciate what locals take for granted about their countries and no one has been more passionate about showing off and sharing Singapore’s heritage, culture and story to foreign visitors and locals alike than Ja [...]
Key trends to heed in “Next Generation” of travel in APAC
12/06/2024 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
As we enter the next generation of travel in Asia Pacific, here are the key trends to watch – from the revolution in B2B, to transformation of the human-machine interface and changing demographics with all the inherent changes in customer behaviour to come. It’s a summary of the thoughts and ide [...]