Welcome back, Raffles Hotel. We’ve missed you for two years
As my Grab driver pulls up to the entrance of the Raffles Hotel, the unmistakable figure of Naranjan comes up to the white barricades to let me in. It’s a few days before its much-delayed re-opening and Singapore’s grand old dame is still under wraps from the public eye.
For the last two yea [...]
Have a smashing stay at the world’s first Avo-Condo
You may have had a smashed avo toast before, but have you ever done a guac and roll and stayed in an Avo-Condo? We’d guess not since Booking.com has just released two room nights at the world’s first avocado-shaped accommodation right at Sydney’s Circular Quay.
For just two nights only and [...]
The Wrap: Malaysia launches visit year campaign, eyes 30 million tourist arrivals
News Roundup: This week’s focus is on Malaysia – the unveiling of the Visit Malaysia 2020 logo to mark the start of the country’s tourism campaign, and Malaysia Airlines’ partnership with TUI to launch a new travel marketplace amid news of its possible sale surfacing again.
Destination: [...]
The startup world may be flat but South-east Asia is the headline act for WiT Singapore Startup Pitch 2019
The fact that a Myanmar-based domestic flight OTA, Flymya, won the WiT Startup Pitch in Japan is proof that the startup world is indeed flat, and that while ideas and execution may be local, global is the new playground for all aspiring entrepreneurs.
“At WiT Japan & North Asia, [...]
Travix sees strong growth in the Philippines as it expands CheapTickets, BudgetAir in Asia
As travellers in the Philippines get smarter and savvier about online travel, they are starting to shift from direct to indirect, said Richard Kua, regional director Asia Pacific for Amsterdam-based Travix which runs CheapTickets as well as BudgetAir in the region.
“They see a
$200 flight on [...]
Asian travellers most keen on going cashless, China largest market for B2C ecommerce
Asian travellers are most keen to go cashless and adopt alternative forms of payment, according to Amadeus’ Travel Payments Guide 2019, a new report charting the rise of alternative payment methods.
According to the report, alternative ways to pay for travel, such as e-Wallets and bank trans [...]
In a world where funding knows no boundaries, think global from day one, startups urged
The good news is, there is more money around and at the early stage, it’s a good time for all startups. The bad news is, at the late stage, money is chasing fewer startups.
“Companies can come in early with traction these days. That’s when investors pile in. But at the late stage, competi [...]
Traveloka launches Xperience in bid to be travel and lifestyle platform
In its bid to become a travel and lifestyle platform – it does not like the term “superapp”, I was told by Traveloka executives – the Indonesian-based OTA has launched Traveloka Xperience for consumers to discover travel and lifestyle activities.
Christian Suwarna, senior vice presiden [...]
The Wrap: APAC tourism boards are most online ready for Muslim travellers, study reveals
News Roundup: A report looking at how online ready national tourism organisations are to meet the requirements of the growing Muslim travel market, Travelport winning the bid for new contract with Webjet, Naumi Hotels acquiring another property in New Zealand, Radisson Hotel Group’s launch of new [...]
Letter from Kanazawa: Having a “kimono” moment in Japan’s New Golden Age
“Are we moving already?” We had not even put away our bags, let alone sat down and settled, when we realised the Shinkansen was already in motion. 11.35 to be exact.
We are headed to Kanazawa after an intense two days of WiT Japan & North Asia where the talk was about how tech was [...]
