WiT Singapore 2018: Cherry Huang talks Alipay and the emergence of the “lifestyle super app”
How can one really explain the phenomenon and colossus that is Alipay? Cherry Huang (General Manager, Cross-Border Business, South-east Asia, Alipay) did just that, documenting the goliath's growth over the last 14 years from a “Chinese brand for Chinese consumers” to having international presen [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: Expedia and Traveloka – a collaborative partnership of global might and local power
In mid-2017 one of the biggest news that hit the world of online travel was Expedia Group investing US$350 million in Indonesian OTA Traveloka, making it South-east Asia’s first travel unicorn.
Greg Schulze, senior vice president, commercial strategy and services, Expedia Group, said then, “W [...]
Through The Looking Glass of Cempedak Island: 8 Key Takeaways from WiT Singapore 2018
After an intense three days of “Through The Looking Glass”, my mind is still sparking neurons even though I am now safely esconsced on a private island in Bintan, Indonesia.
Cempedak has, for the last two years, become my go-to escape after WiT Singapore 2018. I saw the all-bamboo resort whil [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: Singapore Tourism Board shares lessons in Destination Marketing 2.0: it’s about being agile, bold, and creative
Destination marketing no longer looks or works like what it did before. It is no longer about year-long campaigns that remain predominantly static, with maybe slight tweaks to highlight certain events through the year. It is certainly no longer about bringing the media and travel agents to your shor [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: Content marketing takes new form by inspiring travellers through sound
Need a sure bet way to go hyper-local and stand out from the crowd? Tell a story that literally nobody else could tell – by creating a soundscape track of your hotel. Luke Clark listened in on Martin Reiher's presentation on “Sound Of Travel” at WiT Singapore 2018.
Or maybe just talk to s [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: South-east Asia travel is huge with consumers who want speed, engagement and personalisation
The Internet economy in South-east Asia is worth a massive US$50 billion and is growing at 27% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) year-on-year, three times faster than the market in the US.
Within this region’s economy, four key industries help drive this growth – online travel, e-commerce, o [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: From WiT Startup Pitch champion to US$300m in funding, Eric Gnock Fah shares the journey of Klook
Eric Gnock Fah (COO & Co-founder, Klook) was recognised as a ‘next gen leader’ at the WiT Hall of Fame 2018, for Klook’s rapid success, growth and expansion over the last three years, since winning the WiT Japan & North Asia Startup Pitch back in 2015.
Reflecting on his early begin [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: Messaging is evolving beyond communication to embrace business and lifestyle
Messaging is massive in Asia. There are 10 billion messages each month on Facebook Messenger between people and businesses. In Asia Pacific alone 87% of people with smartphones use a messaging app at least once a month.
On WhatsApp there are 1.5 billion people active each month, on Messenger 1.3 [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: It’s just a matter of time before drones take over commercial aircraft, says Bobby Healy
Tech futurist and CTO of CarTrawler Bobby Healy gave the WiT Singapore 2018 audience a glimpse into where travel tech is headed and what the future of travel might look like in the next 10 to 20 years.
The first thing Healy noted was that the biggest thing beyond mobile is still chatbots, but not [...]
WiT Bootcamp 2018: APAC travel predicted to grow twice as fast as North America and Europe
The WiT Singapore 2018 Bootcamp kicked off today at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront hotel. As usual, a veritable mix of fresh-faced and ambitious startups, as well as stringent and open-minded investors filled the ballroom, ears pricked to find out how the travel industry is evolving, what fresh oppo [...]
