Rakuten wants to expand, and it’s not all about price in China
Yeoh Siew Hoon picks up a few key sound bites from the China Travel Distribution Summit in Beijing. Wanted:Good staff and better serviceChina’s travel suppliers face similar issues as their counterparts in the rest of Asia – the lack of quality talent and the need to improve service quality acro [...]
Record bookings achieved, Asia set for growth track
Booking transactions up 11% in 2010 and higher than pre-recession levels back in 2007. And while this year may see a slowing down of growth, Abacus Internationalmainly had good news to share at yesterday’s media lunch – most of it around how Asia is tipped to be a global leader in travel by 20 [...]
S’pore’s “Motorcycle Diaries”™ man tells his story
For Goh Mia Chun, the hardest moment of his trip was getting 13 injections before embarking on his round the world adventure by motorcycle. That, and losing his motorcycle just two weeks before the trip. Named Hope, it was stolen in Johor Bahru, across the Causeway from Singapore. And so he and hi [...]
Saigon, the city of tangled wires and buzzing motorbikes
Even though Hanoi on 10.10.10 will celebrate its millennial anniversary, it's Saigon that stole my heart. Perhaps because it was the first city I visited in Vietnam. Or because of its dynamic and frenzied energy which is quite opposed to the more subdued Hanoi. Or maybe it's simply because I was so [...]
Singaporeans paying less for hotel rooms across Asia
The strong Singapore dollar is responsible for Singaporeans enjoying good hotel bargains in cities across Asia for the first six months of 2011, according to the latest Hotel.com® Hotel Price Index™ (HPI®).Other factors contributing to the price falls in the region include natural disasters a [...]
Skyscanner moves into Asia, sets up Singapore base
UK-based flight search site Skyscanner, continuing on its growth path, is finally making its move into Asia – it will open a new regional operation in Singapore by September.The company has been setting up offices and recruiting key personnel over the last few months.“We’re very excited about [...]
Slower growth than expected, but ITB Asia on solid footing
While the growth of ITB Asia has been slower than expected, Dr Martin Buck, Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), said he wasn’t displeased with the results achieved so far.The third ITB Asia closed in Singapore with 6,605 attendees, a 7.4% increase on last year.“We are seeing organic growth. It [...]
OTA battle to hot up in S’pore, now comes Webjet
Online travel agencies have not been particularly active in Singapore despite the market being a solid adopter of the internet.The dominant player has been Zuji, the Travelocity-owned (once airline-owned group) website. Zuji operates in several markets in Asia as the local brand for the Sabre Holdi [...]
Maldives claims “Always Natural”
The Maldives has unveiled its new tourism slogan and logo, "Always Natural".(pictured left)"The slogan and logo are designed to underscore the outstanding natural beauty of the Maldives, which tourists from all segments of the market consistently rate as one of their main reasons for visiting the co [...]
Maldives: Paradise Lost or Rubbish Found?
There are two faces to paradise, as I found on a recent surf trip I did to the Maldives on a charter boat spanning from the Gaafu Dahl Atoll all the way up to the more recognisable northern Atolls around the capital city Male.For those of you interested in the surf quality, yes we got some sick wave [...]
