Regions
Moon landing, 1,000 aircraft orders – India’s on a roll but it’s still a long game
29/08/2023 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
TBO’s Gaurav Bhatnagar has “big plans” for APAC Gaurav Bhatnagar, who is on a mission to build the world’s largest travel distribution platform, was elated when TBO.com clocked $10 million in GTV/sales in a single day in April 2023. “Coming out of COVID, it was hard to imagine that this [...]
JTB, Trip.com Group join forces to set up JTB Inbound Trip
24/08/2023 by WiT
JTB and Trip.com Group have agreed to set up a joint venture called JTB Inbound Trip.Co., Ltd to address the challenges faced by business partners such as accommodation and local governments in the inbound tourism sector from Asia to Japan. Said the press release issued by JTB, “In anticipation [...]
Finding the new: Travel pros are shifting marketing strategies and redefining experiences
19/07/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
Insights on the changing landscape of destination marketing and the power of personalized experiences In the wake of the pandemic, destinations worldwide were forced to pivot their marketing strategies and find innovative ways to attract local customers. As travel resumes and borders reopen, the fo [...]
APAC at the heart of Worldline’s ambitions to enter high growth markets
19/07/2023 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Three trends driving the region – digital wallets, efficiency, app/mobile On the back of the accelerated travel recovery being seen in Asia Pacific, Worldline, the fourth largest payments company in the world and number one in Europe, wants to expand its footprint in the region. At its Rise T [...]
What “Dominating the Skies” entails for Teleport, owners of a new black freighter
13/07/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
The Airbus 321 freighter (A321F), named Awan, turns Teleport into full-fledged air logistics provider. When I got the invitation to attend the unveiling of Teleport’s first A321F aircraft, I didn’t know what to expect. I remember being at the launch of Malaysia Airlines’ first Airbus A380 whe [...]
Wanderlust vs economic uncertainty: Over half of APAC travellers stay confident in their travel plans
05/07/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
Singaporean travelers demonstrate a strong commitment to spending their money on experiences rather than fleeting pleasures. Booking.com recently unveiled its much-anticipated APAC Travel Confidence Index (TCI) for 2023, offering an analysis of travel mindsets in the region. Despite financial conc [...]
Latin America’s superapp Rappi sticks to its bet on travel
04/07/2023 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Travel and loyalty are good for stickiness: Guido Becher It’s interesting to note that while some superapps in Asia such as Grab and Gojek have pulled back from travel, Latin America’s Rappi remains committed to the travel vertical despite the challenging pandemic years. In fact, Rappi cou [...]
Letter from the Priorat, Catalonia: Listening to the wines, and the silence
04/07/2023 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
To be honest (and I’ve always been told to be wary of people who start their sentences with those three words but in this case, it’s sincere), I had never heard of Priorat until, well, this year when I started planning for my Catalonia holiday. I had asked ChatGPT to recommend the top three d [...]
Trials & Tribulations of Nigeria: Not for the faint-hearted but vast potential
26/06/2023 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Travelstart builds new tech to fuel new dreams on back of recovery You couldn’t pick a more challenging market than Nigeria to build an online travel business – poor economy for starters, 1.6% credit card penetration for another, currency issues etc, etc,  – but therein lies the opportunity [...]
Almosafer and Klook unveil a digital marketplace for Tours and Experiences in Saudi Arabia
20/06/2023 by WiT
The new platform connects Saudi Arabia travellers to global platforms, starting with Klook Almosafer, part of the Seera Group, has joined forces with Klook, a key travel and experiences platform in Asia, to launch Almosafer Activities. This joint venture introduces the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's fir [...]