Regions
Letter from Thailand: Take it slow, make it sustainable, be well – a destination in transition
26/05/2022 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
I HAD waited more than two years for this moment and when it arrived, it was almost bitter sweet. This week, I got on a flight to Bangkok, a place I fell in love with at first sight decades ago and stayed in love with through the passage of time. I had visualised it so hard – the moment when I [...]
MakeMyTrip’s losses narrow, eyes stronger 2023
26/05/2022 by Linda Fox
MAKEMYTRIP narrowed its operating loss in the fourth quarter of its financial year. The Indian online travel agency reported a full-year loss of $30 million for the year ending March 31, 2022, compared to $68 million for 2021. Gross bookings hit $1 billion in the fourth quarter compared to $75 [...]
The WiT Podcast – Episode 39: Vikram Malhi, Co-founder, Zuzu Hospitality
26/05/2022 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
IN this episode, we speak to Vikram Malhi, who’s the co-founder of ZUZU Hospitality, on the recovery trends he’s seeing in the small, independent hotel segment in South-east Asia and how this could be a breakout moment for the longtail of hospitality. Here are the key takeaways. On recover [...]
Airbnb pulls out of domestic China business, will focus on outbound
25/05/2022 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
AIRBNB will pull out of the domestic listings and Experiences market in China and instead focus on the outbound travel business, a source close to the matter has confirmed to WiT. Said the source, “China has been on lockdown since early 2020, and with no end in sightAirbnb formally launched its [...]
Yanolja Cloud invests in PMS platform InnKey to accelerate its global hospitality solution business
20/05/2022 by WiT
AI-based SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) company, Yanolja Cloud has invested in InnKey Infosystems Pvt. Ltd, a provider of cloud-based enterprise PMS platform for premium hotels and chains, to accelerate its global hospitality solution business. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. India-b [...]
Resurgence of travel in APAC driven by easing of restrictions and pent-up demand
19/05/2022 by WiT
NEW research from the Mastercard Economics Institute reveals that for the first time since the pandemic global leisure and business flight bookings surpassed pre-pandemic levels, while spending on cruise lines, buses and trains saw sharp improvements this year. The Travel 2022: Trends and Transit [...]
Elizabeth Liau: Marrying travel with scent and stories
19/05/2022 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Creating a luxury niche fragrance brand around destinations not to be sniffed at YOU could say it was her nose for travel and stories that led her to create her own  luxury niche fragrance company built around her favourite places in Asia. That, and love for her mother who passed away in 2018. [...]
In the war for talent, travel companies up the ante
19/05/2022 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Airbnb goes full on with “live and work from anywhere”, Klook launches workation scheme FIRST it was Airbnb who declared that its employees can now “live and work anywhere”, offering these options – work from home or office, move anywhere in the country you work in without any change in c [...]
Japan, China remain big gaps in APAC’s travel rebound
19/05/2022 by WiT
Amid Japan’s tentative reopening, Indonesia’s removal of tests, IATA’s Walsh calls for acceleration of recovery  THE two big gaps in Asia Pacific’s aviation recovery are China and Japan, noted Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general, in his keynote address at the Changi Aviation Summit thi [...]
The Wrap: Klook and KAYAK expanded partnership, Sabre’s acquisition of Nuvola, Tourism Malaysia-Emirates MOC
12/05/2022 by WiT
THE Wrap is a round-up of news in the travel and technology sector – new partnerships, product launches, aviation industry updates, innovative solutions, and more … Klook, KAYAK expand partnership, integrate activities inventory Travel and leisure e-commerce platform Klook and travel searc [...]