Regions
Guest Post: Runway to a smart, sustainable and safe restart
20/04/2021 by WiT
The trans-Tasman travel bubble opened on 19 April, fuelling hopes of more borders opening and hastening travel recovery. Subhas Menon, director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), shares his views on travel bubbles and how the Asia Pacific aviation industry can restart in a [...]
Latest wave dampens Phuket’s hopes of reopening; Trisara stays on course of wellness and mindfulness
20/04/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
LIKE other hotels in Phuket, the award-winning luxury resort Trisara had been looking forward to closing April on a healthy note because domestic travel in Thailand had been gathering steam but then, came the third wave of infections, the largest outbreak in the country since last March. Said Ki [...]
25 years on, Expedia flips “green screen” again to become the traveller’s companion
19/04/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
“It matters who you travel with” falls on shoulders of new brand custodian, Shiv Singh SHIV Singh, the new senior vice president and general manager of Brand Expedia, was sitting in front of an impressively-stacked bookcase when I spoke to him on Zoom. I had to ask, “Is that fake or are th [...]
Covid has tested global-local models in travel, says KKday’s Liu
19/04/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
“Curated experiences” marketplace embeds deeper local roots, launches Fine Day for luxury and scales Rezio WHEN Weichun Liu told her parents she was giving up investment banking to join KKday in 2016, they thought she was joining KKBox, the “Spotify of Taiwan”. “I didn’t want to tell [...]
Trip.com Group first global travel group to be dual listed in Hong Kong and US
19/04/2021 by WiT
TWENTY two years after its founding, and 14 months after its business was crushed by the pandemic, Trip.com Group officially listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange today (9961.HK), becoming the first global travel group to be dual listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as well as the NASDAQ stock e [...]
Cleartrip sale to Flipkart inevitable, as Covid crushes travel and marketplaces seize moment to enter vertical
16/04/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
IN many ways, the proposed acquisition of Cleartrip by Flipkart, known as the “Amazon of India” was inevitable – inevitable because the pandemic has no doubt devastated the 15-year-old company’s India business, leaving it vulnerable, and inevitable because of the ambitions of e-commerce mar [...]
The Wrap: Saudia partners IATA to test Travel Pass, Narita Airport pilots biometric boarding process, and more …
15/04/2021 by WiT
THE Wrap is a round-up of news in the travel and technology industries, and to keep track of developments in these sectors as businesses adapt and reset to meet challenges in the era of coronavirus. Saudia introduces IATA Travel Pass on Kuala Lumpur to Jeddah flights On successful trial of th [...]
The WiT Podcast – Episode 35: Dr Paul Tambyah: Travel must work with medicine to prevent being taken hostage in next pandemic
13/04/2021 by WiT
GOVERNMENTS will go to default “shut borders” mode in absence of “scientific, calibrated approach”, argues president-elect of International Society of Infectious Diseases The travel industry needs to take a more proactive approach to managing future pandemics because even if WHO declare [...]
Webb: Recovery won’t be online vs offline, it will be driven by policy
13/04/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Travelport doubles down on tech to simplify next gen retailing for recovery FOR Greg Webb, CEO of Travelport, pushing ahead with its next generation platform – a commitment it made in 2019 when it went private – was absolutely necessary despite the pandemic crushing the travel industry and a [...]
How Phare survived a year of no tourism to Angkor Wat
13/04/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
From adapting shows to local tastes, to a 24-hour virtual performance Phare, The Cambodian Circus rode out 2020 and hopes for international tourism to return by year end IF there is one destination that the pandemic has devastated, it’s Siem Reap, the home of Angkor Wat, where the only econom [...]