Sectors
Blanca Menchaca is new CEO of BeMyGuest
28/11/2018 by WiT
BeMyGuest, one of Asia’s fastest growing tours and activities platforms, has named Blanca Menchaca chief executive officer, with Clement Wong stepping down from the position after founding the company in 2012. In a LinkedIn post Wong said that having helmed the company as CEO for almost seven y [...]
Young, independent female travellers fuel growth of China’s outbound travel market
26/11/2018 by WiT
They are young, independent, adventurous, preferring to travel solo – these are the post-90s and post-00s women contributing to the rapid growth of outbound travel from China, according to the latest Ctrip and Mastercard 2018 Chinese Travel Consumer Report The findings revealed that the proport [...]
Guest Blog: Go digital or go home – APAC companies need to drive digitisation forward in the world of travel payments
26/11/2018 by Ng Fook Sun
We’ve come a long way in the world of travel. Previously it was something few could afford, between expensive flights or train rides that brought us to places that most only dreamt of. Fast forward to today, travel has become an achievable reality for many people, fuelled by emerging affluence and [...]
Letter from Los Angeles: Of last mile mobility, teenage dreams and Chinese ambitions
22/11/2018 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
The day I landed in Los Angeles, there was a heavy smell of smoke in the air. The California wildfires were raging and the winds were blowing smoke towards the city. It didn’t stop the city’s residents from getting out and about. The LA Live area was teeming with crowds. A Lakers game was on, [...]
Uncovering stories of startups in Asia Part 2: Of size, investments and restrictive policies
21/11/2018 by WiT
Startups from China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Nepal and Israel took to the stage  at the WiT Bootcamp held in conjunction with WiT Singapore 2018 conference last month to share their stories and the state of the startup ecosystem in their countries. In the second part of the report we h [...]
From Singapore to Shenzhen, from Youbibi to Skyscanner, Steven Pang makes seamless transition from startup to global play
20/11/2018 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
While others were still dreaming about the China travel opportunity, Steven Pang, a Singaporean living in Hong Kong, took the plunge back in 2010 to start a travel search business specialising in comparing flights, hotels and package holidays. He chose the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen as his s [...]
Study: India, Indonesia have the most digitally-advanced travellers
19/11/2018 by WiT
India and Indonesia with their large young populations of 'digital natives' are, unsurprisingly, the top two countries with the most digitally-advanced travellers, with India holding the top spot for the second year in a row (2017 & 2018). Brazil (up one spot to third), China (slipped to fou [...]
Hotelbeds widens reach into ancillary space with acquisition of UK-based HolidayTaxis
15/11/2018 by WiT
Hotelbeds has acquired HolidayTaxis Group (HolidayTaxis) to reinforce its "commitment to growth in the rapidly the rapidly expanding ancillary distribution space." The bedbank said this latest acquisition was a "strategic fit" following its recent decision to rename its ancillary product line as [...]
Sojern to expand into new markets with US$120m fresh funding
14/11/2018 by WiT
Travel tech firm Sojern has raised US$120 million Series D led by growth equity firm TCV, raising its total funding to US$162.5 million over five rounds. TCV has also invested in companies including Airbnb, Expedia, HomeAway, TripAdvisor, SiteMinder, ExactTarget, Act-On and Ariba. Sojern, the [...]
Uncovering stories of startups in Asia Part 1: Of challenges, funding and going global
14/11/2018 by WiT
Startups from China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Nepal and Israel took to the stage  at the WiT Bootcmap held in conjunction with WiT Singapore 2018 conference last month to share their stories and the state of the startup ecosystem in their countries. In this first part of the report we f [...]