Sectors
WiT Singapore 2018: From WiT Startup Pitch champion to US$300m in funding, Eric Gnock Fah shares the journey of Klook
17/10/2018 by WiT
Eric Gnock Fah (COO & Co-founder, Klook) was recognised as a ‘next gen leader’ at the WiT Hall of Fame 2018, for Klook’s rapid success, growth and expansion over the last three years, since winning the WiT Japan & North Asia Startup Pitch back in 2015. Reflecting on his early begin [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: Messaging is evolving beyond communication to embrace business and lifestyle
17/10/2018 by WiT
Messaging is massive in Asia. There are 10 billion messages each month on Facebook Messenger between people and businesses. In Asia Pacific alone 87% of people with smartphones use a messaging app at least once a month. On WhatsApp there are 1.5 billion people active each month, on Messenger 1.3 [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: It’s just a matter of time before drones take over commercial aircraft, says Bobby Healy
16/10/2018 by WiT
Tech futurist and CTO of CarTrawler Bobby Healy gave the WiT Singapore 2018 audience a glimpse into where travel tech is headed and what the future of travel might look like in the next 10 to 20 years. The first thing Healy noted was that the biggest thing beyond mobile is still chatbots, but not [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: WiT Hall of Fame honours Next Gen leaders alongside veterans
16/10/2018 by WiT
Next Gen leaders were inducted alongside veterans in the industry in WiT’s Hall of Fame that was introduced last year to recognise and honour individuals and companies who have had the greatest influence on the progress and professionalism of the digital travel industry in Asia Pacific.  [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: Agoda’s Robert Rosenstein says travel is still a market of monsters, copycats and startups
16/10/2018 by WiT
As WiT Singapore 2018 took its first steps Through the Looking Glass at Marina Bay Sands this morning, Robert Rosenstein (co-founder & chairman, Agoda) sat in the hot seat to reflect upon how the travel industry has evolved in his years running Agoda. In a past interview, Rosenstein described [...]
WiT Bootcamp 2018: Of funding and pivot – rocky road to success for startups
16/10/2018 by WiT
They came, they pitched and they won. They are the startups at the WiT Bootcamp, held in conjunction with the annual WiT conference, who returned to share their journey at this year’s event. Troovo, a virtual payment processing system for the corporate travel industry, was the winner last year [...]
WiT Bootcamp 2018: Culture Trip takes flight through travel content
15/10/2018 by WiT
By Luke Clark With a calm demeanor attesting to his background in academic psychiatry, and not a tie-dyed item in sight, Dr Kris Naudts may not at first glance seem the most obvious candidate for the next empire builder in travel content. Yet fresh from a breakthrough year for its funding, Cul [...]
WiT Bootcamp 2018: Muslim travel sector holds huge potential with US$183b expected by 2020, reveals new Salam Standard report
15/10/2018 by WiT
The numbers say it all – by 2060, there will be 3 billion people globally who identify as Muslims, one in three of the world’s population (statistics from Pew Research Centre ). With the rate of this growth at 70% compared to the global average of 32%, the Muslim tourism market will play an eve [...]
Klook adds event booking feature on back of Jay Chou’s Invincible World Tour
11/10/2018 by WiT
Leading travel activities and services booking platform Klook has become the first in this space to offer event booking. Accessible via the award-winning Klook App, the service made its debut in collaboration with Taiwanese musician Jay Chou in September. Ahead of Chou’s The Invincible World To [...]
Porter & Sail and Design Hotels unveil ‘fresh way’ to book hotels in new partnership
11/10/2018 by WiT
Two curated online travel platforms, Porter & Sail and Design Hotels, are collaborating to deliver what is described as “an ultimate mobile hotel experience.” New York-based Porter & Sail, a "multichannel platform that offers a new way to book, plan and experience a hotel" has launche [...]