Airlines told, look east as China and South-east Asia drive distribution changes
Airlines, particularly, those in the West should start looking east, specifically, to China to understand where mobile, ecommerce and payments are headed. That was the message from Hugh Aiken, senior director of strategic partnerships, Skyscanner, at the recent CAPA Global LCC Summit, when asked abo [...]
The Wrap: Lost or delayed baggage a thing of the past with AI?
In the news: Airlines and airports look to AI revolutionise baggage management; videos to facilitate searching and booking travel; an airline on quest to make customers happy
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Lost or delayed baggage a thing of the past with AI?
One of the biggest nightmares of m [...]
WIT launches Indie event to champion creators of unique, local experiences
WIT is launching an Indie event aimed at empowering independents and creatives at the long tail of the travel experience. The first edition of WIT Indie will be held in Penang, Malaysia, on April 13, and is supported and sponsored by Penang Institute, one of Malaysia’s leading think tanks.
T [...]
Redeam closes US$7.7M in series A funding to boost paperless ticket processing for tours and activities
Automatic ticket processing company, Redeam, has successfully raised US$7.7M in series A funding, led by Vertical Venture Partners with Thayer Ventures, JetBlue Technology Ventures, Tallwave Capital and Peninsula Ventures in participation.
Redeam develops technology that automates ticket proc [...]
Cruising in Southeast Asia picks up steam with STB-CLIA partnership
Singapore’s ongoing efforts to develop the rapidly growing cruising industry in the city-state, as well as in Southeast Asia, receives a boost with the inking of a new three-year partnership between the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
In anno [...]
FASTBOOKING provides CRM solution through Cendyn collaboration
FASTBOOKING now provides a CRM solution after it inked a collaboration with Cendyn, a CRM and sales platform.
According to FASTBOOKING, “this collaboration will…drive qualified traffic to the hotels’ website”. Hoteliers will be able to capture a holistic view of every guest and thereby im [...]
US$11m richer, and RedDoorz makes first move into leasing and managing its own hotel
In the same week it announced raising a pre-Series B round of US$11m funding, Southeast Asia’s leading online budget hotel booking chain, RedDoorz, also made its move into the brick-and-mortar world by leasing and running its first property in Singapore.
The pre-Series B round comes as an addit [...]
Listen to the sounds of the US: Exploring the country in immersive 3D audio
With so much attention on virtual reality to simulate a realistic experience one may tend to forget the power of sound to do the same. And that’s what Brand USA and Expedia Media Solutions are leveraging to draw travellers to the United States – through immersive 3D audio.
They recently launc [...]
Longhaul low cost the next wave – airlines have to become ecommerce companies that fly
In the last 10 years, longhaul low cost airlines have mushroomed with international seats growing by 900%. Newcomer World Airways, the first longhaul LCC in the US, will be 100% digital and Millennial-focused while Cebu Pacific is trying to think of itself less as an engineering company but more of [...]
We in APAC are most vacation-deprived but guess who takes the lead?
Walking through Resorts World at Sentosa the other day, and spending time in Penang during the Chinese New Year festive period, It is hard to believe there are vacation-deprived folks in Asia. Both places were crowded with families and groups from all over Asia, with Chinese travellers clearly leadi [...]
