The Wrap: Narita is world’s first AI airport with launch of chatbot guide Bebot
In The News: Narita Airport to have an AI chat guide; Best Western launches SureStay Down Under; Hong Kong Airlines uses big data for expansion
AIRPORTS: Narita is world's first AI airport with launch of chatbot guide Bebot
Travellers arriving in Japan’s Narita International Airport fr [...]
Amadeus Ventures invests in global mapping tech provider AVUXI
Visiting a new destination and don’t have a local to show you the interesting sites or the places to hang out for a drink or a meal? Enter AVUXI, the startup that "ranks the popularity of every place on earth” so you can choose which to visit while making your travel arrangements.
The London [...]
Introducing SITA’s Kate, Leo the Baggage Robot’s Self-Check In Sister
Inching ever closer to creating frictionless travel, communications and IT solutions provider SITA was present at the Future Travel Experience Asia 2017 (FTE) to exhibit their latest engineering developments in airport technology.
Last year, SITA introduced ‘Leo’, an autonomous, self-propelle [...]
Cebu Pacific’s Szucs on how social and mobile rule in the Philippines’ fast growing travel market
Airline veteran Michael Szucs confesses a love for working in emerging markets.
“Emerging markets open more opportunities,” he said at the WIT 2017 Conference in October, and clearly they feed his “pioneering spirit” which, after an early career at British Airways, has led him to stints a [...]
Phocuswright launches news platform, PhocusWire
Phocuswright, the travel industry research firm, has launched PhocusWire, an integrated news platform.
PhocusWire delivers daily news, interviews, analysis and opinion covering digital travel commerce, technology, distribution and startups globally.
The free PhocusWire newsletter offers subs [...]
Ctrip buys travel planning startup Trip.com
Chinese travel giant Ctrip, the parent company of Skyscanner, has acquired Trip.com, the Silicon Valley-based travel planning and local discovery app and site.
The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Founded in 2010 in Menlo Park, California, Trip.com was formerly called Gogobot [...]
Letter from Cempedak: Seven secrets to landing among the stars
It was exactly a year ago that I visited the private island of Cempedak in the Riau Archipelago of Indonesia and saw it in the making of stage. Piles of bamboo were strewn all over the white sand but there was a definite shape of a resort that resembled a sail unfurling out of the waters.
The isl [...]
The Wrap: WorldKoins lets AirAsia guests convert leftover currency into credits for shopping or good cause
In The News: WorldKoins partners with AirAsia in conversion of leftover currency; movable kiosks for fast check-in at Hong Kong airport; Maxim’s Travel's new branded mobile app
STARTUPS: WorldKoins lets AirAsia guests convert leftover currency into credits for shopping or good cause
Co [...]
Duetto introduces new level of personalisation to booking process
Duetto has launched a new personalisation tool PlayMaker, claiming it now brings “true personalisation” to the booking process for hospitality companies.
“The lack of real personalisation in hospitality, despite all the data hotels and casinos have at hand, is a challenge as old as revenue [...]
WIT 2017 Conference: Self-driving cars are closer than we think, says CarTrawler’s Bobby Healy
In 2050, your self-driving car could go to the drive-through and pick up your coffee as you are just getting out of bed. It could then drive you to the office as you work in the car. You will get an accurate arrival time — because there will not be unpredictable driving with autonomous cars on the [...]
