Sectors
To API or not? Travel agents face dilemma as cruising distribution undergoes shift
21/12/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
New players like Klook, Lazada swooping into vacuum created by pandemic – sales went from zero to “couple of million dollars” HARRY Sommer, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, told a good story during last week’s CruiseWorld Asia. He spoke of how he started a travel agency right [...]
The Year In Review And Looking Forward to 2022: In a Playlist
21/12/2021 by WiT
THIS contribution to our year in review and 2022 outlook series comes from Stephan Ekbergh, CEO, Travelstart whose answers came to him in songs and so, here's his playlist for your listening pleasure. Enjoy (definitely a word to embrace in 2022). Stephan Ekbergh, CEO, Travelstart Q: Looki [...]
The Year In Review And Looking Forward to 2022, Part 4
21/12/2021 by WiT
ACCELERATE, unity, hope – among words being used to describe 2022 in this list of contributions from our community – Part 4 of looking back at 2021 (oh, what a year) and forward to 2022 (please, let it be good). And, again from the answers in this batch, there's cautious optimism for the year a [...]
The Year in Review and Looking Forward to 2022, Part 3
20/12/2021 by WiT
CONTINUING our series of contributions from our community – Part 3 of looking back at 2021 (oh, what a year) and forward to 2022 (please, let it be good). And, again from the answers in this batch, there's cautious optimism for the year ahead, even as the Omricon variant continues to spread alarm [...]
Yanolja Cloud acquires Dable to beef up AI and big data in hotel solutions
16/12/2021 by WiT
CONTINUING with its ambition to be “number one travel company in the world” and to grow Yanolja from unicorn to decacorn, Yanolja Cloud has acquired South Korea-based ad tech company Dable to strengthen its AI technology in the global market. Dable, started in 2015 in Seoul by four entrepren [...]
The Year In Review and Looking Forward to 2022, Part 2
15/12/2021 by WiT
OKAY we hit another bump on the road to a fragile recovery but that’s no reason to despair. If there’s one thing this pandemic has taught us, it’s not to take anything for granted but to take each punch as it lands and get up again. So here’s Part 2 of looking back at 2021 (oh, what a year) [...]
Digital acceleration, travel, savings and spending are among factors shaping global economy in 2022
15/12/2021 by WiT
THE Covid pandemic has disrupted global economies in 2021, and continuing to do so with the recent emergence of the Omicron variant that is now found in 63 countries, as per the World Health Organisation (WHO). Will 2022 then be the year for recovery? A question the Mastercard Economics Institut [...]
Cruising to nowhere getting somewhere, as domestic cruises resume in Malaysia Dec 22
15/12/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Cross-border cruising on table, Singapore-Penang-Phuket itinerary being planned IT is ironic that even though air travel in Asia is going nowhere, the only sector that seems to be going somewhere even though it is mostly to nowhere, is cruising. On December 22, domestic cruises from Penang, [...]
Pandemic boom in fitness gives RunGo wings to fly
15/12/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
WiT Startup Pitch 2021 finalist RunGo, described as the “#1 running app for discovering the best routes in the world”, is hoping to tap into the pandemic-induced craze of running, walking and general wellness and fitness trends to fuel the next lap in its startup journey. Noah Bloom was [...]
How TMCs are facing pandemic’s challenges and strategising for growth
15/12/2021 by WiT
TRAVEL Management Companies (TMCs) are reinventing themselves and strategising to not only recover, but also to rebuild and grow in a new world of business travel. In its latest e-book, “Rebuilding Business Travel”, Amadeus highlights the challenges facing TMCs, the new opportunities emergin [...]