Sectors
“Animal spirits” keeping travel alive, Phuket Sandbox making history
22/07/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
LET'S face it, there’s just no killing the human desire to travel. Look at all the conditions around travel these days and all the news about rising infections, and you’d be surprised there are still people travelling – people finding ways to get around the restrictions. It’s amazing to [...]
Travellers support mask-wearing as part of onboard safety, but frustrated with Covid rules and requirements
22/07/2021 by WiT
THE wearing of masks has been a bone of contention in the time of coronavirus, but most air travellers support mask-wearing, believing it is part of onboard safety. However, a majority are frustrated with the “hassle factor” around Covid-19 protocols, including confusion and uncertainty abou [...]
WiT Startup Pitch 2021 is back, with $250,000 worth of AWS credits and support
21/07/2021 by WiT
WiT’s annual Startup Pitch is back, bolstered by the continuing collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud, for the fourth year running. AWS will provide over US$250,000 worth of AWS credits and technical support towards WiT Startu [...]
Phuket Sandbox’s encouraging response paves way for Thailand’s reopening to international tourists
21/07/2021 by WiT
TWO weeks on since the July 1 launch of the Phuket Sandbox – a cocoon of vaccinated foreign tourists – despite a surge of Covid infections on the mainland, the scheme has seen some measure of success, receiving 5,473 arrivals and almost 200,000 room nights booked up until the end of August. [...]
WTTC warns inconsistent global vaccine recognition could impede international travel recovery
19/07/2021 by WiT
THE World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has warned the restart of international travel could be “seriously delayed” without worldwide reciprocal recognition of all approved Covid-19 vaccines. The warning comes amid reports of tourists being blocked at borders because they have the ‘w [...]
Variety is the spice of life and diversity is the oxygen of business
16/07/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
IT is often said that variety is the spice of life and although this pandemic with its restrictions on our movements has significantly restricted our ability to have variety in our lives, it’s certainly reinforced, to me, the belief that diversity is the oxygen of business. Diversity in every [...]
Curiouser and curiouser; The Curious Case of the Missing Peranakan Treasure returns for its second run proving that digital productions really do have legs
15/07/2021 by Tabbi Maitland
NOT new tech but new thinking. In the fourth episode of our Virtual Experience Makers series with GEVME, we speak to actor Hossan Leong and Derrick Chew, executive producer at Sight Lines Entertainment, and go behind the scenes of the making of The Curious Case of the Missing Peranakan Treasure, a [...]
Return to normal of travel unlikely until 2023 or later, say industry insiders
15/07/2021 by WiT
IN a new Centre for Aviation (CAPA) and Collinson Report, sentiment among insiders is muted on the prospects of a travel recovery, but there is still much to be done to prepare for travel’s eventual return. In a survey of C-Suiters, executives and senior managers from the airlines, airports, [...]
AirAsia Group going all in on logistics and digital
15/07/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Tony Fernandes describes his Teleport and cargo business as “diamond in the rough” DESPITE media reports painting a dire situation in Malaysia of record daily infections and continuing lockdown measures, Tony Fernandes, AirAsia Group CEO, projected optimism and a fighting spirit throughout h [...]
IATA calls on states to follow WHO guidance on cross-border travel
15/07/2021 by WiT
THE International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on states to follow new guidance on travel from the World Health Organisation (WHO). The guidance recommends a “risk-based approach” to implementing measures related to Covid-19 and international travel. It will be presented to the WHO [...]