How Almosafer’s omni-channel strategy helped it ride out Covid-19
Ronnie Varghese, head of digital for Almosafer, the flagship consumer travel brand of Saudi Arabia’s Seera Group, is the first to admit his initial scepticism when the company announced it wanted to actively pursue an omni-channel strategy in 2019.
Almosafer had started as a social media [...]
STB and Airbnb Experiences partner to bring virtual tourism to global travellers
Following on the heels of its two-year global marketing partnership with Expedia last week, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has formed yet another pact - with Airbnb Experiences to offer a variety of virtual tours to global audiences in “the new international tourism climate”
The two partn [...]
Sabre, Google to develop AI-tech platform to power personalised travel
Sabre and Google have teamed up to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technology platform to propel the personalisation of travel.
Known as Sabre Travel AI , it uses Google’s
AI technology and machine-learning capabilities to
deliver relevant and personalised content to meet [...]
Accor reports “marked recovery of business in the summer” but substantial damage in main markets due to Covid measures
Accor’s
third quarter results registered a drop of 68.7% to €329 million due to
the effects of the health crisis, but the hotel group feels the “worst of the
crisis is now behind us”.
"Our performances during the third quarter point to a marked
recovery of business during the summer sea [...]
Globalisation and OTA power, two sacred cows killed by Covid
Scoot’s Wilson on distribution: “Use the opportunity to recalibrate and build back better” while Pan Pacific's Choe says, “The Netflix culture is coming”
Globalisation and OTA power are the two sacred cows that have been killed by Covid, as far as Campbell Wilson, CEO of Scoot, and Cho [...]
RedDoorz expands accommodation offerings with launch of a new brand – SANS
Singapore-based budget-hotel booking startup RedDoorz has added a new brand to its portfolio, SANS, as part of the company's strategy to grow into the “largest new-age hospitality company in South-east Asia”.
Described as “a trendy, economy lifestyle hotel brand” SANS, derived from the I [...]
The WiT Podcast – Episode 24: Timothy Hughes, Vice President, Corporate Development, Agoda
Even for introverts this year has been particularly hard in terms of being cut off from people, but for extroverts like Agoda’s Timothy Hughes it’s been especially challenging. But he’s been taking it in stride like everyone else, saying he’s been the best informed he’s ever been through [...]
The Wrap: Singapore Tourism Board and Expedia collaborate to expedite tourism recovery, Malaysia’s Firefly to launch jet operations from Penang beginning 2021, and more …
The
Wrap is a round-up of news in the travel and technology industries, and to keep
track of developments in these sectors as businesses adapt and reset to meet challenges
in the era of coronavirus.
Singapore Tourism Board, Expedia in joint pact to spur tourism recovery at home and in overseas m [...]
Handling baggage post-Covid: Automated, contactless, mobile
In an era where human touch is not welcomed, baggage handling and retrieval are going the same way too, as discussed in SITA webinar on baggage solutions for the aviation industry in a post-Covid environment.
In his opening remarks Peter Drummond, portfolio director baggage, SITA, stated it has [...]
Climbing Hybrid Mountain: Lessons learnt from staging WiT Experience Week
Just before Year 2000 kicked in I had the crazy idea that I wanted to mark the decade’s end on top of South-east Asia’s highest mountain, Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, East Malaysia. I called my best friend, living in Hong Kong at the time, and proposed the idea. Even crazier than I am, she said yes [...]
