Running an event in a pandemic – worse than bungy jumping but it gets you thinking about the future of meetings
I’ve done many things in my life – bungy jumped, tandem skydived, climbed Mount Kinabalu, trekked many trails, ran into armed gunmen in Thailand, rolled down a jeep in Namibia, contended with a scorpion sting in the middle of the night in Bostwana – but I’ve never ever run an event in the m [...]
Trip.com chairman James Liang: How mobile apps could help to contain epidemics
James Liang, chairman of Trip.com Group, both an economist and entrepreneur, shares his thoughts on current events, their effects on the travel industry, and how technology can help alleviate some of these issues, specifically an app that acts like an “electronic passport” with a Health Code. ( [...]
Don’t drop rates, call to hoteliers as occupancy plummets amid the pandemic
A report by the Malaysian Association of Hotels states that over 157,000 rooms in Malaysia were cancelled as of February 17, resulting in an estimated RM66 million (US$15 million) loss in revenue following the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.
Now the picture is even more dismal with the implemen [...]
The WiT Podcast: Unity In Crisis – Episode 4: Fritz Demopoulos, CEO, Queen’s Road Capital/Co-founder, Qunar
Each week, the crisis
broadens and deepens, with entire countries now on lockdown, from South-east
Asia to Europe, US, Africa and Australia. Travel is indeed facing its biggest
test with Covid-19, as it grounds to a virtual halt around the world.
But China is slowly emerging from lockdown as peo [...]
European Tour Operators Association CEO pronounces: “It’s a bloodbath in the jungle”
There is no way to sugar-coat a situation so dire.
During a recent online panel organised by Arival with four key European figures in the tour operator business on the panel, Tom Jenkins, CEO of the European Tour Operators Association said, “Everyone’s being very sweet and nice, but this is [...]
WiT Community Blog: Josh Porter, guest relations manager, Cempedak Private Island
With Planet Earth in lockdown, our industry at a standstill and many of us in self-isolation or quarantine at home, or grounded, this is our blog for you – it’s a way to share stories within our community, to form solidarity and foster a sense of belonging.
Short essays on what we are eac [...]
WiT Community Blog: Chananya Phataraprasit, executive director, Asian Oasis, Araksa
With Planet Earth in lockdown, our industry at a standstill and many of us in self-isolation or quarantine at home, or grounded, we thought we needed to find a way to share stories within our community, to form solidarity and foster a sense of belonging.
Short essays on what we are each doing, [...]
WiT Community Blog: Morris Sim, entrepreneur, traveller
With Planet Earth in lockdown, our industry at a standstill and many of us in self-isolation or quarantine at home, or grounded, we thought we needed to find a way to share stories within our community, to form solidarity and foster a sense of belonging.
Short essays on what we are each doi [...]
Jane Sun on how Trip.com weathered the mother of all disruptions and her plans to lead recovery
With cities across China trying to get back to normal, some tourist attractions reopening and some travel restrictions being loosened, there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, as far as China's domestic travel market is concerned. Companies are also getting back to work, and if there i [...]
It’s the courage to continue that counts
What a difference a week makes. Stephen Joyce, CEO of Rezgo, who visited Kuching, Sarawak, before turning up at WiT Indie, Penang, talks about how life changed in seven days, and what businesses like his will have to do to survive the storm. “We have been thrown on to a raft, adrift in an unforgi [...]
