The Wrap: Malaysia Airlines pilots Amadeus chatbot for flight bookings
In the news: Partnerships make the world of technology and travel go round, and not a day goes by without some deals made. We highlight a few inked this week that led to the ‘birth’ of (yet) another airline chatbot, the introduction of mobile tickets for sightseeing tours and the presentation of [...]
Bleisure and sharing services growing in popularity among APAC business travellers, reveals research
Business travel is on the rise. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, an estimated US$1.2 trillion was spent on this segment around the world in 2016, nearly one quarter (23%) of total travel & tourism spending. It notes that business travel within Asia is growing at twice the pace [...]
Letter from Shanghai: Ctrip pushes on, global brands and lessons learnt in China and holy places, here we come
Things are at a different scale in China and this fact was hammered home when on my walk to the venue for the 12th TravelDaily Conference & Digital Travel Show (CDTS), I encountered a giant giraffe at the road crossing.
Whatever its purpose is, it served as a great landmark and over my two da [...]
The Wrap: Macao launches international digital campaign in partnership with Culture Trip
In the News: Of partnerships, music, people and achievements featuring Macao, Culture Trip, Travelport, Singapore Tourism Board, Spotify and Sabre
Destination: Macao launches international digital campaign in partnership with Culture Trip
London-based media startup Culture Trip is wor [...]
TripAdvisor unveils the next big thing – the world’s most “personalised and connected” travel community
When Steve Kaufer was last in Singapore this time last year, he spoke to us about his vision for TripAdvisor to offer “the complete package to enable our 400 million users to experience much better vacations”.
“In five years’ time, with the TripAdvisor app, you will book and search in way [...]
Five key lessons from Tern Travel Careers 2018: Building successful careers in travel
At the third annual Tern Travel Careers event, a veritable mix of industry experts, young talents and passionate graduates filled the Novotel Singapore on Stevens ballroom to glean nuggets of advice from those who have trodden the path before them.
With voices from leading travel companies like E [...]
Round two of “Passion Made Possible” pushes envelope with tales of locals who defied the norm to do their thing
Meet Cai Yinzhou whose parents kept asking him to get a fulltime job but all he wanted to do was share his Geylang neighbourhood with travellers. He turned his passion into Geylang Adventures, which takes visitors through the back alleys of Singapore’s red light district. (Watch his video here)
[...]
Hand lettering in the heartland, and why boredom can be a good thing
“I can’t remember the last time I concentrated so long at doing one thing,” said Parin Mehta, director, global experiences, operations, Airbnb, his head bent low as he painstakingly wrote on a piece of paper.
“Ya, me too,” I agreed, my head bent equally low over the task at hand.
Par [...]
Impact of technology on travel: Enriches not dehumanises the travel experience, report says
A friend was in Shanghai recently and took a cab to a restaurant, and on arrival she took out cash to pay for the fare. The driver stared at her, said he didn’t accept cash, that she paid with WeChat Pay, which she didn’t have. To cut a long story short, she somehow managed to get the driver to [...]
The Millennial Traveller: ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ may not solve ‘the diversity problem’ in film, but it sure makes for great destination marketing
Perhaps one of the most highly anticipated films of the summer, Crazy Rich Asians has been a goldmine for the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), which is continuing its efforts to modernise the city state’s image as a destination.
Lynette Pang (Assistant Chief Executive, Marketing Group, Singapore [...]
