Time to prune the roses?
Everyone these days appears to be looking for an exit strategy. President Obama is looking to get out of Afghanistan. Lindsay Lohan is trying to get out of drug rehab and a friend’s wife is looking to get out of her relationship.Pictured left: Ian JarrettThis week I read an article that made me fe [...]
TravelRave 2011 ends on a high note
TravelRave, Asia’s mega travel and tourism festival, came to a close on October 23 after a week-long celebration of Asian tourism.In its second year the festival saw the hosting of 10 world-class events, starting with the Singapore Experience Awards, and culminating with the Cornell Hotel Society [...]
Watch out, there’s a stray in the neighbourhood: A story of Groupon and hoteliers
I live in what you might call a curated neighbourhood. It’s one of those integrated residential developments and about the only thing we don’t have is a casino although I am told next year we will be able to walk across a bridge and a park to get to the gaming tables. I can’t wait.It’s built [...]
Postcard from Bali: Riding the social media surf
I had the pleasure of presenting at the inaugural Asia-Pacific TripAdvisor Master Classes in Jakarta and Bali with Alvin Ch'ng, Commercial Director APAC for TripAdvisor, and Siew-Hoon Yeoh, Producer of Web In Travel (WIT).We did two classes per day per location, and along with local hoteliers lik [...]
Professor Sabena’s Guide to the Social Web inhabitants
The Social Web is populated by a number of different Social Web Personality Types. Recently the Professor and his crack team of researchers undertook a worldwide study. Millions of people were assessed as a result. This major new and original research is now available exclusively to WIT. In comment [...]
Social commerce can happen, but do it with respect
Social media is interesting in that it can help suppliers gain more traffic at their own branded site. As most suppliers have an efficient e-commerce engine on their own branded site, positive social media can actually facilitate more transactions.I know this is a big statement, but it's true. Here' [...]
Social web helps Sweetman share Hidden Secrets
In my travels, I am always looking out for entrepreneurs who are trying to do things differently in travel and, in Melbourne, I found such a person.Fiona Sweetman (left) runs Hidden Secrets Tours, a company that takes people on walks through Melbourne’s lanes, arcades and walkways, showing them p [...]
Taking our eyes off the rearview mirror
For those of you at WIT last year, you may remember a guy wearing a strange hat and blabbing on (dreaming on) about something he called ‘Searching without Searching’. Well, that guy was me and I’m a believer in trying to imagine what could be – what would be great – without thinking too m [...]
Japan crisis opened BCD’s eyes to power of social media
At first he was skeptical of social media but now that he’s seen its value during the Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, you can’t keep Greg O’Neil, president of BCD Travel Asia Pacific, from chattering.Chatter is an internal social media tool within Sales Force and O’Neil said [...]
From Las Vegas: Super-connectivity is great but it carries risks
A super-connected world brings with it tremendous opportunities for travel and tourism and along with it, great risks, said Dr Ian Goldin, Director, Oxford Martin College at the opening session of the World Travel & Tourism Council Summit in Las Vegas this morning.Connectivity brings with it c [...]
