Top of the WiT 25: Indie travel returns, new booking trends, and the joys of working with AI
Top Of The WiT is a grab of the trendiest news in travel, tech and Asia - all condensed into a nugget-sized podcast.
In this episode, we're joined by optimists, experimentalists, and innovators Dawn Jeremiah (GoCity), Chan Chee Chong (GlobalTix), and Jason Chan (Cinewav) to discuss the return [...]
18 startups to compete in GSP Semi-Finals on August 24
The Semi-Finals of the Global Startup Pitch, organised by WiT and Phocuswright, will be held on August 24 with a total of 18 startups vying for the title of Global Startup of the Year. The virtual event will run from 7:30pm to 10:40pm Singapore time on August 24.
A new “Wildcard 2” category h [...]
Korean colour analysis. Uber eyes tours market. Amadeus pairs with Meituan.
Amadeus and Meituan partner to enhance hotel access for Chinese travellers
Amadeus has forged a partnership with Meituan, a tech-driven retail platform, enabling hoteliers using iHotelier Channel Management to directly connect and share their availability, rates, and inventory. Meituan, favored amo [...]
eDreams shames airlines. AI trips gain traction. Euro’s sizzling startup cities.
And Europe’s top city for start-ups is…
The numbers have been crunched…London leads the latest annual ranking of Europe’s biggest start-up hubs.
EU-Startups has been tracking the top cities linked to this year’s visits on EU-Startups.com – and the associated number of unique visitors [...]
Latin America’s superapp Rappi sticks to its bet on travel
Travel and loyalty are good for stickiness: Guido Becher
It’s interesting to note that while some superapps in Asia such as Grab and Gojek have pulled back from travel, Latin America’s Rappi remains committed to the travel vertical despite the challenging pandemic years.
In fact, Rappi cou [...]
Blogxiety is real. NFTs keep Bali’s culture. Traxo tracks NDC, more.
NFTs help to preserve Bali’s culture and artisans
Craftsmen in Bali are among 11 artisans from Indonesia who are helping to protect the country's heritage and culture by placing their work on Web3, a web feature that includes blockchain technology.
A BBC report reveals the artisans have joi [...]
Trials & Tribulations of Nigeria: Not for the faint-hearted but vast potential
Travelstart builds new tech to fuel new dreams on back of recovery
You couldn’t pick a more challenging market than Nigeria to build an online travel business – poor economy for starters, 1.6% credit card penetration for another, currency issues etc, etc, – but therein lies the opportunity [...]
utu tackles tax-free shopping with US$33 million deal, acquires fintech startup CardsPal
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the travel industry is projected to reach US$9.5 trillion in 2023, representing 95% of the pre-pandemic peak in 2019. Despite this rebound, McKinsey reports that only about 1% of venture funding over the past 15 years has been allocated to the trave [...]
Building Meili and Manna: How Bobby Healy wants to end “fiasco of car hire brokering” and change the world of delivery
The one thing you can count on when you speak to Bobby Healy is, he’s a straight shooter. When you ask him why he founded Meili Travel Technology, his new car rental business in direct competition with CarTrawler, the company he helped build over 15 years, his answer, “It was the right thing to [...]
Technekai Global Hospitality Tech Fund sets up in Asia
“Y Combinator of Hospitality” plans $100m fund
Technekai, a global hospitality tech fund based out of Silicon Valley, has set up office in Singapore and is looking to raise $100 million of funding to invest in and accelerate hospitality tech startups in Asia Pacific.
Heading the Technekai [...]
