WiT Middle East Watch: ME’s next big things, Almosafer launches WhatsApp support, Regus ups the flexible workspaces ante in Egypt
Middle East’s next big things
Car-sharing service Ekar is eyed as next big thing
MENA
(Middle East and North Africa) startups had a robust funding year in 2019 and
several startups have in particular caught the eye of investors as having the
potential to be the region’s next big thing. H [...]
Howie Chang thinks and moves Forward with new school concept in Penang
The notion that schools today are not keeping pace with changes outside, regardless of the industry but in particular the tech industry, is neither ground-breaking nor novel. What is innovative, however, is a school that purports to churn out not just students with a degree or diploma in hand, but [...]
WiT Seoul 2020: “Parasite” win puts spotlight on South Korea’s rising power in art, tech and travel
“The dynamism of Korea is now in travel”
When Bong Joon-Ho walked up the dais to pick up the Oscar for Best Film at the Oscars, you could almost hear the whole of South Korea cheering. The director of “Parasite” made history as the first Foreig [...]
Covid-19: APAC travel takes hit, SEA startups will struggle for funding
No
one doubts the impact of Covid-19 will be felt in every sector, from airlines
to hotels and startups. A report from Velocity Ventures, a VC fund based in
Singapore, for example, anticipates a drop in funding of 25% for startups in
South-east Asia. But all are keeping an eye on when recovery will [...]
Booking.com announces $3.4m in grants to support sustainable accommodation
Applications for the fourth annual Booking Booster program open now. This year's focus is to accelerate the development of sustainable solutions for the global accommodation industry.
Booking.com announced the opening of applications for its 2020 Booking Booster program to support solutions in s [...]
WiT Middle East Watch: Emirates to Penang, Bird buys Circ, Saudi startups get funding boost
News Roundup: Penang gets ME connection; Micromobility could see quick growth in ME with Circ acquisition; Attention please: Saudi-based startups hit investment record high
Penang gets ME connection
Photo by Getty Images
Fans of
Penang rejoice: Emirates has announced plans for a new daily [...]
Anyplace, a startup that helps digital nomads feel at home anywhere, launches in APAC
Anyplace – an online marketplace offering extended stays without long-term commitment
– has recently announced its expansion into APAC, through partnerships with lyf (Singapore) and Outpost (Indonesia, Bali).
Co-founder and CEO, Satoru ‘Steve’ Naito created
Anyplace to address the growi [...]
How a virus can bring travel to its knees, but we needn’t stay down
So what can
I write about the Wuhan coronavirus that hasn’t been written about already? How
many new cases? How many more infections? How many more countries?
What can I
write about it and its worst possible timing? That it happened during Lunar New
Year, the biggest travel season for China, [...]
Letter from Penang: Going batty in Green Acres and getting lost in Garden of Evening Mists
With sustainability such a hot topic these days, you can imagine my excitement when I heard a team of bat researchers from Rimba Research was doing field work at Penang Green Acres the day I was due to visit Eric and Kim Chong at their durian farm last week.
I was
curious as to what research th [...]
Meet Benny: revolutionist, disruptor and the next gen travel agent
Enter Benny, a self-proclaimed revolutionist and disruptor in the hotel and travel agency space on a mission to “break free from the powers of the OTA”. Founded by Sage45 which is made up of a team of hotel experts, Benny is an invite-only community where travellers become agents for independen [...]
