Reflections on 2016 and Predictions for 2017 (Part I)
It’s that time of the year when we ask industry leaders for their thoughts on what happened in 2016 and what they forsee will happen in the new year. Here’s Part 1.
Steve Hafner, CEO & Co-founder, KAYAK
Top 3 Things That Happened and That Mattered in 2016
1. Rise of AI. [...]
How dragons became sharks, and lessons on overcoming fear and rejection from Robert Herjavec
The first thing I learnt from listening to Robert Herjavec of “Shark Tank” fame is that dragons don’t exist in America, or at least they don’t believe in them as we do in Asia.
Speaking at the Expedia Partners Conference in Las Vegas held earlier this month, Herjavec, one of the sharks in [...]
The present and future of online travel: Thoughts after WIT and Phocuswright
Kei Shibata, CEO of Venture Republic and co-founder of WIT Japan & North Asia, shares his observations on trends in the online travel space and how they might play out in 2017.
Now that the WIT (Web In Travel) conference (Singapore) that's well known in Japan and the world's largest on [...]
Why voice will be big and Barry Diller on Netflix, Tesla and Trump
Voice is the next technology frontier and companies who do not plough resources into it now will be in danger of being disintermediated and disrupted, said Barry Diller, chairman of IAC/InterActive Corp and Expedia Inc, at the Expedia Partners Conference in Las Vegas last week.
Speaking to CE [...]
The Wrap: CatchThatBus adds home delivery feature to its mobile app
The weekly news roundup: Home delivery of tickets by CatchThatBus, TripAdvisor’s year-end value report, Skyscanners’ list of emerging destinations for 2017
STARTUPS: CatchThatBus adds home delivery feature to its mobile app
Customers of Malaysia-based startup CatchThatBus now do not [...]
From food delivery to helping hosts, Limpert eyes global play for GuestReady
During his stint as managing director of Food Panda for Taiwan and Philippines, based in Taipei last year, Alexander Limpert became an Airbnb host. That was when he realised that being a host for the sharing accommodation site wasn’t that easy, there were many things to handle.
“I saw an [...]
Getting real and more human is the only way we can beat the machines, AI included
I was at the Accor Hotels Showcase last week. This is an annual roadshow put together by the fastest-growing hotel company in Asia Pacific to showcase their range of hotels across the region.
It’s an event that’s been going for 13 years (formerly named World of Accor) and Singapore was the fi [...]
The Wrap: Air Black Box has two new investors – ANA and Cebu Pacific
The weekly news roundup: Two new investors for Air Black Box, Chinese airports’ investments in technology for improved experience, destinations made almost famous through film tourism
STARTUPS: Air Black Box has two new investors - ANA and Cebu Pacific
Air Black Box (ABB), a dedicated [...]
Technology, travel and Trump – key takeaways from Phocuswright
Call it a funnel or a sieve or whatever, let’s face it, things are changing in online travel, lines are blurring even faster than you can say “revolution” and everyone, it seems, wants to be all things to all people.
Has specialisation died at the altar of growth – imagine, Airbnb getting [...]
Three key pillars of any startup from Air Black Box’s Timothy O’Neil-Dunne
Timothy O’Neil-Dunne is no young chook in travel. His career history includes being part of the founding team at Expedia, head of technology at Worldspan, co-founder of VaultPAD Ventures, and a managing partner at T2Impact. Needless to say, he’s built an impressive CV over the years.
Neverthe [...]
