State of travel startups 2022: Investors betting on full recovery
TRAVEL startups, like the rest of the industry, took a heavy hit in 2020, with annual funding dropping 45% to just $4.5 billion in the first year of the pandemic.
In 2021, annual funding to travel startups bounced back impressively – notching $12.5 billion, exceeding the previous high of $8.3 b [...]
Three men and a restaurant payments app called Spades
How a summer holiday in France led to “Scan, Split, Tip, Pay” and expansion beyond Dubai
IT was during a summer holiday in France when Sameer Poonja and his two mates used the Sunday app, the French payments app for restaurants, and a light bulb came on.
The Dubai-based Poonja, who formerly [...]
Study: Two in five travel managers cite technology as top pain point
A new study from GBTA and FCM reveals the latest tech trends and changing role in how travel managers can serve their companies and business travellers.
Business travel and the role of the travel manager changed significantly during the pandemic. As business travel returns, many are que [...]
Are you okay? The mobile app that monitors young travellers when they’re away
Global platform helps families of missing travellers to locate their loved ones
THERE were times when Veronica Hey was solo backpacking around the world that she would have benefitted from having the technology available that is now embedded into her safe-travel app, Ok Away.
The Ok Away Saa [...]
Singapore students win Accor’s Take Off! Challenge with metaverse idea
THREE university students from Singapore and their metaverse idea won Accor Group’s Take Off!
Challenge this year, an annual worldwide student competition designed to attract young talent to the global hotel group.
The winning team, Meta Trio, comprised Phuan Shi Yun, Ng Min Feng and Chia Pe [...]
Airbus A380 recapturing the skies as demand soars
It looks like the Airbus A380 is bouncing back from semi-retirement and is being spruced up to resume its reputation as the passenger-friendly giant of the skies.
British Airways is revamping its entire fleet of A380s, Qantas is returning the superjumbo on routes to Los Angeles and Lon [...]
Velocity Ventures takes stake in big data and predictive analytics startup
SINGAPORE-based travel and hospitality fund, Velocity Ventures, has invested in ZYTLYN, a Switzerland-based startup that uses big data and machine learning to give companies the ability to optimise critical decision-making through predictive insights for travel demand.
Its proprietary prediction [...]
Bookaway Group launches seatOS to bring ground transport online, acquires Sisorg
Determined to accelerate the digitisation of the ground transportation sector, Bookaway Group has launched ‘seatOS’, a Transport Management System developed inhouse for operators of buses, ferries and rail in its core APAC and LATAM markets, with the ultimate aim of making booking ground transpo [...]
Spotnana’s Sarosh vows not to be distracted by new $75m fund raise
20-year corporate travel veteran stays focused on three priorities – hire the right talent, deliver on product, grow customer base
“IT's only the beginning, there’s so much to do,” said Sarosh Waghmar, CEO and founder of Spotnana, laughing and shaking his head, when I congratulated him on [...]
VIDEO: Atlas wants to help travelers discover the world – affordably
Travel serves as a mechanism to bring the world together. At its most basic, it gets someone from point A to point B, without any bells and whistles.
A simple air ticket – minus upsells or add-ons – is also often the cheapest, but for consumers, an affordable fare can be difficult to find.
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