Technology
HeyMax secures US$11M Series A to accelerate product development and regional expansion, led by Peak XV Partners
28/01/2026 by WiT
HeyMax, a loyalty and travel rewards platform headquartered in Singapore, announced it has raised US$11 million in a Series A round led by Peak XV Partners. The round also attracted strategic investor Betatron Venture Group, with continued support from existing backers January Capital and Tenity. [...]
Filip Filipov and his 10 big bets on the future of travel
23/01/2026 by WiT
At WiT Singapore last October, Filip Filipov, COO (now CEO) of OAG, opened his presentation with a provocation and a timer: 80 slides in 900 seconds. The pace mattered. Travel has entered its vertical-line decade, he argued – a period where technology cycles compress, incumbents retool faster than [...]
Kristian Schmidt: From creating meaningful art to bringing them to life through experiences
23/01/2026 by WiT
At WiT Singapore, celebrity photographer Kristian Schmidt spoke about the art of creating meaningful images, how AI will never take away that meaning and now he’s bringing his images to life with a new venture, The Livingstone Club, taking small groups behind-the-scenes of his shoots. Art comes fu [...]
Travellers resonate more with the unknown, study finds
22/01/2026 by WiT
Klook's study of 374,000 reviews finds that lesser-known cities create deeper emotional connection with travellers. Klook, a leading pan-regional experiences platform in Asia Pacific, finds from traveller reviews that people choose different destinations to fulfil different jobs-to-be-done. When [...]
Skyscanner’s Packages. Sabre overhauls Lao Airlines. Agoda and WWF renew deal. Mews secures $300M.
22/01/2026 by WiT
Skyscanner launches package holiday comparison Skyscanner has launched Packages, a new package holiday comparison product that brings flight-plus-hotel deals into its metasearch platform. Initially rolling out in the UK, the product compares offers from ATOL-protected providers including TUI, Jet2, [...]
Me, my avatar and I: Can travel keep it real in an AI-built world?
21/01/2026 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
What happens to travel when so much of what we see online – destinations, experiences, even people – may have been created by AI? That was the question at the heart of the “Me, My Avatar and I” session at TOURISE 2025, which I moderated. How do we keep it real online and manage traveller [...]
Who owns the wallet? Fintech x travel in the Next 20
19/01/2026 by WiT
Trust, data, and embedded journeys – why payments are no longer the end of travel but the start of a relationship. This story is based on a panel at WiT Singapore, “Who Owns The Wallet? Fintech and Travel in The Next 20”. The panellists included Angeline Hon, Vice President, Digital &am [...]
AirBorneo picks Sabre. Agoda and Mastercard rewards. Primer and HitPay team up. Ireckonu adds luxury hotels.
15/01/2026 by WiT
AirBorneo picks Sabre to power its 2026 takeoff Newly launched, Sarawak state-owned carrier AirBorneo has signed a long-term agreement with Sabre to support its network planning, pricing, and revenue strategy from day one. The airline will deploy Sabre’s network planning, revenue optimization, an [...]
Trip.com Group under investigation over alleged monopolistic practices
15/01/2026 by WiT
Trip.com Group Limited, a leading global one-stop travel service provider of accommodation reservation, transportation ticketing, packaged tours, and corporate travel management, announced that it has received a notice of investigation from the State Administration for Market Regulations of the Peop [...]
Golden age for SMEs provided they seize the AI moment
14/01/2026 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
“Without data, SMEs can’t scale. Without SMEs, the ecosystem loses meaning.” By the time the SME-focused panel on “Smarter Tourism: Scaling Strategies For Success” was held on the third and final day of TOURISE in Riyadh, one message had been echoing across the corridors – it is time th [...]