How travel hurts itself: The blessings and the curse of multi-source content
Once upon a time, in the golden age of air travel distribution (let’s say 30 years ago), we the consumers and intermediaries had this magical thing called full content. Airlines — for better or worse — filed all their fares, schedules, and inventory into a GDS. If you were an agent, an OTA, or [...]
Morris Sim on social bubbles, people firewalls and loss of talent | Conversations On Turning 20
When you get to the ripe young age of 20, you’re bound to collect lots of stories – not only about the past but lessons for the future.
As WiT marks its 20th year in 2025, we turn the spotlight on our community, our tribe pioneers and leaders, to tell their stories and share their views on th [...]
“Still human at the core”: Klook’s Sarah Wan on conscious travel, AI content and future of experiences
In an age of algorithmic itineraries and AI influencers, Sarah Wan, General Manager, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, of Klook, reminds us that the future of travel is still deeply, messily human. “At the end of the day,” she said during WiT’s Travel Tech Thursday session in Kuala Lumpur, � [...]
The constant battle: How Booking.com’s security chief fights travel scams at scale
For cybercriminals, the travel industry has become a lucrative new target and it’s not hard to see why. Big money, emotional stakes, digital self-service, and a globally distributed ecosystem of users and suppliers make the perfect storm for fraudsters.
At the centre of the fight is Marnie Wilk [...]
From parking lots to travel: How Reiwa and PKSHA want to write a new AI-led chapter in Japan
When punk rocker-turned-founder of Reiwa Travel Takaya Shinozuka met the team at AI investment fund, PKSHA Technology, sparks didn’t just fly – they lit the fuse for a bold experiment in reimagining Japan’s online travel landscape.
At WiT Japan & North Asia 2025, the entrepreneur, on his [...]
The Tomb A Machine Can’t Find: When the Golden Key Unlocks What Tech Alone Can’t
“Thank you. I found my friend.”
That was the message Sharezal Abdul Wahid received a week after a guest checked out of The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur — accompanied by a photo of the elderly man standing by the grave of a long-lost wartime friend.
No app could’ve found that grave. No A [...]
How Atiom’s Matt Spriegel is fixing a big hospitality blind spot
Tackling a gap where the frontline got left behind
When Matt Spriegel founded Atiom, a tech platform for hospitality staff training and engagement, he wasn’t chasing shiny trends - he was trying to fix a problem no one was really talking about. “The frontline workforce - we call them the Forgot [...]
Code, context, and culture: How Japanese OTAs are wielding AI for the next travel wave
Biggest obstacle is lack of “shared data standards and open infrastructure”, says KabuK’s Sunada
In the bustling intersection of tradition and technology that defines modern Japan, a quiet but profound transformation is underway in the travel space – driven not by hype, but by the pragmatic [...]
Lotte’s Travel+Fintech app. China tops Japan in trends. Technoheaven’s bed bank. HotelBank x TA Network. SEO is out, AI is in
China tops Japan as Singaporeans spend strategically this June
YouTrip’s June Holiday Travel Trends Report reveals that despite economic pressures, Singaporeans are still embracing travelwith more intention and financial strategy. One in four travellers visited multiple destinations during the mo [...]
Expedia’s Shilpa Ranganathan: Not about shiny but simple, intuitive tech
For Shilpa Ranganathan, product leadership isn’t about shiny tech – it’s about trust, empathy, and making travel feel effortless.
Speaking at Phocuswright Europe, the Chief Product Officer of Expedia Group laid out her vision for how AI and human-centred design can radically simplify the comp [...]
