Booking.com’s playbook for Oceania and Korea includes AI, authenticity, and regulatory collaboration
Todd Lacey, Booking.com’s Regional Manager for Oceania and Korea, is in charge of markets that fall all across the spectrum of travel maturity and demand. But Lacey’s focus isn’t on what separates these regions, it’s what unites them. "Travellers are really looking for that sort of unique ex [...]
The shortcut that wasn’t worth it: What Trip.com’s $765 million fine teaches travel
Last week, China's market regulator, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), fined Trip.com Group $765 million USD for antitrust violations — one of the highest penalties, as a percentage of revenue, ever imposed on a platform-economy company in China. SAMR's findings: Trip.com had [...]
How Nikhil Ravishankar is navigating Air New Zealand’s perfect storm
Air New Zealand’s CEO, Nikhil Ravishankar, knows he’s in the hot seat. And Roger Sharp, chairman of Technology Queenstown, called it plainly when beginning their coffee chat that opened WiT Queenstown.
“You’ve taken over New Zealand’s perfect storm,” Sharp said. “Engine issues, high [...]
Spotnana’s multi-agent AI. OTAs’ growth story. Mindtrip tackles AI answers.
Spotnana brings multi-agent AI to travel servicing
Spotnana has launched a multi-agent AI architecture on its travel platform, pairing specialized AI agents with its APIs to automate deterministic workflows, and is rolling out an open, customizable system that partners can build on; the initial rel [...]
Agoda CPO Ittai Chorev on the push into real-time travel updates and AI search
Agoda recently announced a batch of new features aimed at giving travellers more confidence when planning and managing their trips. The updates include real-time flight tracking, a redesigned hotel browsing experience, and AI tools built to help users pick the right property faster.
Travellers bo [...]
SMEs and the golden AI moment: Lessons on how to seize it
How ready are SMEs to seize the AI moment? That was the question asked at WiT Indie, and moderator Sarah Wan of Klook kicked off the session by asking her panellists to rate their AI-readiness on a scale of 1 to 10.
Vikram Malhi, CEO and founder of ZUZU Hospitality, a revenue management platform [...]
Two deals, one vision: Omio’s CFO on building the world’s ground distribution backbone
In an exclusive interview with WiT – his first since the announcements – Omio Group CFO Jean-Bernard Moens explains why a $10 million Asia-Pacific investment and the proposed acquisition of Rail Europe landed in the same week, and how they both lead to the same destination.
Two announcement [...]
Australia’s digital arrival system. FAA bets on AI. Gen Z loyalty. DerbySoft x Travelodge.
Australia to phase out paper arrival cards by 2027
Australia is rolling out a nationwide digital arrival system, expanding on a Qantas app trial (running since October 2024 for flights into Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, with Perth and Adelaide added by end of 2026) into a universal web-based Aust [...]
From bin centre to boardroom: Rayner Loi’s ten-year war on food waste
Lumitics acquired by Winnow to strengthen APAC’s foothold
Ten years ago, Rayner Loi stood in a hotel bin centre in Singapore, staring at 20 to 30 green 120-litre bins waiting for the waste collector. It was his first time in a hotel’s back-of-house. He had no hospitality, no culinary experience [...]
Winnow acquires leading food waste technology player Lumitics, grows APAC footprint
Winnow, the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered food waste measurement company, has announced the acquisition of Lumitics, one of Asia-Pacific’s leading food waste technology companies with deployments across more than 20 countries in the region and Middle East.
The acquisition brings t [...]
