TravelAI rescues Casai. Women in the workforce. Jeeves the Snackbot. Hotelbeds of the Caribbean.
Women in the workforce: The Economist crunches the numbers
To mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, The Economist has released its annual glass-ceiling index, its measure of the role and influence of women in the workforce.
The publisher looked at 10 indicators—from labour-force partici [...]
Wayra and HBX Group unveil winning startups to join TravelTech Lab
B2B platform HBX Group and Wayra, Telefónica's Corporate Venture Capital arm, have announced the winners of the second TravelTech Lab challenge. The announcement comes after a rigorous evaluation of 120 companies hailing from 25 countries, including Spain, France, UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Sing [...]
I have a dream: Travelling with dignity and humility
How tech can play a role from armchair travel to the physical journey
I’ve now come to an age when my mother needs a wheelchair for travelling. Day to day, she lives a fairly normal active life but travelling, that’s another proposition.
Travelling is a highly physical activity – those lon [...]
WiT Podcast: Cooking up AI and product love with Booking.com’s Adrienne Enggist
“You've got to make your mistakes differently”, says Enggist
As a student, Adrienne Enggist, Senior Director of Product, Customer Experience and Platforms for Booking.com, had an epiphany, not a hallucination, when she listened to Timothy O’Leary, the late American psychologist and author kno [...]
SITA invests in Indicio to lead in digital identity
SITA has confirmed its strategic investment in Indicio, participating as the lead investor in the company’s Series A funding round.
It did not disclose the amount but said “the investment in Indicio, the global market leader in decentralised identity technology, cements a long-standing partners [...]
Mews secures $110 million investment, focused on propelling cloud tech in hospitality
Hospitality cloud solutions provider, Mews, has announced a fresh funding injection of $110 million. Led by Kinnevik, an existing investor, alongside Revaia, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Notion Capital and newcomer LGVP, this latest round brings Mews' valuation to $1.2 billion.
This funding arrive [...]
Bolder and better funded: Takaya plans global growth path for Reiwa
Former Relux founder takes lessons from India’s startup scene
Fresh from his first trip to India, Takaya Shinozuka, founder of Japanese online travel company, Reiwa Travel, is blown away by the dynamism of the market and the ambition of the travel startup founders he met.
“I spent five days, [...]
Growing regulations, shift towards online and AI driving change in experiences sector
The response by authorities to over-tourism and environmental concerns by either the introduction of fees and limiting tourist numbers are posing a challenge to the experiences industry, said Arival CEO and co-founder Douglas Quinby at the opening of Arival in Berlin this week.
“In some popul [...]
Looking at Q3 2023 travel behaviour to outline upcoming trends in 2024
Richard Kocher, Senior Director, Media Insights & Planning, Expedia Group recently wrote a blog post highlighting a few new budding trends for 2024. Kocher says that by delving into the travel behaviors of Q4 2023, we can glean valuable insights into the upcoming travel landscape. From heightene [...]
How Taylor swiftly earned Singapore half-a-billion dollars
Economy booster: One travel platform saw tour bookings shoot up by 2,373% during concert period.
Phenomenon
Definition:
a: a rare or significant fact or event, b: an exceptional, unusual, or abnormal person, thing, or occurrence
People usually make ‘Best Of’ lists at the end of the y [...]
