Letter from New York: Sleep tourism’s the next big thing
From Booking.com’s “Reboot Retreaters” prediction to sleep suites in hotels, travellers are yearning for a good snooze
I suppose it is ironic that I am writing about sleep in a city that doesn’t sleep but travelling to New York on that epic 18-hour flight from Singapore has a tendency to se [...]
WiT Podcast: Expedia’s Paredes on how to build successful partnerships
On the first episode of Expedia Talks, a special series powered by Expedia Group, we speak with Alfonso Paredes (SVP, Commercial Partnerships, Expedia Group) about finding synergy in a competitive travel market, looking for common goals among collaborators, and how tech is helping build bridges inst [...]
Murray River Paddlesteamers enhances operations through partnership with Tour Amigo
Murray River Paddlesteamers, a key player in regional (Victoria, Australia) river cruises, has teamed up with Tour Amigo to enhance operational efficiency and customer service.
Murray River Paddlesteamers made the decision to transition to a new technology partner because their existing system, whi [...]
Bansko attracts nomads. Tackling ticket scammers. MATTA’s tiger tokens. More.
This week: Small Bulgarian town has become a magnet for digital nomads, sports ticket seller is kicking goals for travel professionals, e-wallets are opening across Malaysia and Airbnb cops a big fine in Italy.
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Move over, Bali: Bansko is where the nomads [...]
The possibilities & responsibilities of travel in the age of AI and tech
Report From the Global Travel Tech Thinktank at WiT Singapore 2023
The first Global Travel Tech Thinktank, held by WiT, Phocuswright and Phocuswire, in 2022, covered the theme of “How To Future Proof Travel: Resilience, Responsibility, Respect”.
A direct outcome of that Thinktank was the lau [...]
PADI and Klook form partnership, give out scuba diving certifications worldwide
PADI, a purpose-driven organisation with a global presence spanning 6,600 dive centers and resorts, and Klook, the sole Online Travel Agency (OTA) in Asia Pacific partnering with PADI, have joined forces to simplify and streamline the process of becoming a certified PADI Scuba Diver. This collaborat [...]
Microsoft and Tripadvisor on what OpenAI’s DevDay product announcements mean for travel
OpenAI has generated quite a bit of buzz this week since announcing several updates and new tools at its first developer conference on Monday.
OpenAI DevDay brought news of GPTs – customized versions of ChatGPT that anyone can create and keep private or share publicly in a soon-to-launch “GPT [...]
Korean air market entering Season 3 of K-drama moments
One step closer to Korean Air-Asiana merger, Korean Air to launch NDC in 2024, new airlines Air Premia and T’way jostle for supremacy, Lufthansa and KLM Air France push on with NDC, agents anticipating disruption in distribution in traditional market
It felt like something out of a K-drama. Afte [...]
Welcome to the “Squid Game” of Korean travel startup world
K Travel Tech Summit puts spotlight on role models and aspiring stars
If there was one key message from the first K Travel Tech Summit, held in conjunction with WiT Seoul, and organized by the Korea Tourism Organisation, it is that Korean travel startups are more than ready to take on the world.
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The heart work of socialising travel’s green revolution
“Incentivising the traveller is one thing, and then there’s really immersing the traveller in sustainability – without making them feel like it's homework. Because no one wants to do homework on holidays.”
The push for more sustainable travel has become an accepted option-of-choice for disc [...]
