Technology
Sold out! How Singapore won the music tourism lottery
21/07/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
The city-state went all out and supplied to a surging demand, reaping the rewards of a regional gap in the market. According to Dictionary.com, the word “flex”, when used as slang, means to boast or brag; show off. Cambridge Dictionary, on the other hand, describes it as “to show that you are [...]
eDreams shames airlines. AI trips gain traction. Euro’s sizzling startup cities.
20/07/2023 by Ian Jarrett
And Europe’s top city for start-ups is… The numbers have been crunched…London leads the latest annual ranking of Europe’s biggest start-up hubs. EU-Startups has been tracking the top cities linked to this year’s visits on EU-Startups.com – and the associated number of unique visitors [...]
Finding the new: Travel pros are shifting marketing strategies and redefining experiences
19/07/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
Insights on the changing landscape of destination marketing and the power of personalized experiences In the wake of the pandemic, destinations worldwide were forced to pivot their marketing strategies and find innovative ways to attract local customers. As travel resumes and borders reopen, the fo [...]
Breaking the illusion: Apple Vision Pro can’t replicate “real” experiences
18/07/2023 by Timothy O'Neil-Dunne
"There is a lot of effort and money going into trying to make synthetic experiences as real as possible." At the WIT Japan and North Asia, Siew Hoon (Founder, WiT) posed a question. She asked “Apple Vision Pro – the beginning of spatial computing. This will be massive for travel inspiration [...]
China allows credit cards. New EU visa rules. Cloud-based airports.
14/07/2023 by Ian Jarrett
SITA’s technology unites India’s airports under the cloud Travel technology provider SITA has secured a landmark deal with Airports Authority of India to provide technology to 43 of India’s biggest airports. “The deal will see improvements to over 2,700 passenger touchpoints, paving the [...]
What “Dominating the Skies” entails for Teleport, owners of a new black freighter
13/07/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
The Airbus 321 freighter (A321F), named Awan, turns Teleport into full-fledged air logistics provider. When I got the invitation to attend the unveiling of Teleport’s first A321F aircraft, I didn’t know what to expect. I remember being at the launch of Malaysia Airlines’ first Airbus A380 whe [...]
Uncovering future opportunities in red ocean and soft power of Japan
13/07/2023 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
From digital collaboration to new desires of travellers, travel brands seize new growth in Japan The first thing you notice when you land at Haneda airport is how busy it is – from immigration to customs to the taxi rank – despite it being almost 10pm. I think I waited almost an hour for a tax [...]
Sojern expands its travel marketing platform with the acquisition of VenueLytics
11/07/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
Travel marketing platform, Sojern, has announced its acquisition of VenueLytics, a guest experience platform for the hospitality industry. The addition of VenueLytics' technology allows Sojern to offer an end-to-end marketing platform that engages travelers throughout their journey. Sojern has es [...]
Opinion: Why North Asia will lead the way in travel digitisation
11/07/2023 by Timothy O'Neil-Dunne
“Trust is the bedrock of collaboration” In my recent visit to North Asia, specifically Japan and South Korea, I have been impressed by two characteristics – first, how polite and understanding particularly to tourists the local population is and second, a strong willingness to work towards a [...]
The story behind MGM Resorts’ ambitious $10b integrated resort in Japan
11/07/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
Jiro Kawakami: “Most people think Las Vegas is a big gaming market but it’s only $8b in annual gaming revenues. Japan’s market is huge.” It’s been a long time coming but this April, after years and years of waiting, MGM Resorts International received the green light to develop a resort in [...]