Technology
Reviewing hotel reviews. Australia banks on Hopper. Digital nomads in Europe, more
01/06/2023 by Ian Jarrett
Commbank opens a travel account with Hopper Australia’s CommBank is the latest organisation to hop onboard Hopper to help make it easier for the bank’s customers to book flights, accommodation and car rental – both domestic and international. Hopper ‘s range of travel features will be pa [...]
Atly Secures $18 Million in Funding for Location-Based Discovery and Mapping
03/06/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
The platform combines social media-like knowledge sharing with mapping and location discovery tools to create a more precise search experience. Atly, a user-generated social mapping platform, has announced its official launch along with $18 million in funding from Target Global, Tal Ventures, and F [...]
GetYourGuide nabs $194M for global expansion, more AI development
01/06/2023 by Mitra Sorrells
TOURS and activities online booking platform GetYourGuide has closed $194 million in equity and credit financing and plans to use the funding to expand in key markets and to accelerate product innovation – including extensive work with generative artificial intelligence. The financing comes in [...]
Calling Travel Changemakers who built back better with tech
31/05/2023 by WiT
WiT collaborates with ATTIA to launch new awards WiT (Web in Travel), Asia Pacific’s leading travel tech news and events platform, will launch an awards series, the Travel Changemakers Awards, at its signature conference in Singapore this year. The Awards aim to recognise travel innovators that h [...]
Penang bans homestays after a year of deliberation. Was it the right move?
01/06/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
“Housing areas are for residents. If you are holidaying, go to a hotel.” Last year, Penang’s state government said that it would ban short-term rental homes or homestays in response to complaints by residents of such properties. After a year of will-they-won’t-they, Penang finally announced [...]
Newly launched Northstar Travel Today delivers daily travel scene snapshots to your inbox
22/05/2023 by WiT
“This new initiative is a uniquely Northstar-enabled creation, gathering our voices to paint a picture of the global travel industry.” There’s a lot happening in the travel and hospitality space - markets are shifting, tourism is recovering, key markets are evolving. Technology is fundamental [...]
BritGPT is AI on roids; Unbundling travel insurance; Guinness World Records validates Travelport+
19/05/2023 by Ian Jarrett
Brits put AI on “steroids” The UK government plans to invest £900m in a cutting-edge supercomputer, as part of its new artificial intelligence (AI) strategy – a move will enable the country to build its own “BritGPT”. Adam Harris, founder & CEO of Cloudbeds, which provides techno [...]
China, Experiences, Business Travel: Mastercard Economics Institute Reveals 2023 Travel Trends
17/05/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
AS more brands and institutions release data regarding travel trends for the rest of the year, one defining factor that’s bound to arise is the reentry of China in the travel scene.  Despite shaky economies the world over, people have been flooding to domestic and international destinations in [...]
How the metaverse will transform travel: McKinsey points to $800B industry by 2025
17/05/2023 by WiT
THE metaverse market is experiencing rapid growth and by 2025, is projected to reach a market size of approximately $800 billion, with estimates suggesting it could surpass $1 trillion by 2030, according to the McKinsey report, “Value Creation in Metaverse”. The gaming industry is at the fore [...]
Singapore startup Cinewav brings immersive audio to Vivid Sydney for second year running
16/05/2023 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Visitors to Vivid Sydney, taking place in Sydney from May 26 to June 17, will be able to immerse themselves in a new kind of audio experience, thanks to the world-first, patented technology of Singapore start-up Cinewav. The startup, whose technology synchronises audio between mobile phones and a [...]