Spoiler alert. GOT Season 8: No one dies – yet, just like online travel
War chests have been
replenished, battle moves have been made, welcome to travel’s own GOT (Game of
Online Travel) Season 2019
If you are a Game of Thrones fan, you will know the first two episodes have largely been helping us to catch up on the story, and none of the main characters has died [...]
Letter from UAE: Excuse me, have you got my reservation yet? The art of dealing with the last minute
The last time I was in Abu Dhabi four years ago, there was a lot of talk about the development to come that would transform this emirati of 214 islands into a tourism destination – among them, the Saadiyat Cultural District that would comprise the Louvre, Guggenheim and Zayed National Museum.
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Lessons from Aliens on the Galactic Silk Road: Space tourism, creating experiences and dreaming of AI with empathy
Science fiction has always informed the future and it was interesting to hear speakers at Melon, the sci-fi and fantasy conference address themes such as space travel, consumers wanting experiences, versus static content, the rise of China and the role of AI and machine learning to create stories a [...]
WiT Indie 2019: Wind down the window and smell the durian flowers
WiT Indie returned to Penang, Malaysia in March for its second edition, seeing over 150 attendees – made up of tours/ activities travel agents, independents, creatives and hotels – take part. Lydia Yang of Lydiascapes Travel gives us her take on the most significant moments during the event.
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2019 – the bridge to something new. Will it be fat years, winter or a fundamental cultural shift?
In his interview on BBC’s World Book Club last month, Chinese author Chan Koonchung spoke about “the importance of the year ending with a 9”.
“Next year (2019) is an important year because 1949 was the beginning of the People’s Republic so it’s the 70th anniversary and we have other [...]
Defiance by design and the big themes for 2019. Happy new year
After a year of intense travelling, it seems fitting to end my letters with a missive from my home island of Penang. If there’s one place that has been transformed by travel, this is it.
In my lifetime, I’ve seen it go through what I call the three ages of tourism – the first wave, that of [...]
Curious about diversity in 2019? Me too
My first encounter with the author, Ursula K Le Guin, was through “The Left Hand Of Darkness” which I read, growing up in Penang, Malaysia. In a society where one was defined by not only gender but also race, my imagination was fired by her portrayal of a world without gender where one accepted [...]
Reflections of 2018 and Predictions for 2019, Part 2
As we come to the close of 2018, we asked some of our industry peers to give us their take on the year that's passed and to stare into the crystal ball and make predictions about the one ahead. Read on to see what travel trends they find most exciting (and boring), what they predict the biggest gam [...]
Reflections of 2018 and Predictions for 2019, Part 1
As we come to the close of 2018, we asked some of our industry peers to give us their take on the year that's passed and to stare into the crystal ball and make predictions about the one ahead. Read on to see what travel trends they find most exciting (and boring), what they predict the biggest gam [...]
Time for tech giants to grow up as power of platforms coalesces
Never has so much power been in the hands of so few over so many. As such, there’s a need for more governance and for tech giants to take their responsibilities seriously. Yeoh Siew Hoon reports from Explore 18, Las Vegas, where tech giants like Amazon, Uber and Expedia Group were interviewed by [...]
