Eight lessons for startups from the sci-fi world
I believe every now and then we should venture into uncharted territory, whether that’s in travel or in life in general, and so when I was asked to get involved in the first science fiction conference in Hong Kong, I didn’t hesitate.
Melon, founded by Fritz Demopoulos, serial entrepreneur and c [...]
The Millennial Traveller: Gen-Z, the new millennial?
And so the focus now falls on Gen-Z. The new buzzword du jour. Millennials are so passé, they should have stopped ageing if they wanted to stay relevant.
So what is it that Gen-Z wants? Are their travel tastes so remarkably different to millennials’? Simply put… They want exactly the same th [...]
Letter from Penang: Beyond food to tech, heritage and startups
I have in my Dropbox a food guide to Penang. It saves me time whenever a friend tells me, “Hey I am going to Penang, what shall I eat and where?”
The problem with Penang is the good food is found in places which I don’t even know the name of, just the location – for example, right across [...]
Dara Khosrowshahi on pivotal leadership moments, confluence of 3Ms and being a tortured executive
In a catch-up over local coffee with Yeoh Siew Hoon, Dara Khosrowshahi, president and CEO of Expedia Inc, recalls his early stepping-back-in-leadership moments, and why it’s important to know where you are going, not just what you are doing. Plus, his thoughts on the confluence of the 3Ms and the [...]
The Millennial Traveller: The secrets behind cultivating real talent in hospitality
The second WIT Hospitality conference took place at Hotel ICON this week, one of Hong Kong’s more forward-thinking teaching hotels. The day saw close on 200 delegates attending, ranging from the usual CEO figureheads from major hotel groups to characters from ambitious startups.
Among them too [...]
Letter from Hong Kong: Hard questions posed at WIT Hospitality, the answer lies in commitment to change
The sky was blue. The air was distinctly chilly. Hong Kong put on her best winter frock for us as we kicked off our first WIT event of the year, our conference dedicated to hospitality.
The day prior to the event, we had held a Think Tank gathering of about 20 industry leaders and we were gathere [...]
Letter from Delhi & Shanghai: Meet the two giants shaking up travel & Asia
As I stood at the immigration queue at Delhi airport, just two days after I had departed Shanghai, I was mindful that I had just gone from one mega city to another, two giants that are leading what experts are calling the Asia Decade, or maybe the next two Decades.
In terms of population, both ar [...]
WIT Specials: Airbnb reimagines a new breed of OTA with its venture into Trips
Even as regulations are being placed on alternative accommodation around the world, Airbnb is entering a second travel vertical – tours and activities – with its November 2016 launch of Trips.
And as with the accommodation space, it raises many questions – what kind of impact will it have o [...]
WIT Specials: “Regulations around alternative accommodation overdue”
The big news to hit the newstands in past weeks was of Singapore being the latest city to crackdown on alternative accommodation, leaving a noticeable fissure in Airbnb’s global profile. Singapore follows suit behind New York, Los Angeles, London and Barcelona.
While consumers are up in arms ab [...]
HARDTalk with Stephen Sackur on role of media, the craft of interviews and succession
It was an invitation hard to resist – an opportunity to listen to Stephen Sackur of BBC HARDTalk share his knowledge and experience with the Foreign Correspondents Association of Singapore.
After all, how often does one get a chance to turn the tables on the man who’s grilled politicians, cel [...]
