Indonesia’s online potential huge but education is necessary and critical
Holding a Web In Travel in a new country is as much about us learning as it is about us bringing information, knowledge and ideas to the market. And so it was with WIT Indonesia.In my time covering travel in Asia, I’ve always felt Indonesia was the most undiscovered, unexplored, untapped destinati [...]
Getting into the Jakarta state of mind
I am writing this at a petrol station in the centre of Jakarta, in a darkened Golden Bird car. My driver (left) had asked me if it was okay for him to stop off at a surau so he can do his evening prayers.I said, “Yes.” What’s another 10 minutes when I’ve been in the vehicle for two hours alr [...]
And now the happy news – new search for happiness will lead to more travel
I suppose it was fitting that I should be reading “Vacation Rules: A Guide To Travel Happiness” on the flight to Berlin.This was the city after all where unhappy people sought to bring down a wall that divided a nation. And so the cry of “Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall” in 1989 reshap [...]
A blend of East and West at AIME, and a few ideas to change your thinking
Walking around AIME (Asia Pacific Incentive & Meetings Expo) in Melbourne this week and a few trends are evident.One, the Asian quotient of the show is growing not just in terms of Asian exhibitors wanting to sell to Australian buyers but Asian buyers looking to buy not just Australian content [...]
Psy and Penang and what they have in common
Try as I have, I can’t seem to get away from Psy.So there I was on my home island to usher in the snake year with my family and along comes the news that the Gangnam phenomenon had been hired to perform at the Prime Minister’s Chinese New Year gathering in Penang.For those who are unaware, Penan [...]
No, I am not getting rid of my BB and here’s why – WITX set for Bangkok, April 26
Everytime my friends see my Blackberry, they say, “It’s time to ditch that.” That’s even before it got scratched and dented and now has bits falling off – actually bits have fallen off but hey, it still works.One friend even took a photo of it because he couldn’t believe how anything cou [...]
Killing time in Kuching: New players changing the hotel scene
A few years ago when you visited Kuching, Sarawak, you didn’t have much choice as to where to stay.There were the international chain hotels – Holiday Inn or Hilton and now the Pullman and Four Points – and a few local hotels, and not much of anything else that was interesting or with the kind [...]
The Internet, a retailer’s best friend, if you know how to use it
Just completed the book “The Little Bookstore at Big Stone Gap”and I think it should be compulsory reading for every retailer – whether you’re selling travel, books, music or anything that’s been commoditized by the Internet.Billed as “a memoir of friendship, community and the uncommon [...]
A story about paper and chickens – there is a point
I was reading an article the other day about development work being done on a tablet that looks and feels like paper, and I couldn’t help but think, isn’t it interesting – the more advanced we get, the more we yearn for simple, or the way it used to be.We spent most of the last decade trying t [...]
Braemar: The House That Rocked
From the moment I stepped in the door, I felt at home. From below stairs, I could hear the strains of “Jive Talking” and a woman’s voice attempting to sing in unison. I sing a lot at home too albeit not to Bee Gees – I am not that brave.The smells of the house reminded me of my friend’s fl [...]
