Opinion
Top of the WiT 24: Ready for China, understanding India, and Google ARCore digitises Singapore
14/05/2023 by WiT
Top Of The WiT is a grab of the trendiest news that happened this week in travel, tech and Asia - all condensed into a quick-and-easy nugget-sized podcast. In this episode, listen to Juliana Kua's (Assistant Chief Executive, International Group, Singapore Tourism Board) take on the online travel [...]
“People like Hugo are hard to find”: Stephan Ekbergh
12/05/2023 by WiT
Stephan Ekbergh, CEO of Travelstart, shares this ode to Hugo Burge I met Hugo Burge first in 2001. He had started Cheapflights. I ran Travelstart and had just acquired a small business in Ireland called Openjet. Openjet was the first to properly do mix and match bookings with LCCs and GDSes. [...]
Changing of the guard at STB as it prepares for a new future
05/05/2023 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Keith Tan leaves on a high, Melissa Ow returns to the fold I remember commenting to someone at the recent Tourism Industry Conference in Singapore that it sounded like Keith Tan, chief executive of the Singapore Tourism Board, was making his farewell speech to the industry. There was something [...]
Sponsored: Evolving traveler expectations herald new opportunities for travel pros
The travel industry is at an unprecedented stage of evolution. Despite lingering challenges from the pandemic and economic concerns, people continue to place travel as a high priority in their lives. According to Expedia Group’s recent Traveler Value Index 2023 study, nearly half of consumers glob [...]
“It’s the biggest thing”. Putting ChatGPT to good use while being in awe of its capabilities
13/02/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
Tours and activities, experiences will be most impacted, says Magpie's Watts Christian Watts, CEO and Founder of Magpie Travel, is already designing products around ChatGPT. He says we haven’t scratched the surface of what the tech can do. A decade ago, Spike Jonze directed a movie called ‘H [...]
Guide: Consider humans first when building a sustainable AI system in Travel Product Distribution
17/01/2023 by Timothy O'Neil-Dunne
Building a sustainable AI system for Travel Product Distribution is going to be on a lot of people’s minds in this coming year and beyond. So, what do we need to get right if we are to be players? This post intends to outline what is required and, from a management point of view, what needs to be [...]
The art of conversations: The difference between an AI GPT and Human GPT
12/01/2023 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Tip: Make sure the way you speak cannot be replicated by a machine After having had lots of morning conversations with my new-found friend, GPT, you can imagine my delight when I got to mingle with real humans at an arts event the other evening in Singapore. First, I had to adjust myself to a hu [...]
The silver linings playbook for travel in 2023
12/01/2023 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
AMID the dark clouds gathering that could dampen travel – recession, inflation, an ongoing war, pandemic still in play – it’s good to focus on the silver linings. So, we asked a selection of travel industry leaders for the silver lining they’re keeping their eye on.   Ross Veitch, C [...]
Meet Susie and Kevin, travel’s Achilles heel
11/01/2023 by Timothy O'Neil-Dunne
WE need to rethink the issue of human labour in our industry, urges Timothy O’Neil-Dunne, principal, T2Impact. How can we do more with fewer people? As the world emerges from the pandemic, the desire to travel has exploded. Looking at the future it is hard to ignore that in the field of travel, [...]
Rhinos, unicorns, and fragmented markets: 3 investment trends that will shape travel and hospitality this year
09/01/2023 by WiT
IT has been a turbulent time for tech investments and particularly tough for travel. But then amid the dark clouds, there’s always the silver lining and investors are hard wired to seek out the bright spots. What do they see beyond the horizon, into the new world of travel and tech investments? Wh [...]