UAE hits 94.8% safety score and 24% tourist growth from Asia
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is asserting its influence as a global tourism leader, marked by the historic election of Shaikha Al Nowais as the first female Secretary-General of UN Tourism. As the region garners international attention, data from Mabrian, the global travel intelligence company par [...]
Beyond the selfie queue: Japan’s overtourism challenge calls for data, dialogue, and decentralisation
As Japan races toward its goal of welcoming 60 million tourists annually, it faces a mounting dilemma – how to remain a dream destination without becoming a nightmare for its residents. At WiT Japan & North Asia 2025, a spirited panel moderated by Morris Sim of Montara Hospitality tackled the [...]
From new luxury to hotels as stories: A new breed rethinking hospitality
"Is growth just a more optimistic word for survival?", asked Morris Sim of Montara Hospitality, while moderating a panel about rethinking hospitality.
“We’re fairly lucky that we’ve been able to grow primarily through management agreements with some co-investment,” said Howard Ho, CEO &am [...]
Rod Cuthbert on simplicity, rocket boosters and serendipity | Conversations On Turning 20
When you get to the ripe young age of 20, you’re bound to collect lots of stories – not only about the past but lessons for the future.
As WiT marks its 20th year in 2025, we turn the spotlight on our community, our tribe pioneers and leaders, to tell their stories and share their views on th [...]
Korea rising: Travel’s next powerhouse gets personal, local, and competitive
South Korea’s travel market is having a moment. Again. As the world races to catch up post-pandemic, Korea is not just bouncing back – it’s evolving at a dizzying pace across outbound, inbound, and domestic fronts, powered by hyper-local infrastructure, cultural cool, tech-savvy consumers, and [...]
Experts weigh-in on Jetstar Asia’s closure: Strategic misstep or inevitable fallout?
On June 11, news broke that Jetstar Asia, the Singapore-based low-cost carrier under the Qantas Group, will cease operations on July 31, affecting more than 500 employees in Singapore. The closure is part of a broader “strategic restructure” by parent company Qantas, which aims to reallocate res [...]
HTS and Virgin add hotels. K-Pop fuels travel surge. PKFARE expands hotel reach. COMO boosts B2B. Stories to sales.
Virgin Australia launches hotel booking with HTS Stays
Virgin Australia has teamed up with HTS, the B2B division of Hopper, to launch a new hotel booking portal powered by HTS Stays. This marks the first official rollout of HTS’s modern accommodation solution, designed to help airlines boost cros [...]
Bright ideas, bold pitches: 2025 Global Startup Pitch winners announced at Phocuswright Europe
The spotlight turned to the industry’s most promising new talent on June 10, as 14 seedup and scaleup companies pitched live at Phocuswright Europe 2025 during the highly anticipated Global Startup Pitch. Organised by WiT, Phocuswright, and PhocusWire and supported by American Express Global Busin [...]
Tours & Activities: Going deeper, spreading wider, staying human
From digital transformation and multi-day experiences to secondary cities and super apps, the future of in-destination travel is being reshaped in the Middle East and beyond.
What do Gen Z travellers want from experiences? A pasta-making class in Florence, not just a trip to Italy. A skydive over P [...]
iBook bets on local hospitality to be Malaysia’s go-to platform for affordable hotels
"We don’t want to scale too fast and lose focus. We want to build a solid foundation in Malaysia first.”
There’s no way to sugarcoat this - the Malaysian hospitality scene is dominated by giants. While global OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) and booking platforms continue to outpace and outprice [...]
