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Chinese travel and spending surge during Lunar New Year holiday
05/02/2025 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Alipay reports rise in spending in cosmetic surgery, Fliggy sees growth in international cruises and car rentals Both Alipay and Fliggy, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Alibaba Group, have recorded significant surges in Chinese travel spending, in both outbound and inbound, during the Lunar New Year [...]
The ‘unstandard standard’ airlines are struggling with – and how Sabre plans to fix it
03/02/2025 by WiT
Sabre aims to solve airline content fragmentation and unlock AI's potential in the process In our latest WiT Studio episode, we chat with Brett Thorstad (Vice President, Agency Sales & Airline Distribution, Asia Pacific, Sabre) and Madhavan Kasthuri (Head of Global Solution Engineering, Sabre C [...]
Thai entry goes digital. Boom goes supersonic. Insurance payouts surge. More.
31/01/2025 by WiT
Smartify’s £1.5M boost to enhance visitor engagement at museums and galleries Smartify, a visitor engagement platform for museums and attractions, has secured £1.5 million in funding, led by Metavallon VC with participation from Pembroke VCT. Founded in 2015, Smartify aims to expand internation [...]
Future Lanes Ep 2: The Traveller | DAA’s Kenny Jacobs on the future of airports, retail and travel
30/01/2025 by WiT
“Future Lanes” is a special WiT Podcast series powered by Meili, a tech company that is rewriting the rules of ancillary distribution. The series, covering six episodes, is all about getting direct – cutting through the noise with unfiltered conversations on what’s shaping the next decade of [...]
OpenAI’s “Operator” and DeepSeek: Marking two auspicious moments in AI
28/01/2025 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Year of Snake heralds “the biggest travel shift” and “the biggest shift in AI” Forget about sliding into the Lunar New Year tomorrow – the snake is leaping into the next era in Artificial Intelligence that signals the beginning of a shift in consumer behaviour as to how they book travel, [...]
Sustainability, Gen AI, and the forces moving ASEAN tourism in 2025
28/01/2025 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
Malaysia is setting ambitious tourism goals with Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM 2026), aiming to attract 35.6 million visitors and generate RM147.1 billion in tourism revenue. The ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2025, held in Johor Bahru, spotlighted key strategies to achieve these targets, including sustainabil [...]
GHA DISCOVERY revenue up 16% to an all-time high of $2.7 billion
27/01/2025 by WiT
Global Hotel Alliance celebrates 20th anniversary with record-breaking 2024 results UAE-headquartered Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands, celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024 by delivering its best-ever results. The milestone year saw record-b [...]
Slow and slithery into the New Lunar Year: Navigating the “firehose” of changes
24/01/2025 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
At the Lunar New Year celebrations hosted by Sentosa Development Corporation this week, I noticed the words “spring into prosperity” on the screen, right next to an animated image of a snake. I suppose the word “spring” works better than “slither” – the latter doesn’t quite convey [...]
Wego, WiT to launch “Travel Tech Thursdays” in Kuala Lumpur
23/01/2025 by WiT
To celebrate their joint 20th birthdays this year, WiT and Wego are teaming up to launch “Travel Tech Thursdays” in Kuala Lumpur on the last Thursday of every month, starting on February 27. The two-hour event, to be held at Wego’s new offices in the Malaysian capital city, will feature int [...]
Longer holidays, bigger budgets: Why APAC travellers are extending Lunar New Year trips
23/01/2025 by WiT
Rise in cross-border travel with stays up to 10% longer this holiday season. Growing interest in off-the-beaten-path destinations and cruises Trip.com Group has unveiled its latest LNY trends for 2025, showcasing how travellers are prioritising longer stays, meaningful experiences and unconventiona [...]