Hindsight is 2024 | Our top 12 stories of the year
As 2024 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on a year filled with innovation, challenges, and pivotal moments in the Asia Pacific travel tech scene. From the rapid evolution of AI-driven travel tools to shifts in traveller behavior and emerging trends shaping the way we experience the world; th [...]
Letter from Penang: Some repetitive tasks should not be replaced by AI
When Eric Chong of Green Acres, Penang, suggested we spend a morning harvesting cloves, I jumped at the chance to detach from the wired world – if only for a little while. It wasn’t just for me, though. I was also looking for something to get two Gen Alpha kids out of their YouTube bubble and in [...]
Ready for UK’s ETA? Find a basketball court worldwide. Tokyo’s Taxis without drivers. More.
UK’s ETA just weeks away
Most overseas visitors to the UK will require an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) from 8 January 2025. Without one, there is a risk that passengers heading for the UK could be denied boarding. This includes infants and children.
To receive an ETA, travellers must [...]
Kayak’s Steve Hafner likens travel search to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
Twenty years after founding Kayak with Paul English, Steve Hafner remains resolute that there is a future for travel search, even while acknowledging the growth limitations due to the dominance of Google in search and traffic acquisition.“People need a place to compare prices,” he said in an exe [...]
Takaya Shinozuka: Disrupting Japan’s travel tech with punk rock spirit
In the world of Japanese travel startups, Takaya Shinozuka stands out. The founder and CEO of Reiwa Travel, Shinozuka is not only reshaping the travel tech landscape in Japan but also embodying a spirit of rebellion and innovation inspired by his punk rock roots.
Speaking at WiT Seoul, the entrep [...]
Year In Review 2024, Looking Ahead To 2025: Part 1
New years always begin with such anticipation while we end each year with a tinge of nostalgia, a mood of reflection and sometimes, a sigh of relief that another year is over. Well, this is it – we’re coming to the end of 2024 and as we wind down for what was yet another tumultuous year, it’s [...]
Key takeaways of the next generation | WiT Singapore 2024
From AI to evolving demographics, so much was discussed at WiT Singapore this year. The event kicked off the ‘Next Generation’ and gathered the brightest minds in travel, tech, and innovation to explore the future of travel and hospitality. Global leaders and industry giants got together to disc [...]
Musings on AI, knowledge appliances and the travel consumer
Just lately I, like so many people, am scratching my head to get a handle on AI, which I prefer to think of Assisted Intelligence. For me, the question I am asking is, how can we provide value to our consumers? At present we don’t seem to be doing anything that directly helps the customer, other t [...]
AI, sustainability, and piña coladas | Reviewing 2024 and prepping for 2025 (WiT Podcast)
2024 brought both promises and challenges to the travel industry, especially around sustainability, AI, and evolving traveller behaviors. As Timothy Hughes, Vice President of Corporate Development at Agoda, reflects on the past year, he offers insights that hint at what’s ahead in 2025. From the p [...]
Trailblazing travel tech in Korea: The Journeys of Donggun Lee and Jiha Jung
In the world of Korean travel tech, two entrepreneurs – Donggun Lee, the visionary founder of MyRealTrip, and Jiha Jung, the driving force behind Tripbtoz.
Lee, who won the WiT Startup Pitch in Japan in 2014, started MyRealTrip in 2012, using tours and activities as an entry point. Jung, who wo [...]
