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Calling all digital nomads: Malaysia wants you
22/11/2023 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
DE Rantau, a one-stop hub for immigration and accommodation Malaysia wants to become a premier digital nomad hub, using Greece as a role model for the DE-Rantau programme rolled out by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). Arifah Sharifuddin, Head of Digital Tourism at MDEC, said that [...]
An online trailblazer goes offline: Donggun Lee on his journey, the future, and physical stores
21/11/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
During a session titled ‘From Startup to Scaleup’ at WiT Seoul, Donggun Lee, CEO and founder of MyRealTrip, was invited to break his story down into its own ‘hero’s journey’. Popularised by author and mythologist Joseph Campbell in the 1940s, the Hero’s Journey concept suggests that ever [...]
Letter from Fort Lauderdale: Pongy pooches inflight, and an underdog at his best
21/11/2023 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Hopper to reach profitability next year, doubling down on B2B and lodging I am writing this on Delta Airlines from Fort Lauderdale to New York where I will catch that epic 18-hour flight back to Singapore. It’s been quite a week. In New York, it was unseasonably warm, and I was able to spend a lo [...]
Does the coffee ever spill? Bobby Healy on friendships, rentals and drone deliveries
20/11/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
In the daily blitz of technological advancements, we sometimes forget just how far we’ve come in terms of mobility in the travel tech space. Bobby Healy, serial entrepreneur and founder of Manna Drone Delivery and co-founder of Meili Travel Technology, uses his fleet of drones to deliver everythin [...]
Electric air taxis takeoff in 2024, Swiftie surge, and agents of influence
20/11/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
Australia noted a 446% week-over-week growth in booking volumes after Taylor Swift concert announcements in Melbourne and Sydney Amadeus has released its 2024 travel trends and as pointed out by similar courtesy of Booking.com and Expedia, travel and hospitality continue to shift and evolve in this [...]
5 key takeaways from The Phocuswright Conference
20/11/2023 by PhocusWire
Will artificial intelligence change travel booking forever? What’s the most important thing to consider when starting a company? Could Hopper become profitable soon? How should travel companies market to Gen Z on social media? Is Kayak under threat from one of its co-founders’ newest ventur [...]
WiT Podcast: Expedia’s Schulze and Nair on rising to the occasion in travel and hospitality
17/11/2023 by WiT
As a company, Expedia Group is no stranger to change - the company has been through many shifts in the travel and hospitality industry, from technological booms to slumps in the global economy, to the current AI revolution amidst a worldwide recovery phase. Similarly, two travel veterans, Greg Sc [...]
Google’s safe Maps. Austria’s night trains. India’s air taxis. Klook x STB.
17/11/2023 by Ian Jarrett
This week: Google tracks safety in South Africa, lift-off for India’s air taxis and a new dawn for night trains in Europe.   Google fights crime in Cape Town Google has made changes to its Maps application, following a recent attack on an American tourist near Cape Town International Airp [...]
TV shows influence travellers more than social media, destination dupes, and more trends
16/11/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
Taipei named top destination in 2024, while unexpected cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Edmonton, and Mexico City are tourism hotspots next year Expedia has just released Unpack '24, a report offering a sneak peek into the upcoming travel trends for 2024. Combining first-party travel data and insights [...]
Phocuswright unveils Top 25 travel startups of 2024, 8% from Asia Pacific
16/11/2023 by WiT
New list spotlights pandemic-era innovations, with 17 startups born in the last three years PhocusWire, the media and news division powered by Phocuswright, has unveiled its list of the "Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2024" at The Phocuswright Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This year's sele [...]