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The battle for online travel consumers: Who will win?
Will the Internet – and online travel in particular – end up being dominated by juggernauts? Do online travel agencies (OTAs) stand a chance in a world where search engines offer e-commerce facilities,...
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How to succeed in online travel: Lessons from WIT Japan
As a first-timer attending WIT Japan & North Asia, it was certainly an eye-opener as I listened to more than 60 speakers and industry experts share their collective wisdom and insights into what it...
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TripZilla zipping along as it uses content as hook to pull in customers
In start-up years, TripZilla is still an infant. Founded in 2010 by husband and wife team Winnie Tan and Eric Koh, the online portal claims to be South-east Asia’s foremost travel listings site –...
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Ctrip to bank on product and customer service to succeed in South-east Asia
Ctrip, China’s largest OTA, opened its doors in Singapore with the official launch of its brand in Singapore this week. The move signals the company’s regional ambitions with localised websites that...
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OTAs vs direct hotel bookings: A traveller’s perspective
The rise and rise of monolitic online travel agents (OTAs) are squeezing hotel margins – but is this necessarily bad for the industry? A report by global hotel consultancy HVS, published earlier this...
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From model to start-up: How TheLuxeNomad.com beat flash sale fatigue with...
Stephanie Chai: “Even back then, we foresaw that our end game would require us to expand beyond flash sales.” TheLuxeNomad.com founder Stephanie Chai may not always lead a glamorous life – she usually...
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Mobile saturation in China equals rise in m-commerce
The recent release of the Chinese International Travel Monitor (CITM) 2015 from Hotels.com found that online, and in particular mobile, bookings have spiked in the last year. Half of all outbound...
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No one has fully conquered Asia yet in tours & activities: BeMyGuest’s Menchaca
Since its inception in 2012, BeMyGuest has grown at a rapid pace to become one of the leading Asian tours & activities platform. Its expansion is the stuff of start-up dreams: in the last three...
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The pairing of travel and food: A natural match for Chope
The joy of discovering local cuisine can be as glorious and as memorable as any isolated landscape or sundrenched beach. That travel and food go together like cheese and quince is indisputable. The...
View ArticleOakwood launches Studios brand, enters Singapore
Oakwood Asia Pacific announced last week it will be launching a new serviced residence brand in Singapore – Oakwood Studios – due for completion in November 2016. A management contract with local...
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The value of authenticity in storytelling and travel
A little over a year ago, I went to Peru. On my list was a visit to Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake. Getting there involves a half-day-long drive from Cusco – made longer by drag in...
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Almaty eyes the future as an innovation and start-up hub
Almaty, Kazakhstan’s former capital, sits on the foothills of the Tian Shan mountain range, known for wild apples, seismic activity and – if the government has its way – an innovation hub. Home to just...
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Looking forward to WIT: Land that brand promise through experiences
Guest writer Carl Griffith is a design thinker, passionate about brand and marketing. He’s returning to WIT as a delegate after a couple of years’ absence. Carl Griffith As I look forward to...
View ArticleCtrip boosts tours and activities with BeMyGuest partnership
China’s largest OTA Ctrip has teamed up with Singapore-based tours and activities platform BeMyGuest to offer Ctrip customers access to the site’s 10,000-strong inventory, spread over 600 destinations...
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Words from the wise and the wide-eyed
Guest blog by Maggie Rauch, senior research analyst, Phocuswright WIT Bootcamp, the one-day, startup and innovation-focused precursor event to Web in Travel is a rare opportunity to get a peek into the...
View ArticleUncovering untapped spaces in corporate travel
By Alisha Somanas As the leisure industry focuses on making unique experiences for travellers, business travellers are following suit and seeking more personalization when they book for business. At...
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Make Singapore an ideas hub, invites Minister
Security is priority for a smart nation Use Singapore as test bed for new technology. That was the invitation Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister-in-charge of...
View ArticleEmbracing the Airbnb experience
By Carl Griffith It was interesting for me listening to Julian Persaud of Airbnb simply for the number of times he used the word ‘experience’. He had a lot to say, of course, about the company and his...
View ArticleOnline travel giants on building loyalty and differentiation
By Alisha Somanas With massive shifts in the terrain of the online travel industry, how are the big players responding? When quizzed on their response to newcomers and changes in the online travel...
View ArticleThe secret to direct hotel bookings
By Jack Tan, Independent Hotel Consultant Retailing hotel rooms has never been as complicated as it is today, with a myriad of channels, tools and services now available. Direct is every hotelier’s...
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