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How Expedia Group is building diversity through Leading 4 Change
As Expedia Group globalises, with a third of its business now coming from outside the US, the company recognises the need for a more diverse workforce. Melissa Maher, senior vice president and...
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Defiance by design and the big themes for 2019. Happy new year
After a year of intense travelling, it seems fitting to end my letters with a missive from my home island of Penang. If there’s one place that has been transformed by travel, this is it. In my...
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2019 – the bridge to something new. Will it be fat years, winter or a...
In his interview on BBC’s World Book Club last month, Chinese author Chan Koonchung spoke about “the importance of the year ending with a 9”. “Next year (2019) is an important year because 1949 was...
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How to feel “At Home Around The World” and how to protect that experience:...
Robert Rosenstein, co-founder and chairman, Agoda and Peter Allen, managing director of Agoda Outside, have co-authored a book, “At Home Around The World”. Positioned as “the short-term rentals...
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D-EDGE brings combined strengths to grow business as Grob predicts a looming...
D-EDGE Hospitality Solutions, the new brand borne out of the merger between Availpro and Fastbooking, will step up its expansion activities in Asia as well as Europe, confident in the knowledge that...
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Tech disruption, commoditisation keeping airline CEOs awake, among other things
Anyone who ever thought aviation was a glamorous business would have had their illusions shattered at this week’s CAPA LCC Global Summit in Singapore as airline executives, one after another, spoke of...
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Alternative accommodation soars at Booking.com as it continues its push into...
You wouldn’t blame Olivier Grémillon, vice president of Booking.com’s home division, for celebrating just a little bit this week – after all, the group has just disclosed the revenue of Booking.com’s...
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David Kong on the transformation of Best Western through quality, talent and...
Ever since he took over as CEO of Best Western Hotels & Resorts in 2004, David Kong has been a man on a mission to transform the company, and the process continues with the recent acquisition of...
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Al Tayyar Travel on the move as Saudi Arabia prepares to transform
Exciting changes are afoot in the Saudi Arabian online travel market with the government’s Vision 2030 plan which sets ambitious targets to diversify sources of income and reduce reliance on oil in...
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South Korea’s Tidesquare receives $44m investment to fend off global OTAs in...
In a strategic play that will give it access to new technologies and fresh funding to compete against global OTAs in its home market, leading South Korean online travel agency Tidesquare has taken in...
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Wego soars to profitability and $1b gross bookings on back of Middle East...
Six years after Singapore-based travel metasearch site Wego entered the Middle East, the region now accounts for half of its total business and is the key reason why the company achieved profitability...
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Letter from Penang: Why indies who pursue love matter in the big money world...
Each time I return to Penang, I discover a new and interesting business set up by yet another entrepreneur out to make a difference on the island. This island, after all, was built by traders,...
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Cracking local payments is key to unlocking potential of Middle East
When you combine three forces – a young demographic, an aspirational market of travellers and strong mobile adoption – it stands to reason that the future for online and mobile payments is bright in...
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African expertise puts Travelstart in good stead to tap Middle East growth
With South Africa as its home base and its businesses spread across the African continent, Travelstart believes its roots and experience make it well suited to take on the emerging and fragmented...
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Lessons from Aliens on the Galactic Silk Road: Space tourism, creating...
Science fiction has always informed the future and it was interesting to hear from speakers at Melon, the sci-fi and fantasy conference – from scientists searching for life out there to consumers now...
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Cleartrip lays down solid road map to become “OTA to the emerging world”
At the last WiT Middle East in Dubai in 2015, Stuart Crighton, CEO of Cleartrip, made it very clear the OTA would bet big on mobile given the high mobile penetration in the region, a trend markedly...
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Letter from UAE: Excuse me, have you got my reservation yet? The art of...
The last time I was in Abu Dhabi four years ago, there was a lot of talk about the development to come that would transform this emirati of 214 islands into a tourism destination – among them, the...
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From Ain Dubai to the Red Sea, travel brands jostle to find their groove in a...
On the morning after WiT Middle East ended, I went for a walk across from Jumeirah Beach to Bluewaters Island, a new development that boasts 132 shops and restaurants, Caesars Palace Hotel and the...
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Spoiler alert. GOT Season 8: No one dies – yet, just like online travel
War chests have been replenished, battle moves have been made, welcome to travel’s own GOT (Game of Online Travel) Season 2019 If you are a Game of Thrones fan, you will know the first two episodes...
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Letter from Seoul: Travel market has all the makings of a K-drama like Mr...
Someone once asked me why WiT was in Seoul. My answers were simple. It is the second largest outbound market in Asia, after China. Consumers are changing faster than traditional travel players. Into...
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