Diana Cerqueira, Jing Travel
China is California’s top long-haul market. So it's a smart move for Brand USA and San Diego to partner with Alibaba, given that Chinese travelers use Alipay and online travel platform Fliggy on a daily basis.
3 months ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
When you're Google, you can take more than a decade to hone a product such as Google Maps and attract more than a billion users without having to worry that it isn't making lots of money. But the monetization of Google Maps will soon start in earnest, and travel marketers, for the most part, will hustle to get in.
4 months ago
Andrew Collins, Jing Travel
WeChat may have eclipsed Chinese social media platform Weibo in recent past, but it can still serve as a key marketing tool for travel brands and destinations that want to attract coveted Chinese outbound tourists.
4 months ago
Singapore Airlines + Skift
In today’s marketplace, it’s not enough for an airline to simply have an app. Cutting-edge functionality, efficient tools and, yes, fun bells and whistles are needed to engender consumer loyalty and drive increased revenue. The new app from Singapore Airlines ticks all the boxes and provides a new model for the industry.
2 months ago
Iain Shaw, Jing Travel
Travel brands and destinations take note: Offering digital mobile payment methods is an effective way to appeal to Chinese outbound travelers, who are adopting apps like Alipay and WePay in ever growing numbers.
4 months ago
Richard Whiddington, Jing Travel
As Chinese outbound travel continues to rise, this high-spending segment is increasingly appealing to destinations worldwide. Deploying WeChat, China's No. 1 superapp, may be key for travel brands and destinations looking to unlock this market.
7 months ago
Andrew Sheivachman, Skift
It will be fascinating to see whether consumers embrace booking various elements of travel using Google Assistant. Perhaps more interesting is the way that Google Maps has become an all-purpose superapp in recent years.
7 months ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Consumers in the West reach almost reflexively for the Google Maps app as the service becomes a nearly ubiquitous utility despite a dearth of messaging and payments. Whether it evolves into the next superapp may depend on whether users really want a do-everything app and the mood of regulators seeking to break up big tech.
8 months ago
Eric Newcomer, Bloomberg
It doesn’t look good for SoftBank. The U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment has immense power under President Trump and has been cracking down on foreign investment. This puts overseas investors in a very uncertain position, which could lead to fewer international business deals.
8 months ago
Lucca de Paoli and Manus Cranny, Bloomberg
Vista is getting bigger, as more and more companies realize it’s way easier to rent a jet rather than own one outright. Now, this most recent acquisition makes booking seats even easier, but who knows if it will catch on with luxury travelers.
8 months ago
Hannah Sampson, Skift
Travel companies are honing their own technological innovations even as Silicon Valley acknowledges the dangers of tech overload. Travelers must find a balance.
9 months ago
Thomas Seal, Bloomberg
Brexit would have a steep price, and no longer escaping mobile roaming charges for Brits traveling to the UK, and for European Union citizens traveling to the UK, could be one of the components. Were leave voters thinking of that?
10 months ago
