Northstar

4 | www.travelweekly-asia.com VOICES 12 CONTENTS 3 TALKING POINT Snowballs in Japan 4 VOICES Big ideas for little spaces 6 TECH TALKING Sabre at your service 9 DESTINATION: SINGAPORE Raising the stakes for a night out 10 TRAVEL AGENTS Dawn of a new age for NATAS 21 CORPORATE TRAVEL Business travellers seek personalisation, quick and easy 23 BEST OF GLOBAL WRAP News updates from across Asia Clockwise from top: The new icon of Changi Airport; Jo&Joe Hossegor; Going underwater in the submersible. 7 PHOTO CREDITS: CHANGI AIRPORT GROUP, ACCORHOTELS, GENTING CRUISE LINES. 16 Big ideas for little spaces It is hard to ignore the impact of private accommodation on hospitality over the past two years. Alternative accommodation has soared, with traditional hotels (both international brands and boutique) finding themselves on the back foot. But with that comes new traveller demands and expectations of what a space needs to have to appeal to consumers – and it isn't just free Wi-Fi and a decent (free) mini- bar. Instead, some have gone the opposite route, asking for less rather than more, and finding value in a slightly different way. Founded in Singapore, during the first quarter of 2017 – the year the UN World Tourism Organisation labelled as the "international year of sustainability tourism for development" – Big Tiny is a startup that taps into a growing demand for eco-friendly and socially conscious travel experiences. Big Tiny specialises in what could be explained as a cross between a caravan holiday and an Airbnb experience. Coining the term, "the Big Tiny experience", the alternative The idea, created by three Singaporean entrepreneurs, is to provide an escape from "digitally-laden" lifestyles to a rural, disconnected setting, without compromising on the quality or the novelty of the accommodation experience. Each Big Tiny house is ecologically efficiently designed, with solar-powered electricity, composting toilets and a rainwater collection system. The houses are kept to a maximum size of 46sqm and are also built on wheels, so that they can be relocated easily and quickly. The startup lists each property on both Airbnb and Booking.com, charging between S$150-250 per night. To establish the location of each house, Big Tiny seeks out "land hosts" – property owners who can offer space to 'host' Big Tiny houses. Those interested will purchase one of the houses that are then built to order. After the house is built, land hosts can earn 'income' off their land as the houses act as a vacation rental for passing travellers. In its simplest form, Big Tiny taps into the culture of the 'sharing economy', as it encourages people to see the potential for their land to be used for accommodation. At present, there are two Big Tiny houses in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia, which are available to rent from February 2018. The co-founders have expressed plans to expand to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane within the year… with future ambitions for New Zealand too. Marissa Trew is an MA Psychology graduate from the University of Edin- burgh, who is pursuing her passions for food and health through a career in travel and lifestyle journalism. Her love of exploration stems from sum- mers spent marching on her stomach across Europe, Asia and North Amer- ica, with every destination having a profound influence in shaping her outlook and interests in life. Big Tiny offers a cross between a caravan holiday and an Airbnb experience. accommodation startup wanted to couple the international trend of "tiny houses" (advocating living in compact, but spatially efficient homes) with eco-tourism. PHOTO CREDIT: TINY HOUSE

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