Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1042511
2 INSIDE DAY Making a Difference www.travelweekly-asia.com 18 Oc tober 2018 PUBLISHED BY NORTHSTAR TRAVEL MEDIA SINGAPORE PTE LTD ISSN 2382-6061 MCI (P) 005/07/2018 PPS 1849/09/2014 (025581) I T B A S I A S H O W D A I L I E S Trip.com becomes first online travel agent to launch a platform allowing travellers to purchase high-speed railway products. Going local helps Ctrip to build its global reach By Ian Jarrett CONTINUED ON PAGE 4. TRANSFORMING THE DIGITAL DANCE T echnology has disrupted the travel industry, changed travel habits and the way companies do business. Technology such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things, mixed reality, blockchain and quantum computing are "the engines of our future", said Shane O'Flaherty, global director of travel and transportation, Microsoft. "We encourage everyone to embrace Buzzing activity at Ctrip, booth G52 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4. and take advantage of technology to drive digital transformation," he said. "There will be more change in the next 10 years than in the last 250 years." Companies have a treasure trove of data and it is how they can make use of that to optimise operations and drive a T he sharp growth in Trip.com's online business in South-east Asia is being driven by its mobile-first approach, backed by exceptional customer service, says Ctrip's chief communications officer, Victor Tseng. Ctrip is the largest online travel agent in Asia and the second-largest in the world with a 2017 market value of US$88 billion. Now operating in Singapore, Korea and Japan, Trip.com is able to leverage Ctrip's scale by giving local users more choices of flights, hotels and ground transportation, Tseng said. Trip.com offers flights to 5,000 cities and bookings at 1.2 million hotels, and it is the first online travel agent to launch a platform allowing travellers to purchase high-speed railway products in China. The focus on high-speed rail travel is aimed at meeting the cost and personalised travel needs of Chinese travellers, combining this with other travel products and services BY AUDREY NG Let's meet in Vietnam: Furama Danang shines at MICE Halal travel trends: Muslim heritage beckons in Uzbekistan and the Balkans Rail deal: Tourists take to train travel in Japan Chow down: 5 street eats to savour in Asia Industry leaders Shane O'Flaherty from Microsoft and Hermione Joye from Google in a panel discussion.