Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com 22 | ITB ASIA Official Dailies news Continued from page 1. HIP-HOP AND POP TO THE PHILIPPINES Revealing the company's plans at WIT Bootcamp, regional marketing head of GrabTaxi Cheryl Goh said the app is now present in 200 cities including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam. Earlier this month GrabTaxi raised US$65 million in a series C funding, increasing its total funding in the last 12 months to US$90 million. According to reports it has acquired two rounds of funding from global and regional investors of about US$25 million. GrabTaxi, the taxi booking app (known as MyTeksi in its "birthplace" Malaysia), which is creating a storm in South East Asia, looks to expand to more cities in the region with its latest round of funding. GRABTAXI LOOKS TO EXPAND REACH IN SMALLER REGIONAL CITIES By Corinne Wan that the Philippines has to present to the world," Kurien added. And why the Philippines? "Why not, almost 65% of the population is under 35 years old," says Ramon R. Jimenez, Secretary, Department of Tourism Philippines. Jimenez said there are two stages at any big entertainment event. "The first is the stage itself. The second stage is the place where the event is taking place. This is the stage that shows off how a nation expresses itself." Several sites in Manila are being assessed for the show which will attract tens of thousands of hip-hop fans. The MTV Music Evolution will be marketed to hip-hop fans around Asia. A live telecast will be broadcast globally. "The world will witness what Filipinos do best. We're a musically passionate country," said Jimenez. "Through our partnership with MTV, young people from around the world will now have the opportunity to share in this passion and experience why and how the music culture is even more fun in the Philippines." Marketing activities will include consumer promotions, a dedicated microsite, and supporting social media and press campaigns across key markets. MTV will also promote local music events organised by the Tourism Promotions Board to profile the music heritage of the Philippines. The partnership with MTV will be a feature of Visit the Philippines Year (VPY 2015), when the country hopes to welcome 10 million visitors. Backing up the MTV Music Evolution will be a Papal Visit in January, an APEC ministerial meeting and leaders' summit and, in April, Madrid Fusion-Manila. Madrid Fusion has already established itself as one of the leading international gastronomy gatherings held annually in Madrid and attended by elite chefs and experts in the culinary field to discuss trends, evolution of tastes, and new food habits. "Madrid Fusion is the single, most important conference for the culinary scene in the 21st century. It is where the world goes to see the future of food," said Jimenez. Also in support of VPY 2015, the Department of Tourism has spruced up its website "The world will now have an opportunity to share in the passions of music culture in the Philippines." RAMON R. JIMENEZ The new round of funding was led by US-based Tiger Global Management, along with existing investors GGV Capital, Vertex Venture Holdings and Qunar. A new investor was Hillhouse Capital Management. Goh said the expansion emphasis would be to go deeper into smaller countries. The fresh funding would also be used to tap top tech talent to improve service and delivery. This is also because, according to Goh, one of the company's biggest mistakes was not scaling fast enough especially in technology. "We're fortunate now as we have a top Silicon company to help us," said Goh. She also revealed that GrabTaxi is the only company in the world to have the "Track my ride" feature on its app. "This is because one of the biggest concerns in cab rides, especially among women, is safety. People can travel in comfort knowing that they can inform their family or friends where they are," said Goh. On challenges for GrabTaxi, her response, "Remain true to our story and not be caught in the noise." On her views on copycat companies, Goh said, "Need deep pockets. Otherwise don't go into the business." To date, the app has been downloaded about 2.1 million times. It looks set to give similar cab booking apps like EasyTaxi and Uber a run for their money. (www.itsmorefuninthephilippines. com) with extra features to assist tourists, travel agencies and event organisers. A microsite inside the 'It's More Fun in the Philippines' website – visitph2015.com - allows industry stakeholders to register and promote their activities to an international audience. Domingo Ramon C. Enerio III, chief operating officer of the Tourism Promotion Board, said it was vital that VPY 2015 drew in many more visitors. "For every one visitor, there is one job created in Philippines – and we are keen to see millions of new jobs," he said. From left: Domingo Ramon C. Enerio III, Chief Operating Officer of Tourism Promotions Board Philippines; Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr., Secretary of the Philippine Department of Tourism Paras Sharma, Vice President of MTV Brand and Digital Media Asia, Viacom International Media Networks; Vishal Kurien, Vice President of Advertising and Sales, Southeast Asia, Viacom International Media Networks.

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