Asia is definitely set to take the travel industry by the horns. Tourist spending in the Asia-Pacific region is on a rising spree and continues to outgrow other regions in the world. In 2017, Asia-Pacific recorded a six percent growth, with 324 million international tourist arrivals. The growth is also expected to continue in 2018 at a rate of five to six percent.

Driven by a robust economic upswing and increased demand, many startups in the region are also making waves in the travel industry. With tech-driven differentiation, these startups, both big and small, are leveraging the boom in many different ways. Here is our top pick of some of the coolest startups.

1. Hotelogix, India

Many hotel groups in India run server-based management systems at their properties and lack centralized control at the corporate level. But not Hotelogix. With a mission to revamp the way the hospitality industry uses technology, Hotelogix aims at assisting hoteliers conquer the ever-changing hospitality landscape. What sets it apart from other PMS systems is the seamless flow of data. Cloud enables collecting data from multiple sources in real-time, giving you the ability to analyse this data in the moment. Recently, Hotelogix was recognized as a ‘FrontRunner’ in the hotel management category for enterprise vendors by Software Advice, powered by Gartner methodology.

2. RedDoorz, Indonesia

Launched in 2015, RedDoorz is a network of budget branded lodging, with more than 500 properties primarily in Indonesia, and also in Singapore and the Philippines. This year, it closed $11 million in new funding to expand its network of budget hotels and guest houses throughout the Southeast Asian region. As it stands in Indonesia, where RedDoorz has been the longest and where it has most of its properties — it claims to offer 3,000 rooms across 16 cities — the vast majority of customers are local and using the company’s Android app, rather than the tourist crowd. Some booking platforms are trying to creatively improvise their services by innovating around evolving customer needs, such as speed of booking, that RedDoorz particularly focuses on. The RedDoorz website is optimised to ensure that the booking form is displayed prominently on the landing page, which keeps guests focused on completing their booking.

3. Travelog, Malaysia

Built to be a one-stop shop for travellers in Malaysia and abroad, Travelog aims to make the process of researching and planning for itineraries easier for every traveller type.
Through the startup’s website, users are not only able to scan through an extensive list of travel activities, tour packages, and accommodations, but also avail weekly flash sales of up to 70 percent off booking prices. To make things even easier, users are not charged anything for the use of Travelog’s services. Within just one platform, travellers have access to a well-curated showcase of the startup’s hand-picked travel experiences.

4. GOeureka, Singapore

Blockchain is emerging as a strong technology tool that is all set to change the status quo of the travel industry. Banking on its subsequent adoption and tremendous growth potential, Singapore-based GOeureka is planning to launch their online hotel booking platform at the end of 2018, which will be utilising blockchain technology to deliver an industry-first solution that will disrupt the current OTA business model. This next-gen solution that will shape the future of online booking, will be built on top of the Ethereum platform, an open software platform based on blockchain technology that enables developers to build and deploy decentralized applications. GOeureka will challenge the status quo by removing hefty OTA commissions paid by hotels.

5. Concierge.io, Vietnam

Concierge.io, with its decentralized travel booking marketplace that utilizes the NEO blockchain, reduces third party interaction, whilst pledging a transparent operational process. The platform connects consumers directly with vendors to discuss their deals with no fee or commission associated. The Concierge.io marketplace UI (User-Interface) and UE (User-Experience) have been designed to give as much accessibility to both the vendor and consumers. The platform utilizes specific API’s to enable speed of transferring listings from other platforms providing maximum efficiency. Traditional payment methods like Visa/Master Card will be an option with top cryptocurrencies also added in due course.

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Smart airports are all set to take over the travel industry.

With the advent of the era of robotics, biometric check-in and augmented reality, airports across the world, particularly Asia, are now promising to to make passenger travel experience more efficient and comfortable. According to Zion Market Research, Global Smart Airports market is set for rapid growth, and will reach around $17.19 billion by 2022.

Here’s a list of some of the top and latest technologies in Asia-Pacific airports.

Japan

Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport is already planning to introduce eight fast travel features to provide passengers with better services. These include the introduction of new technology at the check-in and security gates. Haneda already allows passengers to check in and obtain their boarding passes through automated self-service counters, print and attach their own baggage tags, use dedicated bag-drop options, and self-scan their boarding passes at self-boarding gates.

Moreover, a fleet of humanoid ‘Pepper robots’ was sent out among passengers at the airport in February to cope with the surge of Chinese tourists arriving for the Spring Festival holidays. The Pepper robots were programmed to communicate in English and Chinese, and to provide information on access to gates as well as dining facilities, retail outlets and public toilets. Earlier, Haneda had deployed another robot variant, the humanoid EMIEW3, to reply to questions from travellers.

Hong Kong

The Hong Kong airport is seeking to transform the passenger journey into a fully automated and self-serviced process. The self-bag drop service was first introduced in 2016. To date, 120 self-bag drop counters have been installed in the airport.

Since end-2017, the airport has introduced iCUSS mobile check-in kiosks for travellers to complete their check-in procedures anywhere, from the airport terminals to external locations such as hotels, theme parks and conference centres. The entire check-in process is now more efficient for passengers.

It is also set to roll out biometric technology services from late-2018 onwards. By showing their passports and having their faces scanned at check-in, travellers will soon get through security and immigration checkpoints for boarding without having to produce their passports repeatedly. The HKG My Flight mobile app recently added an augmented reality (AR) navigation function, which guides passengers towards facilities at the airport with instructions overlaid in camera view and terminal signage in users’ own languages. It has also launched MyTAG, a smart luggage tag that notifies passengers on their smartphones when their checked bags arrive at the baggage reclaim carousel.

Hong Kong’s MyTAG

South Korea

Incheon International Airport’s new Terminal 2 was opened in January for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, with a focus on technology and innovation to enhance the passenger experience. The latest addition to Incheon is reportedly going to be the Chatbot, which is a talking robot that interacts with passengers, featuring a message programme that enables it to communicate information about the airport’s facilities to travellers.

Image source: TTGAsia

A portable biometric security system was also piloted at Incheon earlier this year, and is expected to be rolled out throughout the airport by summer 2019. Earlier this year, remote check-in facilities at bus and train stations were rolled out in central Seoul and across South Korea. This new system enables passengers to check in their luggage and obtain their travel documents prior to their arrival at the airport.

Malaysia

Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad’s (MAHB) digital transformation strategy involves the use of big data analytics and the Internet of Things to improve the passenger experience and operational efficiency at the five international gateways, including Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), and 16 domestic airports it manages.

MAHB is also going to team up with information management specialist OpenText to innovate KLIA and klia2 operations, including developing intelligent automation, predictive analytics and expanded digital services at both terminals.

In early June, MAHB introduced the MYairports mobile app, an airport travel guide, under its Airports 4.0 digital initiative supported with a RM30 million (US$7.5 million) investment. MYairports allows passengers to plan their journey, providing users with real-time flight updates, shopping and dining promotions. Additionally, airport services such as self-check-in and self-bag drop facilities and passengers’ authenticity can be verified as well.

Singapore

The opening of Terminal 4 (T4) at the Singapore Changi Airport last year was a huge deal in the tech space. The terminal debuted the airport’s Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST) system that offers end-to-end self-service options for passengers. This includes automated check-in kiosks, baggage drop using facial recognition and Xbox Kinect-powered 3D modelling technology, as well as immigration and boarding gates that share facial and thumbprint biometric data.

Following T4’s footsteps, Terminal 1’s (T1) departure, arrival and baggage claim halls are also currently being upgraded to replace check-in counters and implement FAST. T1’s baggage handling system will also become fully automated with sorting capability to support automated check-in and automated bag-drop functions. An automated early baggage storage facility will also be implemented.

More work is underway for lifestyle complex Jewel Changi Airport, which will have a range of play attractions, indoor garden trails and F&B outlets. To top this, will be the launch of the Canopy Park that will feature attractions such as sky nets, hedge and mirror mazes, trees and palms, and dining outlets.

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Blockchain is emerging as a strong technology tool that is all set to change the status quo of the travel industry. This is largely because it has the potential to dramatically alter the way in which information or data is stored and used, enhancing transparency and security, while also improving transactions. One of the most crucial aspects of blockchain technology is that data is decentralised, with information shared across a peer-to-peer network.

Banking on its subsequent adoption and tremendous growth potential, Singapore-based GOeureka is planning to launch their online hotel booking platform at the end of 2018, which will be utilising blockchain technology to deliver an industry-first solution that will disrupt the current OTA business model.

This next-gen solution that will shape the future of online booking, will be built on top of the Ethereum platform, an open software platform based on blockchain technology that enables developers to build and deploy decentralized applications. GOeureka will challenge the status quo by removing hefty OTA commissions paid by hotels.

Image source: GOeureka

The booking engine will also allow users to earn cryptocurrency tokens (Go Tokens issued by GOeureka) for online bookings made on the platform which can then be used for future bookings on the portal. The company’s goal is to deliver greater transparency in the booking process and drive better value for the consumer by allowing users to transact directly with hotels through smart contracts. GOeureka will eradicate the current commission model adopted by online travel agents and work on a much more cost-effective fixed-fee model with their hotel partners. This will decrease the costs that hotels incur when a booking is made through a third party booking engine.

By reducing the financial commitments of hotels to third-party booking platforms, the company’s vision is to enable hotels to focus more resources on providing better intrinsic value and services to travellers around the globe. Other features the company plans to release is to facilitate interoperability of hotel loyalty points and a rebooking system that will deliver the best possible room rate for travellers.

“Think of GO Tokens as loyalty points which users can utilise to unlock a range of benefits across our platform. One of the distinctions between our tokens and traditional loyalty points is that GO Tokens will also have monetary value as they can be traded on crytopcurrency exchanges. Having said that, the intrinsic value of our tokens is its utility across our platform” said Manraj Rai, GOeureka’s founder and CEO. GOeureka also plans to enable booking payments through traditional methods such as credit cards and other forms of cryptocurrency.

GOeureka has already launched its GO token sales, after which it plans to launch product Beta test with its partner hotels. This will be followed by the launch of the platform, and a digital marketing campaign by the end of this year. The company has already received a successful seed funding for the purpose, and currently has a 19-member strong team spread across Singapore and Malaysia.

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“Are you on Snapchat?” “No, I don’t really like it” and the 18 year old stared at me like I am guilty of something. We have come a long way since the humble beginnings of Facebook in a dorm room and the social world doesn’t revolve just around it anymore. It has evolved to expand across multiple platforms revolving around the little device that we carry around in our pocket. Needless to say, businesses haven’t been unaffected by the constant transitions either.

Travel being the highly competitive space it is, has witnessed brands quickly identifying trends and jumping on them. However, not all potential opportunities yield results and not all trends follow across different geographies. It is important not only to experiment with the opportunities but also to observe the others and learn to make quick progress.

Digital Travel APAC 2017 offers exactly that opportunity for travel brands and the entrepreneurs looking to make a move in this space. It will bring together the industry decision makers to share their experiences and debate to answer some of the biggest questions industry faces right now.

The topics will range from fine tuning mobile strategies to winning customers over with great design. Leading brands like Wego, Google, Expedia, Yatra, Agoda, Kayak and Tuniu among other brands will join the action on stage to share insights.

The APAC is so similar to an outsider yet the markets vary widely bringing their own unique set of challenges for the brands. The event will bring local expertise from the leading brands across geographies like India and China among others.

Digital Travel APAC 2017 will serve as a point where these industry stakeholders will come together to network and share their expertise. The event is scheduled to be held from April 25-27, 2017 at Resorts World Santosa, Singapore. You can find more details and registration options by following this link.

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