What Happens When You're the Tourist Attraction?
What is it like to live in the middle of a tourist attraction? Well, Yeoh Siew Hoon is discovering the pleasures - I have a friend who lives in the middle of Montmarte, Paris |
Ancillaries 101: What's the Fuss?
Much has been written about the Ancillary Revenue services offered by the airlines |
Low Cost Airline Horror Stories, Anyone?
I wish I had a good low cost airline horror story to tell – I know, it’s a strange thing to wish for and the reason will become evident at the end – but really, flying budget in Asia is pretty civilized compared to the experiences I’ve had ... |
Tee and Sand in Vietnam's Golf Coast.
With its combination of golf courses, five star hotels and beaches, Vietnam's Golf Coast is set to become one of South-east Asia's newest playgrounds |
Location, Views & a Story: Fullerton Bay Packs a Triple Punch.
Yeoh Siew Hoon checks out the newly-opened Fullerton Bay Hotel and finds out why Giovanni Viterale is like a fish in water |
We're Living in a Numerical World.
Journalists and hoteliers have something in common in today's world where everything is measured and shared instantly, as Yeoh Siew Hoon relates |
A hotel room is worse than a tomato, but pearls last forever.
And therein lies the difference between pearling and hospitality, as Marilynne Paspaley, founder of Pinctada Hotels & Resorts, tells Yeoh Siew Hoon during an encounter in Adelaide |
Why I have to tread carefully with my iPad.
It’s one thing to read about it or hear from other people how great it is and to listen and watch (often with envy) while other friends show it off to you |
A Moment for Magical Thinking.
There are times when you just want the world to stop, but it doesn’t, and so you continue, as does Yeoh Siew Hoon |
As You Woo Them, You Must Welcome Them.
As every Australian state goes courting the Chinese market, tourism officials are mindful that the expected influx must not lead to anti-Chinese sentiment as happened with the Indian market |
Trust and Integrity Even More Important in Digital Era.
The most important thing you can do in today’s competitive and noisy environment is to establish and maintain a brand with integrity and trust, said Stephen Blyth, executive director, sales & marketing, Asia Pacific, Fairmont Raffles Ho... |
Why The Greeks Will Survive.
Timothy O'Neil Dunne kicks back on a holiday in Greece and ponders about what makes the place special, despite its problems |
Edmond Ip Working on a 'Shanghai Tang' Hotel Brand.
Edmond Ip, hailed 'Trailblazer of the Year' by HICAP South-east Asia, is intent on blazing another new trail – he is working on a new hotel brand that will be like the Shanghai Tang of the industry |
Privacy, the New Luxury.
You can run but you can't hide in today's world where your name can get hijacked, your mobile phone number disclosed and even your home phone is no longer safe |
Studio M: Small, Mini but could be Cool for some.
Yeoh Siew Hoon goes to check out Studio M, the new brand from the Millennium & Copthorne group, which has opened its first property in Singapore |
The Way to an Asian Flyer's Heart is Through his Stomach.
On Monday, I zipped up to Kuala Lumpur for a tour of the AirAsia Academy; the flight was full despite it being mid-morning |
Adelaide: Isn't it just about time?
Yeoh Siew Hoon takes the time to explore Adelaide a little more this time round and finds it's all about time in this Australian city |
Travel appetite strong in Asia Pacific & Middle East.
A recent survey by MasterCard reveals that one in four consumers in Asia Pacific is ready to pack his or her bags and head for a vacation in the next six months |
Best Job, But Did It Mean Best Arrivals?
Perhaps it all started with Tourism Queensland’s 'Best Job In The World' but of late, Australian tourism has seen a bubbling forth of social media-driven campaigns |
WCS Wants Tourism to Save Tigers.
Usually it works the other way round – you use tigers to bait to tourists – but the Wildlife Conservation Society is using tourism to bait tigers |
Fly, Text, Play.
Forget inflight, let's go tech-flight as more airlines introduce new technology and new tools to keep us occupied in the air |
The East is not all East.
Yeoh Siew Hoon would like to apologise in advance for any offence this article may cause, it is not in the nature of the East to be ungracious guests |
Inside Marina Bay Sands Singapore.
Yeoh Siew Hoon goes on a tour of Singapore's newest integrated resort and is dazzled by the space and scale |
Resist the Kingdom of the Bland.
Spend your gold wisely, says Yeoh Siew Hoon, if you wish to resist being led on the path to sameness and blandness |
The money is in owning longtail supply, says Lerch.
With margins being squeezed at every point of the supply chain, the future for traditional outbound tour operators is in destination management and to own longtail supply |
Taipei: Life is out there on the streets.
Out on the streets is where the real Taipei is found, says Yeoh Siew Hoon, but more must be done to make it visitor-friendly for the non-Chinese speaking visitor |
Stranded with Strangers in a Strange Town.
There’s nothing like being stranded with a group of strangers on holiday to bring out the best stories |
The power of social media 'massive', says AirAsia.
Last November’s 'free sale' through its Facebook fan page broke two daily records and saved the airline millions of ringgit in advertising spend |
Sound of Data Equals Ancillary Revenues.
What does data sound like? Well, to one company, The Sound of Data represents opportunities for players such as online travel agencies and travel management companies to earn money in ancillary services such as SMS flight notification alert... |
Lawyers and construction site do not mix, as MBS finds out.
What do you get when you mix 1,000 lawyers with a hotel that's still a construction site? Plenty of potholes to fall into, as Marina Bay Sands discovers |
Luang Prabang: Fighting off the 'Lijiang Effect'.
Yeoh Siew Hoon revisits Luang Prabang and finds a place that's fighting to hold on to what makes it special and different |
The Making of Indigo Pearl.
It was a big gamble but in the end, it was worth it, Yeoh Siew Hoon gets into the story behind Indigo Pearl and how a father-daughter collaboration made it happen |
When ash spews and travellers get stranded, who's the hero?
When ash cloud brought global travel and trade to a standstill, guess who came to the rescue? Yeoh Siew Hoon reports |
Sabah's Danum Valley Unplugged.
Paradise these days is finding yourself in a place where your smart phone does not work and where better to disconnect than in one of Sabah's last remaining virgin rainforests, as Yeoh Siew Hoon discovers |
From Home to Home: Back to the Future.
After a day of revisiting the past, it’s time for the three travelling buddies to return to the city where they catch a glimpse of China’s future |
Mekong – and Water – On My Mind.
Yeoh Siew Hoon prepares for trips to Luang Prabang and Siem Reap and wonders if, with water as scarce as it is on the Mekong, whether restraint will be shown during the upcoming Songkran festival in Laos and Northern Thailand |
The Gypsy and her Muse at Hotel Les Ottomans.
To create this gem on the Bosphorous, owner Ahu Aysal was inspired by an 18th century Pasha artist; she tells Yeoh Siew Hoon why she wouldn’t change one minute of her life, even the breast cancer she had six years ago |
The Incredible Silence of Over-Socialisation.
Yeoh Siew Hoon reckons that we will no longer have anything left to share because we've done all the sharing |
Meet the New, Ugly Customer.
In a world of instant tweets, Yeoh Siew Hoon is reminded that the customer who shouts the loudest gets the most attention, never mind if he isn't always right |
Gay & lesbian travel no longer a niche but a 'state of mind'.
History is made as a gay and lesbian travel panel makes itself heard at ITB Berlin, Yeoh Siew Hoon was there to steer the conversation and to record it |
Logic, be gone; let the dice roll.
It's the talk of the town – Singapore's first casino, our writer listens in on the chatter - You can’t go anywhere these days without someone asking you, “Have you been to the casino?” Yes, ever since Resorts World at Sentosa opened Sing... |
Marketing Their Way to the Top.
There's a new breed of general managers in town and they have risen from the ranks of sales and marketing, as Yeoh Siew Hoon discovers |
Hitting The Right Pitch.
What makes a great pitch? Yeoh Siew Hoon gets a first-hand experience - There I was, sitting on the balcony of a rooftop bar in Chinatown with Bernadette Dennis, managing director of HSMAI Asia Pacific, and we were looking down on the Chi... |
A Question of Perceptions.
So why is that time flies when you're having fun but drags ever so slowly when you are in a boring meeting? |
The Best Job in the World: An SLH Hotel Inspector.
Yeoh Siew Hoon catches up with CEO of Small Luxury Hotels, Paul Kerr, in Singapore and finds out how you can land the best job in the world |
Elevated Encounters of the Unexpected Kind.
Yeoh Siew Hoon returns to Hong Kong and finds a city that's abuzz - "It’s foggy today,” I said to the driver who had picked me up from Hong Kong airport |
Seven Years in Tuscany.
Yeoh Siew Hoon meets Christopher Tung who's gone from making serious dough to making dough of a different kind |
Kiwis & Cougars: A Match Not Made In Heaven.
What happens when cougars are let loose in Kiwi land? Yeoh Siew Hoon looks at the latest anti-social media outrage |
Don’t Write It Off, This Is Your Life.
Yeoh Siew Hoon meets a handwriting expert in Bali and is told some home truths - I have had my fortune told, my birth date and my stars read but I have to confess, I’ve never had my handwriting analysed |
Feb, April, who cares? “We are not into daily trades”
One has set a date, Jan 20, the other, well, maybe April, as Sheldon Adelson puts it, who cares about days when billions are at stake? Sheldon Adelson, boss man of Marina Bay Sands, socks it to the media in Singapore on the opening date of ... |
I’m Dreaming of a Big Lottery....
After a year when so many lost so much money to the few who continue to make so much, Yeoh Siew Hoon's got money on her mind |
