TODAY: Chinese spends $45 billion to escape heat, KLM launches voice-driven service to find the right flight and Virtual Reality – The Next Game Changer for Hotels.

Chinese spends $45 billion to escape heat
Thursday, 9th August 2018

A recent report indicated that Chinese tourists are expected to spend more than 300 billion yuan (USD 45 billion) in this year's summer escape, and that about 500 million trips will be made in July and August, accounting for about 10% of overall domestic trips this year >>

KLM launches voice-driven service to find the right flight
9 Aug 2018 : Google launched its Dutch version of the Google Assistant and customers can now search easily for KLM flights by giving spoken instructions in Dutch >>

Travelers don’t seek health advice when going abroad, even if visiting known mosquito-borne diseases areas
9 Aug 2018 : Results of a new survey revealed low awareness of endemic diseases among people traveling to international destinations and despite an uptick in travel to Asian-Pacific countries, many do not seek preventative healthcare from a qualified travel health specialist prior to their travel to guard against infection or illness >>

YOTEL announced plans for its second hotel in Scotland
9 Aug 2018 : The new hotel in Glasgow’s city centre will open in November 2019 and bring the brand’s key count in the UK to 823 as part of its European expansion strategy >>

HIGHLIGHT ARTICLE

VR – The Next Game Changer for Hotels
Thursday, 9th August 2018

Virtual reality has quickly gone from niche to ubiquitous in the travel sector, with professionals in every facet of the industry finding a purpose for the technology.

Two uses stand out for the hospitality industry — attracting guests to a hotel or destination, and keeping them engaged once they’re there. Hotels across the country have already invested in VR, and guests are learning to expect a high-tech experience both before and during their stays. Here are a few samples >>

Know Your Farmer – Sampran Riverside’s Arrut Leads Organic Tourism Movement in Thailand
In today’s age, where we have our personal trainers, doctors and lawyers, why shouldn’t we have our personal farmer? That was the food for thought offered by Arrut Navaraj, managing director of Sampran Riverside, at the Travelport Live conference in Bangkok earlier this month when he spoke of how he’s starting an Organic Tourism movement in Thailand, and encouraged us to get onboard >>

Don’t Blame Me, I Just Work Here
I can’t make this 'stuff' up, it really happened! The other night I was at a very nice – and very expensive – steakhouse restaurant, this place was top rated for their steaks and seafood >>

Global Update: Who's Where and Doing What - August 2018
Global update of who is moving where and from where - keep track of old colleagues and friends or find lost ones, brought to you by The Boutique Search Firm >>