Asia will lead the making of the new social dialogue that's shaping the global digital world, says Michael Tchong, trendspotter and featured speaker at Wired In Travel  (WIT) 2007 - taking place in Singapore on November 29-30.

The California-based trend guru of Ubercool says: "Clearly, the impact of China on the rest of the world, particularly when it comes to the environment, is the region's biggest trend. China is also going to materially impact tourism, when it wrests away the No. 1 travel destination title from France.

"In a number of other travel trends, Asia is also shaping up as a trendsetter. Hotels, like the Ramada Phuket's Star Wars-themed rooms are pushing the envelope in the Design Hotel category.

"And, of course, we can't forget that Asia, as the gadget and gaming trendsetter, is leading in such trends as ‘thumbing' (texting) and ‘virtual worlds' – like Rexon's (Korea) MapleStory, which reportedly has more than 50 million players worldwide.

"In the same vein, it's remarkable that China has become the first country in the world to attempt to regulate virtual money, with the rapid ascendancy of Tencent Coin as hugely popular virtual currency."

In Tchong's view, the new social dialogue is evolving due to the enthusiastic adoption by consumers of the digital lifestyle. "It's global in nature and in fact, it's leading to the global adoption of English as the lingua franca," says Tchong, ahead of his visit to Asia, in which he will visit Shanghai after Singapore.

Tchong will be addressing social media trends, and offering new ideas from around the world that illustrate how smart companies and marketers are seizing trends and applying them in creative and innovative ways.  

"I'm also going to dedicate some time to ‘coolhunt' in Singapore and Shanghai, so I can see with my own eyes how cultures are adapting to global and local phenomena. That means checking out such iconic establishments as the New Majestic in Singapore, a trendsetting design hotel, and the famous Eski Bar."

Michael Tchong and other top speakers are lined up for Wired In Travel which will be held in Singapore on November 29 and 30. More information is on the website at www.wiredintravel.com