Newsmaker

From tech-generated recommendations to personalised experiences taking a front seat, it’s clear that today’s travellers want greater customisation and deeper immersion from their trips. Travel industry leaders tells why such experiential trends are booming, and what they seek for in their own travels.

Binod Chaudhary, Nepal’s sole billionaire, plays the role of entrepreneur, industrialist and philanthropist in his country. The chairman of Chaudhary Group (CG Global), a multi-dimensional conglomerate spanning hotels, real estate, banking and food businesses, tells Rohit Kaul why through building up a global hospitality empire, he seeks to bring the world to Nepal, and Nepal to the world.

Ctrip, China’s leading provider of travel services, has some 300 million users, about half of whom book online. CEO Jane Jie Sun tells Caroline Boey about the company's ambitious plans – mapping out its future across online and offline channels, and beyond the first-tier cities.

As Buffalo Tours Asia goes global in its merger with Olympus Tours Americas, managing director for Asia, Suyin Lee, tells how the DMC – now operating under a new brand name of Discova – plans to shake up the business of destination management.

Capella Hotel Group is now headquartered in Singapore after its founder, legendary hotelier Horst Schulze, sold the group to the Kwee family. Its new CEO, Nicholas Clayton, is his own man eager to make his own mark.

Expectations are high for Myanmar’s minister of hotels and tourism Ohn Maung, whose decades of practical experience as a hotelier and tour operator dates...

Under his leadership, YTL Corporation’s hotels and resorts division has grown beyond its Malaysia base to across Asia and the UK. Executive director of YTL Hotels, Mark Yeoh Seok Kah, tells S Puvaneswary why sustainability and conservation ethos remain a natural fit for the company as the family corporation’s hospitality arm scales up.

The founder of Country Holidays Singapore discusses why he sold to Scott Dunn. One, their philosophies clicked. Two, he loves his staff. Three, his baby will be stronger faster. To each his own.

Digital disruption, trade wars and political changes are some of the core issues seated front and centre in the minds of Asia’s travel business chiefs as the new year approaches. TTG Asia rounds up the top concerns of these industry leaders, and takes a peek at their reading list this year-end

Numerous changes are afoot at Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG), led by Lothar Nessmann who took over the reins as CEO in February 2017. He talks to Karen Yue about pushing for changes that take the organisation forward, adopting technology applications that make sense and keeping the critical dance with travel agents going