Hideki Yoshimura,
Founder and CEO, Evolable Asia
The ability to think outside the proverbial travel industry box and take calculated risks suggests that a new generation of Japanese leisure sector players is coming through the ranks.
Hideki Yoshimura, founder and CEO of Evolable Asia, is just 32, but his vision coupled with a new generation’s approach to business could easily herald a shake-up in the travel business.
Evolable Asia operates three travel industry websites: Tripstar, a multi-language portal that provides hotels, and both domestic and international flights; Soratabi, which links to domestic flights; and Tabiweb, which permits a user to make a reservation at an overseas hotel.
And while a web-based travel business is no longer revolutionary, Yoshimura has put Evolable Asia on the map by doing something that no other Japanese travel firm has tried. Aware that Japan has an acute shortage of Internet engineers, which makes them expensive, Yoshimura left that side of the business to more-than-capable engineers working in Vietnam.
The model worked so well that Evoable Asia received US$5.3 million in new funding from Fenox Venture Capital, which Yoshimura intends to invest by setting up an office in Silicon Valley and conquering the US market as well.
That’s the sort of vision that marks this company as one to watch.
Who do you look up to in the travel industry?
I admire what Richard Branson has achieved. He had an unconventional concept of the market and he achieved a remarkable breakthrough in the travel industry through sheer enthusiasm and by harnessing the teamwork of his staff. He applies a light touch to his management and everyone at the company seems to enjoy working for
him.”
Faeez Fadhlillah
CEO and co-founder, Lagisatu.com
In 2013, Faeez Fadhlillah co-founded Lagisatu.com, a travel metasearch engine focusing on Muslim-friendly hotels. The fast-growing website caters to the growing legions of Muslim travellers looking for hotels that cater to their religious needs, such as having prayer mats and the qibla direction n rooms.
More recently at the World Halal Travel Summit in Abu Dhabi last October, the Lagisatu Travel Group launched Salam Standard, an online hotel reference tool that provides information on hotel services and facilities that cater to Muslim travellers.
More than 10,000 properties worldwide have already joined the Salam Standard initiative, including major international hospitality chains such as AccorHotels, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Rotana Hotels & Resorts, Anantara Hotels & Resorts and Rixos Hotels.
A recipient of the Malaysia’s Young Technopreneur 2013 award, Fadhlillah is also an avid speaker at international travel conferences and seminars, and is currently the vice president of research and technology at the Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents.
Who do you look up to in the travel industry?
“I have high regard for two individuals who built a company from scratch into one of the most successful in the industry. Douglas Khoo, co-founder of Qunar, whom I regard as a mentor and advisor; and Yeoh Siew Hoon, founder of Web In Travel, whom I admire for building Asia’s most successful travel conference.”
Aditi Balbir
Co-founder AND
managing director,
V Resorts
Aditi Balbir has ambitious plans to expand V Resorts, the brand she co-founded in 2012, across India.
At a time when the Indian hospitality sector is seeing an influx of international players, Balbir has successfully led V Resorts to carve a market niche in the management of resorts in offbeat locations.
Currently, V Resorts has seven properties in states including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. The hotel group is focusing on venturing into new destinations where the resorts are run and supported by local communities and where experiences like trekking and birdwatching can be offered.
Based in Delhi, the astute entrepreneur has previously worked with marquee names such as Barings Private Equity and McKinsey. She has extensive hands-on experience in management and business leadership. Under her leadership, V Resorts has seen two successive rounds of funding raised from venture capitalists like Bedrock and Seedfund.
Who do you look up to in thetravel industry?
“When it comes to the hospitality industry, there’s only one name that one can look up to and it’s none other than Vikas Oberoi.”
Ha Lam
CEO, Triip.me
Ha Lam founded Triip.me in Ho Chi Minh City with her husband and several other friends in 2013.
The female entrepreneur and mother of three young children took several bold steps to bring the travel startup to where it is today. Earlier, she and her husband sold their house and pooled together their personal savings to to bolster the finances of their venture.
Triip.me has since been making waves in the travel industry thanks to its innovative use of the thriving sharing economy space. The three-year-old portal turns ordinary people into amateur tour guides, as they are given the liberty to create a tourism package and sell it to tourists directly on the website.
As a testament to their growing potential, Triip.me won the inaugural World Tourism Forum Innovation Award in April 2015, bagging a cash prize of US$10,000. Triip.me is currently valued at US$1 million.
Who do you look up to in the travel industry?
“We look up to Airbnb. They have worked hard over the past seven years even though no one believed in them. And they do it just because they love to deliver great experiences for travellers. Their story reminds us why we are doing what we are doing.”
Eric Gnock Fah
co-founder, Klook
With seven languages under his belt, Eric Gnock Fah is a melting pot of cultures, putting him at the epicentre of the travel business. Owing to his experience as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley and later in the hedge fund space, he has also developed a keen business acumen.
Tapping on the rising popularity of FIT travel in Hong Kong, Klook was launched in anticipation of revolutionising the way travellers plan their itineraries through one-stop desktop and mobile applications. It enables travellers to book at pre-departure or at the very last minute for a curated selection of activities at an exclusive price.
Fah is pursuing aggressive expansion for this travel startup, growing the Klook team from three to over 50 in four offices.
In October 2015, Klook strengthened its foothold in Asia by raising US$5 million from investors like Matrix Partners and brought on Agoda’s North Asia Head as strategic advisor. This is just the beginning of the site’s quest to take on the online travel activities space in Asia.
Who do you look up to in the travel industry?
“Agoda is the company we relate to the most. Their execution has been absolutely first class. Within a short period of time, Agoda’s team consolidated the previously fragmented hotel sector in Asia and forged strong relationships with them. The company also did a phenomenal job in scaling the consumer side. Travel is prone to a winner takes all market and Agoda has clearly achieved that in Asia – and that is the goal for Klook.”
Yento Chen
CEO, DestinatioN Tour
One of Indonesia’s most prominent outbound players, Chen has come a long way from his early days as a staffer in a travel agency close to two decades ago to become one of the shareholders of Enjoy Wisata, a travel agency based in Jakarta.
Earlier this year, Chen finally set up his own company, Destination Tour. Starting small but armed with big ambitions, Chen’s strategy is to focus on personalised service to develop both corporate MICE and retail businesses for his company. He also seeks to build trust among his clients based on the firm beliefs that satisfied clients are key to driving business growth.
Chen aims to make Destination Tour a strong player in the Indonesian MICE sector in five years and one of Indonesia’s top 10 travel companies before his planned retirement at 55.
Who do you look up to in the travel industry?
“I admire Bapak Rudy Akili, the founder of Smailing Tours and Travel. I learnt a lot from him when I was working at his company. His innovation and leadership skills helped the company to become one of the top tour companies in the mid-1990s. When he stepped down, his children took over and grew the company further, showing how he well he passed down his entrepreneurship skills to his children.”
Additional reporting from S Puvaneswary, Rohit Kaul, Paige Lee Pei Qi, Prudence Lui, Mimi Hudoyo
