Starfish Travel Corporation Team

The 2023 Hakka Expo will formally welcome all visitors to Taoyuan, Taiwan, from August 11 to October 15 under the banner of “Travel to Tomorrow.” By fostering a conversation between cutting-edge technology and the future, the Expo will highlight the variety of the Hakka people by utilizing its smart city elements. Different installation art pieces will be used in the Taiwan Pavilion and the World Pavilion to represent the cultural essence of the Hakka people.Each exhibition area will have a variety of acts on each weekend of the event. Throughout the event season, there will be numerous performances every weekend. In the eagerly awaited performance “Into the 1895 – The Story of Hakka,” dancers will combine their physical prowess and props with Hakka poetry and literature to engage with fire in order to create a poetic beauty between stillness and movement. At the Taoyuan Hakka Music Festival, pop artists and bands from different nations will also congregate, and the “Hakka Symphony” will perform stunning fusions of Eastern and Western instruments. You can enjoy a variety of hip-hop, mainstream music, and DJs with “So Young Taoyuan Is!” On the massive woven bamboo ring, visitors can collaborate with the artist by programming an AI system to produce their own artistic Hakka pieces. On the massive woven bamboo ring, visitors can collaborate with the artist by programming an AI system to produce their own artistic Hakka pieces. In addition to the outstanding performance, the Taiwan Pavilion, one of the primary exhibitions, features stunning artwork and engaging interactive installations that highlight the Hakka people’s culture, music, crafts, food, beliefs, and history throughout Taiwan’s 14 cities and counties. Through spectacular AI-generated art and projected visuals in a ring-shaped room, the World Pavilion also provides an intriguing look into the Hakkas’ settlement in 20 different countries. You can immerse yourself in the dramatic setting to gain a fresh understanding of Hakka’s existence. Don’t pass up the opportunity to speak with the endearing “Hakka AI robot” before leaving the space. The robot can converse in Hakka, and you can utilize games to piece together your own recollections of Hakka. Source – Travel daily

In order to revolutionize corporate travel management, Traxo, Inc.—the only provider of real-time corporate travel data capture—and Cornerstone Information Systems—a world authority on overseeing travel and expense operations—have teamed together.  Through this collaboration, Traxo’s unique ‘Filter’ technology will be made available to Cornerstone clients, which include TMCs, corporate travel departments, OTAs, and other travel intermediates. This will provide them unprecedented visibility into out-of-channel reservations. The collaboration offers a wider data set than can be obtained through conventional methods and empowers travel management teams to take action, making it genuinely synergistic. Traxo is the market leader in real-time off-channel booking data, according to Mitch Gross, Head of Growth at Cornerstone. Cornerstone is a pioneer in integrating travel data into operations and utilizing cutting-edge automation to improve both service and effectiveness. Working together gives Traxo’s data a purpose and broadens the variety of transactions Cornerstone may influence. The influence our customers can have on their clients is also very essential. One + one is much greater than three. We couldn’t pass up the chance to invest because we love the firm and our synergy so much. This feeling is echoed by Andres Fabris, founder and CEO of Traxo, who is enthusiastic about the partnership’s game-changing potential. Companies will have total insight into the places and times that their employees travel for the first time, and this actionable data will force a thorough reevaluation of how to find and bargain with international travel providers. Cornerstone’s strategic investment in Traxo is just the beginning of a deeper technical partnership between the two businesses; further information will be released soon. For additional information, stop by Traxo (booth 2609) or Cornerstone (booth 2131) at GBTA. Source – Travel daily

A commercial relationship between Kyte and AirGateway, a leader in flight booking technology, was just revealed. EasyJet, Europe’s top airline, now has offers on the AirGateway platform. Thanks to a direct connection made possible by Kyte, an authorized partner channel of the carrier that accelerates its API integrations, clients of Air Gateway may now access content from easyJet. EasyJet and Kyte have been partners for many years, and their joint goal is to increase the effectiveness of direct connections while using fewer resources for travel partners. With its standardized interface, Kyte hopes to address several problems with content and functionality restrictions that are frequently brought on by subpar integrations or web-scraping. The majority of AirGateway’s customers are travel management organizations (TMCs) who cater to business travelers. As a result, reliability, operational effectiveness, and full content coverage are given top priority. The whole range of easyJet tickets and packages, including seats and other goods and services, may now be accessed and booked by AirGateway users without interruption or inconsistent data thanks to Kyte. The CEO and co-founder of Kyte, Alice Ferrari, states: “The industry is increasingly making the switch to API delivery. However, the functionality and content quality cannot be compromised for the shift to be effective. Kyte carefully implements integrations to guarantee that customers have a flawless experience while making flight reservations through third parties. We are honored that AirGateway has chosen us as their partner to provide their clients with premium easyJet content. The CEO of AirGateway, Jorge Diaz, says, “We work hard to provide a very effective booking experience to our corporate travel agencies through our API and travel agent desktop, BookingPad. The 27+ major NDC airlines, Travelport GDS (EDIFACT), and consolidated content will all be available to our clients through this cooperation with Kyte, and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it. Source- Travel daily

A web chatbot driven by generative artificial intelligence (AI) has just been developed by The Ascott Limited (Ascott), a lodging business unit completely owned by CapitaLand Investment, to improve the travel planning and booking stages as part of the guest journey. The chatbot, named Cubby after the mascot of Ascott, is intended to act as a “travel buddy” for all visitors. Cubby is prepared to offer travel information, such as highlights of a trip, choices for lodging, must-see landmarks, ideas for shopping and adventurous activities, as well as the finest “Instagram-worthy” spots, to name a few. Built with Azure Services and Microsoft OpenAI, the ChatGPT-powered chatbot. In order to provide a better, more technologically advanced guest experience, Cubby also makes use of real-time data, utilizing Bing search, Azure Map (Nearby API), Azure Map (Weather API), and other Azure services, as well as data and insights obtained through Ascott’s global website DiscoverASR.com. This revolutionary endeavor, which is now in the test-bedding stage when learnings are still crucial, is a part of Ascott’s thoughtful adoption of AI-driven guest-centric technologies to support its rapid growth trajectory. Ascott’s Managing Director for Brand & Marketing, Tan Bee Leng, said: “With the trial launch of Cubby, where innovation meets warm and cuddly hospitality, Ascott takes its first step into the future of customised travel exploration. With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), Cubby can quickly analyze travel preferences, trends, and recommendations. It can do everything from propose hidden gems to create itineraries that are tailored to a user’s interests. Every encounter with Cubby is going to open up a world of almost endless possibilities in AI-driven trip planning as we travel with our valued visitors on this shared voyage of experimentation. Ascott is committed to fostering Cubby’s development and giving it the tools it needs to provide more interesting and personalized experiences with each contact. Making Use of New Technology to Create an AI-Powered Ascott Web Chatbot To begin with, Cubby will assist Ascott’s live chat representatives so that the representatives can concentrate on handling more complicated concerns that call for a deeper and more in-depth interaction with visitors. Cubby may create custom itineraries based on user input for visitors who prefer having a live-streaming AI travel companion. The itineraries can be altered and customized in accordance with the chosen destination(s), duration of stay, travel preferences, and other factors. Some of the additional information Cubby is able to impart includes travel suggestions, health and safety information, guidance on visa needs, trip budgets, and packing checklists. Among the various jobs Cubby has been taught to perform are supporting the booking step of the customer journey, suggesting lodging possibilities, and helping customers book their favorite homes via deep links within the website booking engine. Cubby said, immersed in the pervasive realm of technology: “Hello, dear travelers! Your friendly travel companion powered by OpenAI ChatGPT, my name is Cubby. I’m excited to be a part of Ascott’s foray into artificial intelligence, helping to organize your incredible vacations, create lasting itineraries, and even help you make hotel reservations. I’m still a young, inquisitive cub, discovering more and more about this amazing planet with every interaction we have. I pledge to put in additional effort each day to get better! So let’s set off on this expedition hand in hand and create lifelong memories! Let’s work together to design vacations that will make you smile like a jubilant teddy bear and warm your heart. Cubby, the Ascott Web Chatbot’s upcoming phase In its later stages, Cubby will become multichannel and seamlessly integrate with other applications for better convenience, anticipating changing guest expectations. Additionally, enhanced language capabilities will be added to guarantee that Cubby is prepared for regional use. With the help of this connection, Cubby will be able to answer to enquiries from guests quickly across all channels in their desired language and on their preferred platform. accelerated check-ins With ambitions for a global roll-out, Ascott is testing the usage of self-check-in kiosks in Singapore at a number of its hotels. These kiosks are outfitted with face recognition technology that makes use of computer vision AI. These kiosks analyze face features quickly and securely and compare them to passport photos. The procedure has been shortened to make checking in quicker for customers and to give the staff members working the front desk more opportunity to interact with visitors in more meaningful ways.  Improved Hotel Experience Building brand loyalty and improving stay experiences both depend heavily on customer input. Ascott intends to use natural language processing AI this year as part of its pipeline to do sophisticated sentiment analysis by understanding nuanced language. Prior to its global rollout, the tool will undergo test deployment in a few selected regions. This AI invention will produce precise and helpful ideas for every Ascott property to improve visitor pleasure and give the hospitality firm crucial information when constructing future properties. Developing its People’s Potential With the ability to automate repetitive chores, improve decision-making, and free up work time for more intuitive participation in higher-level initiatives, AI has become a more potent ally. It is essential that Ascott’s employees join it on this journey as it ramps up its technological initiatives and promotes even deeper levels of innovation. Plans are in place to make accredited training and courses available to upskill its employees so they may utilize the most recent technology to its fullest extent and operate more effectively. Tan continued, “Ascott recognizes the critical role of AI technology in defining the future of travel experiences, from computer vision to natural language processing. We were able to launch our ads more quickly because to the use of generative AI tools, and the creation of a chatbot increased the depth of our interaction with visitors. We have made a commitment to future-proof Ascott and establish a new paradigm of individualized engagement with our esteemed guests by providing our employees with knowledge and competence in AI. This commitment goes beyond simple financial investment. Empowering Ascott to learn,

The Dubai World Trade Center will host the eagerly anticipated CTW Global 2023 Conference Program from September 18 to September 20, 2023. The top exhibition event of the year, CTW Global is focused on enabling B2B businesses and B2G organizations. It promises to provide unrivaled insights and tactics that will help businesses flourish in the fast-paced services sector.  The VIP speaker lineup for CTW Global 2023 is remarkable, with each speaker being a renowned authority in their industry. Numerous eminent people, including Faseeh Elahi, a founding member of the World Metaverse Council, Marianna Bulbuc, CEO and Managing Partner of Bizmoiss Group, Katik Bhatt, Chief Operating Officer of Sharaf Retail, and Dr. Arshi Ayub Mohamed Zaveri, CEO and Senior Advisor to Royal Family Offices, are among them.  These professionals bring a remarkable depth of expertise and experience to the table as they come from the Finance & Banking, Digital Commerce, and Sustainable Innovation & Technology industries.  Diverse viewpoints from professionals in the field Leading specialists from a range of industry sectors will talk at the conference, each offering their own distinctive viewpoints on important Service topics. In-depth discussions on important subjects such Special Economic Zones, Professional & Business Services, Digital Commerce, Sustainable Innovations & Technology, Supply Chain & Logistics, Art & Culture/Entertainment, and Finance & Banking can be expected from attendees. Attendees will receive in-depth knowledge and practical techniques from these recognized individuals for success in the services sector.  Engaging Sessions Created to Encourage Growth The schedule for CTW Global 2023 has been carefully planned, and it includes a wide range of sessions that are intended to cover important issues in the services sector. Several of the fascinating sessions are as follows:  Developing the Trade and Collaboration of the Future  Infrastructure for Mobility in the Future  Opportunities and Challenges of the Digital Transformation in Free Zones  Sustainable E-commerce Practices: Juggling Environmental Impact and Profit 5. Exploring the Synergy of Blockchain, AI, and the Regulatory Framework in the UAE Immerse Yourself in Innovation and Learning The CTW Global 2023 Conference Program ensures stimulating debates on subject matters unique to the sector, training designed to improve critical business skills, and engaging seminars on cutting-edge ideas and best practices. Attendees may anticipate immersing themselves in a culture of learning and innovation where they will acquire the skills and information required to succeed in the rapidly changing services sector.  Unprecedented Opportunities for Networking Throughout the event, there will be numerous opportunities for networking, allowing attendees to build relationships with other professionals in the field, possible business partners, and powerful decision-makers. The platform provided by CTW Global 2023 allows you to create lasting connections that could influence the direction of your company.  Sign up right away for CTW Global 2023! CTW Global 2023 registration is now available! Visit our website at www.ctw.global to register or learn more about the event.  A famous exposition, CTW Global is committed to creating innovation, building meaningful relationships, and fostering growth within the services sector. In order to study the most recent trends and tactics influencing the future of the services sector, CTW Global brings together industry experts, top professionals, and enterprises. CTW Global is dedicated to offering top-notch material and networking opportunities.  Source – Travel daily

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023TM, which concludes with the final in Sydney, has been given Sydney the right to host the second edition of the FIFA Women’s Football Convention from August 18–19, 2023. The FIFA Women’s Football Convention, which takes place at the International Convention Centre Sydney, will welcome 1,000 delegates over the course of two days and is expected to contribute $1.2 million to the NSW economy. They will discuss the evolution of women’s football with football industry experts while showcasing best practices to further spur the expansion of the women’s game worldwide. Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, commented on the news, saying: “Women’s football is developing at a great time. The second FIFA Women’s Football Convention will be held at Sydney’s renowned International Convention Centre on August 18–19 in order to maintain the momentum created by the greatest-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup, which is breaking records on a daily basis. This Convention comes after the first one, which was held in France in 2019. But it is amazing to watch how far women’s football has come in just four years, supported by FIFA’s targeted funding through a global epidemic. To ensure that the historic accomplishments we are making in Australia and New Zealand are used to further advance the sport, as well as to ensure that this tournament not only motivates a new generation of female football players but also enables a new generation of leaders, I am looking forward to joining friends and colleagues from around the world of women’s football. “We can already say with confidence that this tournament is a gamechanger for women’s football,” said FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura. The crowds, the energy, and the caliber of the football we’ve already witnessed have been outstanding. At the Second FIFA Women’s Football Convention, which will be held on August 18–19, I am looking forward to reflecting on that accomplishment and making another significant step toward building on it. The second Women’s Football Convention, which follows the initial gathering in 2019, has received invitations from FIFA’s 211 member associations as well as other international partners. The evolution of the women’s game, the social advantages of football for women and girls, and the good effects it can have on female empowerment will be the main topics of discussion during the Convention. According to NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism, the Hon. John Graham, this is the largest women’s sport competition in history. Locals and visitors from NSW have been showing up in record numbers to cheer on their teams at all of the games planned in Sydney. “The city is ready to continue celebrating women’s sport by hosting the FIFA Women’s Football Convention after hosting the Women’s World Cup.” “While the FIFA Women’s World Cup has been an incredible event to entertain global audiences and showcase women’s sporting excellence, the FIFA Women’s Football Convention 2023 in Sydney is where advancements in the business and the human sides of the world game will be made, creating a legacy to embrace, educate, and empower women around the world through football,” said BESydney CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith. Additionally, it gives Sydney the chance to highlight the sporting prowess of NSW and its capacity to host both the FIFA Women’s Football Convention and the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023. The FIFA Women’s Football Convention will feature a range of renowned and accomplished speakers from around the world who have been hand-picked for their role in enabling women and girls to realize their potential in football, sport, and society. Source- Travel daily

The most reliable airlines in Europe in July 2023 have been identified by Cirium, along with regional cancellation trends. Europe: Last month, Iberia was crowned the most reliable airline in Europe, with 80.75% of flights arriving on time. The second-place finisher was Finnair, with 79.82% of all flights arriving on time. The top five included Vueling, LOT Polish Airlines, and Norwegian Air Shuttle, which provide on-time performance on more than 74% of flights. None of the top 10 European airlines for punctuality were British Airways. Globally: With 85.30% of its flights reaching their destinations on time in July, LATAM Airlines was recognized as the world’s most punctual airline. With fierce competition for the second position, Avianca won with an 84.67% punctuality rating, slightly ahead of Saudia, which came in third with 83.76%. Fourth and fifth place went to Japan Airlines and Qatar Airways, respectively, with 83.39% and 82.67%%. Cancellations: As summer travel soared, there were 11% fewer cancelled flights within Europe in July 2023 (month-over-month). 9,231 flights inside Europe were canceled in July 2023, down from 10,401 in June 2023. With the exception of North America, where cancellations jumped 21%, every region of the world saw a decline in cancellations in July. Source- Travel daily

The second ship of the Prima Class and the much-anticipated new ship from Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the Norwegian Viva, welcomed its first passengers as it set sail from Venice (Trieste), Italy. The Norwegian Viva made its grand entrance into Europe when it set sail on its first magnificent nine-day voyage through the Mediterranean, carrying passengers from Venice (Trieste), Italy, to Lisbon, Portugal, with stops in some of Europe’s most incredible seaside destinations, including Salerno, off Italy’s picturesque Amalfi Coast; Cannes along France’s stunning Cote d’Azur; and Ibiza, Spain, in the Balearic Islands, among other outstanding locations.  Through November, Norwegian Viva will sail a number of must-do Greek Isles and Mediterranean voyages before repositioning to San Juan, Puerto Rico, in December for a Caribbean season. According to David J. Herrera, president of Norwegian Cruise Line, “this summer, guests will have the chance to explore Europe aboard our newest magnificent vessel, Norwegian Viva, while enjoying its well-appointed spacious design, elevated experiences, expansive culinary offerings, and signature Norwegian Cruise Line hospitality provided by the best crew in the industry.” “Norwegian Viva’s tagline is ‘Live it Up,’ and I have no doubt that our guests will be doing just that while they cruise to some of the liveliest cities in Europe and the Caribbean during the ship’s inaugural season.”  The award-winning Norwegian Prima’s sister ship, Norwegian Viva, features standout onboard experiences like the Viva Speedway, a three-level racetrack; Indulge Food Hall, an upscale food market with 11 unique eateries; The Drop and Rush, the two fastest slides at sea; and the Metropolitan Bar, an NCL industry-exclusive sustainable cocktail bar. Prior to her official christening in Miami on November 28, 2023, Norwegian Viva will cruise a number of Mediterranean and Greek Isles itineraries following its initial voyage.The Queen of Latin Pop, Paulina Rubio, “Saturday Night Live” cast member and Miami resident Marcello Hernandez, and singer Pedro Capó will all be present at the ceremony to formally name the Norwegian Viva, along with Luis Fonsi, a Latin GRAMMY® Award-winning musician.  From December 2023 to March 2024, the ship will be based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and make calls at Tortola, British Virgin Islands; St. John’s, Antigua; Bridgetown, Barbados; Castries, St. Lucia; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Norwegian Viva will make a comeback to Europe in May 2024, where its Mediterranean itineraries provide an unrivaled chance to explore the splendor and culture of Europe. Travelers will spend less time at sea since they spend an average of 10.5 hours in port, giving them more time to explore. The ease and luxury of their world-class travel accommodations and the option to wake up in a new location are all enjoyed by guests as the ship ferries them from one stunning European city to another. Guests only need to unpack once.  Source – Travel biz