Regional Experts to meet in Singapore to Debate Developments in Online Travel

Over 40 leading travel specialists from around the Asia Pacific region will meet in Singapore later this month when the region’s first home-grown travel distribution and technology conference gets under way. Wired 2005: Asia Travel Matrix, which will be held on 20 and 21 October at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, will bring together experts from all areas of travel and tourism, in particular those in e-commerce.

The event has a three-year marketing commitment from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and aims to become a signature event for travel and tourism in Asia. This is in line with STB’s goal of developing strategic clusters of events to support Singapore’s meetings and conferences sector.

Conference organizer Yeoh Siew Hoon, said, “We are delighted with the response we have received from speakers and participants and anticipate an exciting forum brimming with innovative thinking. We wanted to create an event that would be valuable to the industry and benefit the consumer in the Asia/Pacific region – and that meant engaging speakers who really understand the marketplace.”

Ms Yeoh said that the organizers were keen to encourage “fresh young minds” to participate in the event and had offered a number of complimentary tickets to some of Singapore’s tertiary education institutions. “In return, the students will each be asked to submit a paper to the organizers on what they perceive to be the ten key learning points. They are the future of this industry and we shall be interested in their opinions of the conference.” Ms. Yeoh added.

Among the speakers at the event are Barney Harford, President of Expedia Asia Pacific; Kwek Leng Beng, Executive Chairman of the Hong Leong Group; Scott Blume, Chief Executive of Zuji; and Tony Davis, Chief Executive of Tiger Airways.

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